I HAVE MOVED!

To simplify my life, I have combined this review blog with my writer blog to create Skye's Scribblings! 

Find me there for all things wordly. :)

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Title: Under the Never Sky
Series: Under the Never Sky, Book 1
Author: Veronica Rossi
Publisher: Harper
Genre: Young Adult Dystopian
Rated: Older Teen (sensuality, some sexuality, violence, minor gore, feminine issues)
Told: Third Person Past Tense; from the perspective of the two main characters, Aria and Perry.

Summary: Aria has lived her whole life in the protected dome of Reverie. Her entire world confined to its spaces, she's never thought to dream of what lies beyond its doors. So when her mother goes missing, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland long enough to find her are slim.

Then Aria meets an outsider named Perry. He's searching for someone too. He's also wild - a savage - but might be her best hope at staying alive.

If they can survive, they are each other's best hope for finding answers.

Writing: Once I got into the story (about 1/4th in) it was a relatively easy read.
Setting: An interesting and possible future for Earth, where some live in virtual pods and mutated others out in the savage wilderness. I was a bit disappointed that we didn't get to explore the pods more - I hope Veronica gives us a tour of Reverie in a later book.
Story: Began rough and hard to get into, but got better as the MCs got used to each other. By the middle I was engrossed, and although it wasn't perfect it was entertaining. The romance felt rather forced, but I enjoyed it none the less. The end was both complete and continual.
Characters: Aria was strong and capable, and quite the trooper - I got her right from the start. Perry was a bit all over the place at the beginning and hard to pin down, but eventually he came together. Mostly. Roar was a nice addition to their travels and story, Marron an interesting uncle figure (although I think he would have been better as a possible badish guy), and Cinder a curious window into the future story.

Eww Factor: There is - and this is their term, not mine - "menstruating" in this book. And if that isn't bad enough, a macho boy has to explain what it is to a girl. I was just as horribly embarrassed as she was.

Conclusion: While it began awkward, I was glad I stuck with it, and now look forward to Book 2.

This book is for you if you like: Dystopian epic travel adventures and/or coming-of-age kind of stories.

out of 4 Paws Up

2013 New Year's Resolutions

Happy New Year everyone!

I know I have been rather absent from this blog, but no more! This year I have two very important New Year's Resolutions:

>Post a review here at least once a month; and
>Read More

Last year I neglected my reading, but no longer! I shall be avoiding television re-runs like the plague and devoting myself to the written word.

And no longer shall I give up on a book after a mediocre first chapter! I have seen the error of my ways, and if the book has at least some worthy qualities I shall endeavor to read the entire thing.

I shall finish at least 12 books this year, with the hopes of it coming out more like at least 24 by December. I shall become a reading fiend! This year's word is "Discovery," and I plan to discover as many books as I possibly can.

So here's to an amazing and word-filled 2013!

Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan

Title: Unspoken
Series: The Lynburn Legacy, Book 1
Author: Sarah Rees Brennan
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Genre: YA Contemporary Fantasy
Rating: Teen (some sensuality, mild violence and gore)

Summary: Kami Glass loves someone she’s never met . . . a boy she’s talked to in her head ever since she was born. She wasn’t silent about her imaginary friend during her childhood, and is thus a bit of an outsider in her sleepy English town of Sorry-in-the-Vale. Still, Kami hasn’t suffered too much from not fitting in. She has a best friend, runs the school newspaper, and is only occasionally caught talking to herself. Her life is in order, just the way she likes it, despite the voice in her head.

But all that changes when the Lynburns return.

The Lynburn family has owned the spectacular and sinister manor that overlooks Sorry-in-the-Vale for centuries. The mysterious twin sisters who abandoned their ancestral home a generation ago are back, along with their teenage sons, Jared and Ash, one of whom is eerily familiar to Kami. Kami is not one to shy away from the unknown—in fact, she’s determined to find answers for all the questions Sorry-in-the-Vale is suddenly posing. Who is responsible for the bloody deeds in the depths of the woods? What is her own mother hiding? And now that her imaginary friend has become a real boy, does she still love him? Does she hate him? Can she trust him?

Writing: It started really well, lost some momentum halfway, but mostly picked back up for the rest. While Sarah's style could be a little hard to follow at times, she was pretty good at keeping me reading without a break.
World: While it was supposed to feel very narrow, being set in a tiny English town, it felt a little more narrow than expected for me. The power angle was pretty basic, but it had its points of originality.
Story: For a YA book it felt more like an MG book, which made any romance feel childish and cheesy. I've read Sarah before and she can do excellent older teen, so I have no idea what went wrong here. The emotions were constantly all over the place, making the story hard to follow past the 1/4th point. And around the middle it started feeling choppy, like we were missing bits here and there - stepping in and out of scenes and missing important stuff in between. After a while I just gave up trying to understand anything at all (not a good thing in my opinion). To top it all off, it was 3rd Person Present Tense, which is fine except for the rare moment (in the middle of a chapter) when she would suddenly switch from Kami to Jared's POV without any warning. This caused moments of confusion that were not pleasant and required me to read several paragraphs twice.
Characters: Kami was a good enough main character, although every time she investigated anything she sounded (and acted) like a grade-school Nancy Drew. Jared was probably my favorite, but only because he was so obsessively attached to Kami (I have a thing for that in stories ;). I despised Ash from the beginning so no love lost there. Actually, Angela was probably my favorite - her and her brother, Rusty. And Holly was pretty awesome. Ergo the sidekicks rocked, the heroes not so much.

Conclusion: I finished it. That says something with me right now. I didn't particularly care when it ended, but I'll give the next book a try, just to see where Sarah takes this.

Recommend?: I guess.

out of 4 Paws Up

Spell Bound by Rachel Hawkins

Title: Spell Bound
Series: Hex Hall Series, Book 3
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Publisher: Hyperion
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Paranormal
Rating: Teen (violence, scary situations, sensuality)

Summary: Just as Sophie Mercer has come to accept her extraordinary magical powers as a demon, the Prodigium Council strips them away. With her powers locked inside her, Sopie is defenseless, alone, and at the mercy of her sworn enemies - the Brannicks, a family of warrior women who hunt down the Prodigium. Or at least that's what Sophie thinks, until she makes a surprising discovery. The Brannicks know an epic war is coming, and they believe Sophie is the only one powerful enough to stop the world from ending. But without her magic, Sophie isn't so sure.

The only known spell that can help Sophie regain her magic is at Hex Hall - the place where it all began, and now the headquarters of the evil Casnoffs. Together with her best friend, the vampire Jenna; her boyfriend, Archer; her fiance, Cal (yeah, her love life is complicated); and a ghost for a sidekick, Sophie must battle an army of demons. But even with her friends at her side, the fate of all Prodigium rests on her shoulders alone. Can she get her powers back before it's too late?

Writing: Simple and easy. I breezed through it like the first two.
World: A "secret magical world hidden in the real world" scenerio. Always intriguing enough, and this one proved extremely un-complicated, which I always appreciate.
Story: Classic "only the girl can save the day if she can get there in time," but entertaining enough to keep my interest. There are a few instances where the story pushes against the limits of "coincidence," where momentum stalls so something game-changing just "happens" to occur, but they are easy enough to let go.
Characters: A relatable main character - Sophie is powerful but flawed and unsure. I actually secretly rooted for Cal until the end - Archer just never seemed the right fit to me. And I liked the new Brannick additions, especially the two younger girls.

Cover: There was another black cat on the cover - AND THERE WAS NO CAT IN THE BOOK. Not even a cat shapeshifter. And at one point, Sophie's hair was described as "a halo of tight curls," which is definitely not what the model on the cover has. My mind crashed at that point and it took a while to recover.

Series End: A happyish ending - everything wraps up nicely and relatively everyone ends up contented. Well, except for the bad guys, but you know.

Conclusion: I recommend the whole series for a magical, easy read.

 out of 4 Paws Up

Black Heart by Holly Black

Title: Black Heart
Series: Curseworkers, Book 3
Author: Holly Black
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Genre: Young Adult Alternate Urban Fantasy
Rating: Older Teen (some language, sensuality, scary situations)

Summary: Cassel Sharpe knows he’s been used as an assassin, but he’s trying to put all that behind him. He’s trying to be good, even though he grew up in a family of con artists and cheating comes as easily as breathing to him. He’s trying to do the right thing, even though the girl he loves is inextricably connected with crime. And he’s trying to convince himself that working for the Feds is smart, even though he’s been raised to believe the government is the enemy.

But with a mother on the lam, the girl he loves taking her place in the Mob, and new secrets coming to light, the line between what’s right and what’s wrong becomes increasingly blurred. When the Feds ask Cassel to do the one thing he said he would never do again, he needs to sort out what’s a con and what’s truth. In a dangerous game and with his life on the line, Cassel may have to make his biggest gamble yet—this time on love.

Writing: Fast-paced and a quick read. It can be a little choppy in some spots, but this is part of the character's voice.
Story: As with Red Glove, the plot can be a bit all over the place (see my review of Curseworkers, Book 2 here). But ultimately, this story is character driven, so it's best to just let the story unfold as it may. This can prove a little confusing at times, but so is real life, and this book strikes as close as it can get.
Characters: Cassel is on his game as usual, and no matter how bad she gets, Lila is always a delight. What's left of his family and friends are endearing in their own ways, although I didn't like the path his close friends took (the whole brother triangle just made me sad - bad Cassel, bad!).

Series End: I wasn't completely satisfied, definitely not impressed, but it wasn't horrible so I have accepted it.

Cover Art: I despise the new cover art. They were trying to appeal more to girls, which is stupid because girls will read just about anything. It's the boys you have to appeal to (they can be very picky readers), and in my opinion pulling away from them was the wrong move. I truly do not understand the flowery new covers in connection with the gritty-ish series, and think they are boring and don't show what the books are about AT ALL. I think they did Holly Black's amazing series a horrific disservice.

Conclusion: Although the books aren't perfect, Holly does such an amazing job with the characters and world of this series that even extremely-picky me is able to ignore most everything else and simply enjoy the story. I will definitely read this series again soon, and highly recommend it.

out of 4 Paws Up

Restless Reading Syndrome

I have been absent for some time, dear readership, and wish to explain why. You see, I have Restless Reading Syndrome.

Restless Reading Syndrome (RRS) is a horrible affliction that makes it near impossible to finish any book you start - if you can even find a book worth starting. I've gotten RRS every summer since my mid-teens (which made summer reading programs a pain to complete), and now it has become a year-round ailment I can't seem to shake. This may sound a bit like a joke, but it has become very serious for me. I am an avid reader, and not being able to simply sit down and read whatever looks good without getting bored in under ten minutes is extremely frustrating.

I have also become extremely critical of books, and when I read to review even more so. I have been trying to remedy this somewhat by reading simply for pleasure - although it hasn't freed me that much at all. This has left me without book reviews, and therefore nothing to post.

I am still a firm believer that reviewing books is good for my writing, however, and plan to start demanding one review a month from myself (it's a miracle if I finish a single book in an entire month anyway). Hopefully once I get back into the hang of it, my posts will pick back up.

For now, please be patient with me.