Review: Whisper

Title: Whisper

Author: Phoebe Kitanidis

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Part of a Series?: First in series

Goodreads Summary:

I’d love a cup of coffee. I wish she knew how pretty she was. I wish I could drop this kid in the dryer sometimes. I just want her to be happy. I hope she didn’t find out what Ben said about her. I wish I knew how many calories were in a bite of muffin… 

Joy is used to hearing Whispers. She’s used to walking down the street and instantly knowing people’s deepest, darkest desires. She uses this talent for good, to make people happy and give them what they want. But for her older sister, Jessica, the family gift is a curse, and she uses it to make people’s lives—especially Joy’s—miserable. Still, when Joy Hears a frightening whisper from Jessica's own mind, she knows she has to save her sister, even if it means deserting her friends, stealing a car and running away with a boy she barely knows—a boy who may have a dark secret of his own.

Review:

So what did I like from this book? 

I thought the concept of Whispers and Waves was fun. It wasn't very unique, maybe, but you can't really squeeze that much more out of the mind reading lemon these days. In a way, Kitanidis featured a different sort of mind reading that was only limited to desires. I had no idea a person wished for something so much. I'll have to be more aware more often of what I subconsciously think about people. 

Whispers actually focused a lot more on Joy and Icka's sisterhood. That was a new and refreshing twist. I thought the book would be more suspense-driven, especially looking at the Goodreads summary. But I actually found the flashback moments into the sisters' past and the development of their present day relationship to be poignant and well-developed. I can only hope for more Joy-Icka bonding in later installments. 

What did I think could definitely use some improvements for the next book?

Joy, Joy, Joy. I had a tremendous amount of difficulty relating to her. She is so frustratingly naive, as her sister pointed out. While a lot of people would find Icka's (note: Icka is the saddest nickname to give a person...ever) criticism insensitive and hateful, I actually agreed with the eldest Stefani sister. Joy can be so blind and shallow--she takes all her information "prechewed" from her Mom and her friends. For a fifteen-year-old, Joy is heavily dependent on those around her. To be honest, the only way to describe her initial personality is ghostly; she has no substance of her own but is only defined by those she interacts with. Overall, Whisper, for better or for worse, tilted away from urban fantasy mystery and more towards chicklitty melodrama. And chicklits all deal in the minutiae of teenage woes and high school drama. 

Joy's "friends" with the exception of Parker are all plastic and fake. While I can sort of relate with Joy in not seeing how badly she fits in with her friends (for me, it's 2nd grade all over again...), I can't really say Joy did anything to stand out from being the follower. Joy gets really pissy right about when her Hearing starts improving and she realizes her BFFs think she's a sidekick. But honestly, for 2/3 of the book, Joy only focuses on pleasing everyone else but never herself. Whether it's becoming president of Parker's recycling club or trying to appease both grandparents during the most awkward family brunch in history, Joy spends every hour of her life Hearing the Whispers in order to keep everyone satisfied. Disappointing someone ruins her entire day. Moreover, it completely blindsides Joy when her father tells her that he only wants her to be happy. At that moment, I was thinking, Joy, you cannot please everyone! And are you really surprised that your dad is selfless? Are you so surprised that someone actually doesn't want something from you? Try to get to know the man before you run off to your mom because your father is way more understanding than you think. 

So...I did have a few more minor qualms, but I mainly just wished Joy wasn't so bland. She sort of ruined the story for me, but I'll still read whatever sequel is next.

Full Series Review for the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews

Alright, I had a long time to ruminate about this book (since I miscalculated and only brought along one book on vacation) and the series in general.


To keep this short and simple, the series itself was cute but nothing special. There were moments that I wanted to go "Awww!" and moments where I got angry and wanted to scream some sense into the characters. There were moments were I was surprised at how blindsided I was to what just happened (either that was good because I didn't expect the development or bad because there was no hint whatsoever to go off of beforehand) and moments where I wished the revelation had come ten chapters earlier because that's where I first figured out the plot "twist."


I think the Kate Daniels series has a lot of promise, but it keeps teasing us to the real problem: Roland. So far, Kate's big bad daddy hasn't made an appearance except by name. Meanwhile, I felt like the series has pandered to the fangirls with 5 very episodic entries. Don't get me wrong. I like being a fangirl as much as the next self-indulgent reader does. But I had the chance to reread Magic Slays and its prequels several times the last week because I had no other books left. I found myself comparing the books to my favorite television series. I enjoy the breaks in the main plot to dip my toes into the character development and light action and adventure, but the reason I keep returning to watch the newest episode is to figure out what is the next clue to the overall grand scheme of things (because you know there has to be one, right?).


The character development is alright. Curran will never really be too memorable for me since I read his carbon copy in almost EVERY other adult PNR I've read this year (*cough* Barrons *cough*), but there are still moments between him and Kate that are cute enough for me to enjoy. But he kind of lost his edge in Magic Slays, which now makes him slightly less memorable than he already was...and Kate, well...she's a pretty straightforward protagonist. I don't have too much to say about her because she doesn't break any new boundaries. I found that she spends a lot of time charging headlong into dangerous situations, only to spend the next chapter getting healed, and then the next chapter back in the field because she has her daddy's magic blood to revive her. It got really repetitive. The hospital scenes really appeared to be fanservice devices for Andrews to appeal to the readers who want more Curran-Kate moments.


So I'll stick with the series for now because I want to read the fated showdown between Kate and Roland. But...meh. I need more substance!!!

First half of the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews

 Book Titles: Magic Bites, Magic Burns, and Magic Strikes

Author: Ilona Andrews

*Note: These are the first three books of the series

Review:
In my defense, I like paranormal romance. Criticize as much as you want. I could probably pick several books off your books list and laugh at your tastes. So this review is coming from someone who likes paranormal romance. She likes good PNR, and she likes it done well. But she doesn't automatically jump on the "Ew slut porn with magic books" bandwagon.

So I actually sort of enjoyed the first half of the Kate Daniels series. What did I like?

• The badass, eponymous protagonist, Kate Daniels. She has a wicked magical sword that slices through undead vampires like they're melted butter, and she has an equally impressive arsenal of snappy retorts. She greets the Beast Lord with "Here, kitty, kitty."
• The steam is so HOT. I like sex scenes, okay? Geez. I admit it. But can you believe that in these first books, there was NO SEX AT ALL! That's got to break some unwritten adult PNR rule that God created to satisfy all the horny readers all the time. Kate obviously is meant to get with Curran, the sexy Beast Lord. And yes, they have some tense, chemically charged moments. Yet, there was no doing the deed. Thank God! I've gotten really tired of the female protagonists having some serious libido touch.
• The last scene in the third book says it all. What a LOL moment.

What I don't really like about the series:

• The first book is typical for a PNR: infodumps, internal monologues, and sarcasm. 
• Sometimes, the plot gets forced. I feel like Andrews sometimes just adds stuff for the sake of keeping the momentum going. Mystery is not the best point to this series; the "subtle" clues sort of hit you in the back of your head. 
• Overall, there just wasn't much that really separated the first half of the series from any of the other PNR series I've read. It had some memorable moments, but for the most part, it was fairly average. 

Review: Red Glove

Title: Red Glove

Author: Holly Black

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Part of a Series?: Second in series; Click here for first review

 

Goodreads Summary:

Curses and cons. Magic and the mob. In Cassel Sharpe's world, they go together. Cassel always thought he was an ordinary guy, until he realized his memories were being manipulated by his brothers. Now he knows the truth—he’s the most powerful curse worker around. A touch of his hand can transform anything—or anyone—into something else. 

That was how Lila, the girl he loved, became a white cat. Cassel was tricked into thinking he killed her, when actually he tried to save her. Now that she's human again, he should be overjoyed. Trouble is, Lila's been cursed to love him, a little gift from his emotion worker mom. And if Lila's love is as phony as Cassel's made-up memories, then he can't believe anything she says or does. 

When Cassel's oldest brother is murdered, the Feds recruit Cassel to help make sense of the only clue—crime-scene images of a woman in red gloves. But the mob is after Cassel too—they know how valuable he could be to them. Cassel is going to have to stay one step ahead of both sides just to survive. But where can he turn when he can't trust anyone—least of all, himself? 

Love is a curse and the con is the only answer in a game too dangerous to lose.

 

Review:

Unfortunately, Red Glove was a definite disappointment. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't up to the standards I had for the series after White Cat. The first book had drama, mystery, suspense, and intrigue, all with a believable male protagonist. Yet all of those great aspects seemed diminished in this book. 

First off, I thought the book lacked a certain...pop? It wasn't boring, but the mystery wasn't nearly as interesting as the last book's backstabbing who's-who's-ally drama. Cassel spends the entire book ditching school to go on little random outings, partly because he's a big sufferer of senioritis and partly because the FBI has him working to find his brother's murderer. The identity of said murderer wasn't really all that important though. When the big reveal happens, Black literally spends a few pages on the confrontation scene. It was not the climax I expected it to be. In general, the main story was heavily diluted so Black could spend more unnecessary pages on Cassel's internal conflict. 

Why did Black spend more time on Cassel's mental monologues? I liked how White Cat portrayed a male protagonist who didn't spend so much time in thought. Furthermore, I was pretty ambivalent about Cassel's new no-care attitude about school, family, and life in general. He lied plenty of times in the first book, but now Cassel just seemed to lie because the truth was too much of a hassle. It was frustrating, and it made it hard for me to care for him. He treated in his life like it was a con, including his relationship with Lila. I could understand him for wanting to distance himself while Lila was cursed. But he also used Lila for his own gains, and I'm glad it all backfired in his face in the end. 

The good thing about Red Glove is that it contained more of the characters I wanted to read about: Sam, Daneca, and Cassel's mother. They were secondary characters that really got a lot more description instead of remaining 2D filler characters. I was especially happy with the amount of time we got to read about Cassel's mother. She's a double-edged sword in Cassel's life. Because she's a emotion worker, her blowback makes her emotionally unstable. She could be the maternal mommy and the hysterical ex-con all on one page, and I found myself enjoying every second she was featured.

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Review: A Need So Beautiful

Title: A Need So Beautiful

Author: Suzanne Young

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Part of a Series?: First in series

Goodreads Summary:

 We all want to be remembered. Charlotte's destiny is to be Forgotten... 

Charlotte’s best friend thinks Charlotte might be psychic. Her boyfriend thinks she’s cheating on him. But Charlotte knows what’s really wrong: She is one of the Forgotten, a kind of angel on earth, who feels the Need—a powerful, uncontrollable draw to help someone, usually a stranger. 

But Charlotte never wanted this responsibility. What she wants is to help her best friend, whose life is spiraling out of control. She wants to lie in her boyfriend's arms forever. But as the Need grows stronger, it begins to take a dangerous toll on Charlotte. And who she was, is, and will become--her mark on this earth, her very existence--is in jeopardy of disappearing completely. 

Charlotte will be forced to choose: Should she embrace her fate as a Forgotten, a fate that promises to rip her from the lives of those she loves forever? Or is she willing to fight against her destiny--no matter how dark the consequences.

Review:
Frankly, this book was pretty boring. It didn't do anything unpredictable, so each plot "twist" made me think, Great...sooo...when's dinner? The only thing that really kept me reading was the question of if Charlotte would give into being a Forgotten or end up living immortally on Earth like Onika (Okina? How's it spelled? I'm too lazy to look it up). 

The book is well-written, and I think the problem is that the writing was wasted on a pretty standard plot line. I can tell Young really put some thought into her concepts about the Forgotten and the Seers and the Shadows, but the story line was very disjointed. We have the Sarah-and-her-daddy-issues plot, the Harlin-the-boyfriend plot, the Charlotte's-glowing-skin plot, and finally the Monroe-Onika-Seer-Charlotte plot. There are a lot of components to A Need So Beautiful, but I don't think Young was able to fluidly interconnect the pieces. Also, she just left us hanging on the most important bits. The evil Shadows that Monroe keeps mentioning--they don't play any part in the plot other than acting as the figurative scapegoats for Charlotte's problems. 

Furthermore, everything was just...so black and white. Charlotte and co. don't carry the necessary depth to pull off a story that is measured on how connected the readers get with the characters. This book is essentially posing the question, "If you were destined to be forgotten by your loved ones, what would you do?" And when Charlotte has to come to terms with her Forgotten status, it's pretty important that we feel the torment and indecision alongside her. But I didn't really feel like Young managed to pull off the poignancy very well. It would've helped if the characters were fleshed out more. Charlotte whined the entire book (We get it. You don't want to be a Forgotten. Now, try to stop crying, for the love of God), so we didn't get to see her express much range of emotion. This problem was further worsened by the secondary characters, Sarah and Harlin. Sarah fell right into the snobby, rich girl stereotype, and Harlin did little to express any emotion that contradicted his sensitive, tormented persona. 

If anything saved this book, it was the ending. The last scene was rather tough to get through, primarily because I knew the story was coming to an end. The last chapter was the climactic "choose good or evil" scene for Charlotte, and this is where Young's writing really shone for me. Also, the end was a semi-cliffhanger, that posed some interesting questions which, if they'd been asked and answered in the actual body of the book, could've provided some more drama and excitement to the plot...SPOILER!!!!!(e.g. Harlin's a Seer? Monroe knew this? What's with the "After" section?).

Overall, the book was kind of boring. But I'm going to read the sequel because the last chapter hinted at an intricate story only skimmed upon in this book.

Review: Unearthly

Title: Unearthly

Author: Cynthia Hand

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Part of a Series?: First in series

Goodreads Summary: 

In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees . . . .

Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy.

Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place—and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.

As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make—between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?

Unearthly is a moving tale of love and fate, and the struggle between following the rules and following your heart.

Review:

I fully admit to smiling like a little fangirl while reading this book. Unearthly is just harmless fun. Harmless, slightly-predictable fun. 

In general, I thought the strongest part of this book was the world-building. Hand does not portray Wyoming like a backcountry hick town. But she does capture the raw beauty of the state's nature. Wyoming truly is a beautiful state, and I think Hand couldn't have described it any better than she did. Also, I really liked how the angels were presented. Hand goes farther than fallen angels and pretty wings, delving into some deep stuff for a YA paranormal story (e.g. Loved the glory and purpose stuff). I really want to read more about the Black Wings because there is definitely potential in that story line.

The characters were alright. Clara wasn't bland or annoying. In fact, she was pretty rational. Dare I say it--relatable? I mean, she did do some pretty predictable stuff [because we all knew from the moment she kissed Tucker that she'd save him rather than Christian but nothing that I gave me the urge facepalm. Usually love triangles frustrate me. Are there even such things in real life as love triangles? I don't think they really exist outside books and chickflicks. But I had to smile at the cutest scenes between Tucker and Clara. There were some really adorable moments in this book. 

I liked this book, but I'm not really...inspired by the story. It's light and fluffy. But I sort of wish there was a little more substance.

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Review: The Iron Knight

Title: The Iron Knight

Author: Julie Kagawa

Rating: 3/5 stars

Part of a Series?: Spin off of The Iron Fey series

Goodreads Summary:

My name- my True Name- is Ashallyn'darkmyr Tallyn. I am the last remaining song of Mab, Queen of the Unseelie Court. 

And I am dead to her. 

My fall began, as many stories do, with a girl... 

To cold faery prince Ash, love was a weakness for mortals and fools. His own love had died a horrible death, killing gentler feelings the Winter Prince might have had. Or so he thought. 

Then Meghan Chase- a half-human, half-fey slip of a girl- smashed through his barricades, binding him to her irrevocably with his oath to be her knight. And when all of Faery nearly fell to the Iron fey, she severed their bond to save his life. Meghan is now the Iron Queen, ruler of a realm where no Winter or Summer faery can survive, 

With the unwelcome company of his archrival, Summer Court prankster Puck, and the infuriating cait sith Grimalkin, Ash begins a journey he is bound to see through its end- a quest to find a way to honor his vow to stand by Meghan's side. 

To survive the Iron Realm, Ash must have a soul and a mortal body. But the tests he must face to earn these things are impossible. And along the way, Ash learns something that changes everything. A truth that challenges his darkest beliefs and shows him that, sometimes, it takes more than courage to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Review:

Ah the emo! It burns! 

Ash's POV was surprisingly blue. I kept hoping that, at some point, I'd get to see the kick ass Ice prince from the past three books. But no. Kagawa put Ash into the figurative black skinny jeans and panda guyliner. 

I swear to God, this was what Ash sounded like the entire time. 

Oh no, I can't go see my girlfriend anymore because I got banished from her kingdom, and in general, I can't even step into the Iron Kingdom without having my pretty face melt off. 

Pity me, I'm too much of a hot Ice prince to care about my friends. 

I'm so sad. [I met my ex-girlfriend who I thought was dead but really wasn't. How can I choose? I have two sexy women pining after me, but I just feel so sad.

Maybe I'm not meant to be with Meghan after all. Wow, heartbreaker. I'm going to go off into the corner and cut myself now. 

Ash was continually popping emo pills. Seriously. Get it together, man. You're thousands of years old, but you whine like a preteen who lost her cell phone. Thank God for Kagawa's skill at world building. As always, her portrayal of the Nevernever and the beings in it was fantastic. She's just brilliant at description. 

Oh, and as a side note, did anyone else just laugh at how happy-go-lucky the ending was. Obviously Ash get's his soul. If that's a spoiler for you guys, then you must never have read a paranormal romance in your entire life. Well, he gets his soul, but apparently Ash isn't completely mortal but can still walk in the Iron Realm. What a lucky coincidence! Ash gets all the benefits of being an immortal faery but all the raging hormones of a human. So he can live happily ever after with Meghan, spawning hundreds of emo babies for eternity. Huzzah for them

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Review: Leaving Paradise

Title: Leaving Paradise 

Author: Simone Elkeles 

Rating: 3 stars out of 5 stars 

Part of a Series?: First in series 

Goodreads Summary:
Nothing has been the same since Caleb Becker left a party drunk, got behind the wheel, and hit Maggie Armstrong. Even after months of painful physical therapy, Maggie walks with a limp. Her social life is nil and a scholarship to study abroad—her chance to escape everyone and their pitying stares—has been canceled.

After a year in juvenile jail, Caleb’s free . . . if freedom means endless nagging from a transition coach and the prying eyes of the entire town. Coming home should feel good, but his family and ex-girlfriend seem like strangers.

Caleb and Maggie are outsiders, pigeon-holed as "criminal" and "freak." Then the truth emerges about what really happened the night of the accident and, once again, everything changes. It’s a bleak and tortuous journey for Caleb and Maggie, yet they end up finding comfort and strength from a surprising source: each other. 

Review: 
 As far as chicklit goes, this is pretty good but I've read better. Overall, the general problems I have from chicklit apply to this book to; there is an excess of angst, forced plot twists, cookie-cutter stereotypes, etc., etc., etc.

First off, I think that Elkeles needed to focus a little more her originality. Maggie and Caleb get put together in these really cliché scenarios, like coincidentally working together for Mrs. Reynolds. Also, their respective backstories just are so...depressing. 99% of Americans DO NOT have family problems like Maggie and Caleb. But that's really the problem I have with most chicklit. All the characters, in order to give them a little more depth, try to have "unique" backgrounds like the divorced-single-parent-with-a-husband-who-doesn't-keep-in-touch story line or the perfect-family-that-really-isn't-so-perfect-on-the-inside.

Also, the progression in general was too fast. Maggie and Caleb got chummy very quickly, and everything after that happened too quickly. I wish that Elkeles had taken her time with developing the story. Maggie and Caleb had a few hot encounters and then suddenly were best friends. And I don't really think that Elkeles hinted very well at what really happened the night of the accident either. I know the book isn't supposed to be a mystery novel, but I think the truth that Leah was the one who ran over was revealed too suddenly. Then the ending rolled around, and I just wanted to hold up my hands and say, "STOP ONE SECOND! SLOW DOWN!" I wished Elkeles had made the book 100 pages longer...it would've really helped.

I did like the story. It was cute. But in general, it was an average read...meh.

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Review: Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning

Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I think, in general, this series was alright. It wasn't anything special that made me go bananas, frothing at the mouth. It was just average. It had some high points and some low points, which basically averaged out to an okay adult paranormal series. I probably wouldn't personally recommend it...but I wouldn't discourage reading it either. Bah, I'm really torn.

I guess this is a review for the entire series and Shadowfever. In general, I thought the book's highest points were the mystery and world building. First off, Moning took some risks in centering 5 entire books around a few blocks of Dublin. Also, we have to take into account that she actually DARED to end EVERY SINGLE BOOK on a F-ING HUGE CLIFFHANGER. I'm just glad I read this series when after all the books were published, or I think I might've exploded with the sheer need to read these books. I don't know what about Moning's writing makes her stories so addictive, but no matter how frustrated I get with the characters, I just have to keep coming back for more. Ugh. She had a whole lot of questions but perhaps not enough answers. Needless to say, I was quite disappointed at the ending to the last book in the Fever series because it just didn't deliver a satisfactory ending.

Speaking of the characters, I'll just say this: Moning has confused me, and I'm glad for it. At first, I hated Mac. She was the epitome of the kind of girl I hate; shallow, stupid, and blonde (just kidding on the last part, but she did act like a Barbie). She got herself into all kinds of trouble and then went blame everyone else. She almost made me stop reading. I'm just glad that Moning created a mystery that grabbed onto my conscious and wouldn't let it go until I stopped. Because in the end, I'm glad I stuck through with Mac's character. By book 5, Mac developed into a strong, self-confident protagonist I could actually kind of like. But I'm still a little torn on Barrons. Sometimes he just bugs me. He's animalistic because...well, he's an animal. But gahhh! He and his cohorts just kill me with their... misogyny. I know, I know, this is supposed to tug at the heartstrings of every woman who wants a territorial man to guard you in your sleep. Still, it pissed me off that Barrons would toss around phrases like "I own her" so lightly. *sigh* and yet, I still think he is one sexy beast. :P

Overall, it was an average series that had some high moments. But overall, the characters and ending were just not up to my expectations.



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Review: The Taker

Title: The Taker

Author: Alma Katsu

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Part of a Series?: Individual

Goodreads Summary:
On the midnight shift at a hospital in rural Maine, Dr. Luke Findley is expecting another quiet evening of frostbite and the occasional domestic dispute. But the minute Lanore McIlvrae—Lanny—walks into his ER, she changes his life forever. A mysterious woman with a past and plenty of dark secrets, Lanny is unlike anyone Luke has ever met. He is inexplicably drawn to her . . . despite the fact that she is a murder suspect with a police escort. And as she begins to tell her story, a story of enduring love and consummate betrayal that transcends time and mortality, Luke finds himself utterly captivated.

Her impassioned account begins at the turn of the nineteenth century in the same small town of St. Andrew, Maine, back when it was a Puritan settlement. Consumed as a child by her love for the son of the town’s founder, Lanny will do anything to be with him forever. But the price she pays is steep—an immortal bond that chains her to a terrible fate for all eternity. And now, two centuries later, the key to her healing and her salvation lies with Dr. Luke Findley.

Part historical novel, part supernatural page-turner, The Taker is an unforgettable tale about the power of unrequited love not only to elevate and sustain, but also to blind and ultimately destroy, and how each of us is responsible for finding our own path to redemption. 

Review:  

I thought this was a pretty good book. There were definitely places it could've been improved, but I don't think I've ever read something quite like this. The Taker is a fascinating fusion of historical fiction and fantasy. Katsu parallels the present day story line with the 19th century story line, and the result is a puzzlingly, addictive book.

Lanny's story is the most obvious highlight of the book. It takes up 80% of the story. And I was pleasantly surprised by Katsu's effort to keep the story as historically accurate as possible. History buffs will enjoy this story for the author's honest attempts to stay as true to Puritanical Maine as possible. But there is also this unique aspect of fantasy. Lanny is an immortal, and her story is a lot about how she came to be that way. But the fantasy isn't like the vampires and werewolf kind of fantasy of YA fiction. The fantasy of The Taker has this touch of realism. There are no flashy battles between good or evil or stories of forbidden, interspecies love. Moreover, I just enjoyed the plot progression in general, with emphasis on the character development. Both Lanny and Jonathan grow into unique and mature characters. This is an adult novel, so the characters, while teenagers, aren't juvenile. They don't whine or mope around--I partially attribute this to the fact that both Lanny and Jonathan were raised with the "Puritan work ethic." Anyway, it was truly amazing to read how effortlessly Katsu wove Lanny's past with Luke in the present. Just because the focus was on how Lanny eventually came to where she is, I still wanted to know more about Luke. He had a past that I wanted to know more about.

And that's where I think the story faltered. While Katsu did an excellent job in giving each character depth, she teased us with details that could've been explained more. For instance, Luke has an ex-wife and two kids. I didn't get why Lanny could have entire chapters dedicated to her life when Luke barely got a paragraph about his family. Furthermore, specific story lines seemed to drop off into nowhere. I don't know if I wasn't reading carefully or what, but Katsu ended some plots too abruptly for my taste, leaving me with endless questions. How exactly did Lanny figure out Adair's secret? What happened to Adair? What happened to Alejandro, Dona, and Tilde? Who were the men Lanny "married" in her lifetime? Why does Lanny think the curse will "break" just because she's trying to make amends for her sins? And finally, my last frustration with this book was the copious amounts of passages on sex. Sex took up half the book. Adair is a sadistic sex-addict, granted, but Lanny, IMO, is all too willing to play along. I got really frustrated because Lanny took all of Adair's "punishments" without actually fighting back. Sure, she had these internal monologues where she said how much she deeply hated Adair. Yet in the end, she was all too willing to play along. And between Lanny and Jonathan, the sex just seemed like an excuse to put more sex into the story. I mean, seriously. I'm usually okay with a few sex scenes as long as it doesn't take up the entire story. But this book tested my patience...

Oh, and thank you to Alma Katsu, her publishers, and Goodreads for providing me with a free copy. 

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Review: Lola and the Boy Next Door

Title: Lola and the Boy Next Door

Author: Stephanie Perkins

Rating: 3/5 stars

Part of Series?: Companion novel to Anna and the French Kiss

Goodreads Summary: 

Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion . . . she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit -- more sparkly, more fun, more wild -- the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.

When Cricket -- a gifted inventor -- steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

Review:

This is why I don't like spin-offs. And yes, I classify Lola and the Boy Next Door as a spin-off of Anna and the French Kiss; technically Perkins defines it as a "companion novel," but IMO, it's the same thing. Good spin-offs (e.g. Tamora Pierce's Tortall series books) can attach the reader to whoever the main character of the series is, no matter how much the author dangles the previous series' protagonists in the reader's face. Each new main character has enough vibrancy to surpass his/her predecessor. And unfortunately, I'm not sure if the eponymous Lola was able to do that.

In my defense, I read Anna and the French Kiss and then Lola and the Boy Next Door back to back, so the first book was fresh in my mind to make comparisons. And maybe, I'm just a sucker for Paris. It's a beautiful city (and I could totally recall climbing up to the top of Notre Dame AND the Arc d'Triomphe in one day--painful but nostalgic). But for some reason, I just couldn't get as attached to Lola as I was with Anna. I'm not sure why...I mean, I have a few guesses, but who knows?

First off, I want to say that Perkins is amazing in creating character depths. I thought I had each character pegged into the typical chick-lit stereotype by the second chapter, but Perkins just continued to weave each character's personality until the very last moment; none of it seemed OOC either. Example? Calliope. I love her name, but at first, I hated her. She was the snob of the book. But apparently, she has a heart after all. Also, I was definitely interested in how Perkins portrayed Lola's parents. Her two gay fathers were definitely relatable. And Norah came out and surprised me in the last few chapters. Again, bravo for the characterizations because it could've been really easy for Perkins to take the easy road and give Lola's parental figures skin-deep personalities. However, for Max, I'm not sure if I really liked how his story turned out. I felt like Perkins sort of jumped the shark with him. His character turned out to be suckish (big surprise there) in the end, but in this case I couldn't shake the idea that Perkins sort of twisted his character into the evil guy just to force a love triangle. Did I see him as the jealous type originally? Nope.

With regards to the two main characters, I felt a little bored. Usually I don't like characters like Lola who just are bedazzled inside and out. But I wasn't bothered by her costume-fetish. In fact, I was sort of apathetic towards her. She was a little too emotional, like a lovesick teenager. She reminded me of why I don't like chick-lit too much in the first place. The main characters usually get into these problematic, usually self-induced, romantic situations, and then they spend several tumultuous chapters doing next-to-nothing about it. Anyway, Cricket was okay. I could tell Perkins really tried hard to give Cricket some appeal. But compared to St. Clair in the last book, Cricket seemed a little washed out. Again, this is my biased opinion based on my general dislike of spin-offs. For me, Anna and St. Clair's cameos just made it a little more obvious that I like Paris better than San Francisco. Basically, when I was supposed to be sympathizing for Lola, I really wanted to know how Thanksgiving went with Anna and her hot, Euro boyfriend.

Overall, the book was cutsie and sweet. It definitely had some romantic, toe-curling scenes. But I found myself too distracted with comparing it to the previous book. If Lola and Cricket had come in a completely stand alone novel, maybe I would've been a little more receptive to the story.

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Thanks for reading this review! I'm onto Betrayal by Mayandree Michel. I've heard horror stories about this one...we'll see...we'll see...

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