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.

Yotsuba&! Volume 10 by Kiyohiko Azuma

I adore the Yotsuba&! series and always look forward to a new volume.

Summary: The story follows young Yotsuba, a little girl who goes on all sorts of wacky yet everyday adventures. In this volume she makes pancakes, goes to the electronics store, learns about lying, and meets up with an old robot friend.

Reality Check: The art is cute and funny, as is the story and the characters. It's a bit off-the-wall at times, but it's so much fun reading about Yotsuba's exploits. She is an odd child to see the world through, but that makes the story enjoyable.

Conclusion: Give all the volumes a try. You don't necessarily have to read them in order, but it helps you understand who she's met and how the relationships have progressed.

 out of 4 Paws Up

Genre: All Ages Child Fiction

Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins

Book 2 in the Hex Hall Series. Book 1 (Hex Hall) was a pretty good read, so I was more than willing to give Book 2 a try.

Summary: Sophie Mercer travels to England with her father, the head of the Prodigium Council, with every intention of going through the Removal of her demon powers. But when her new housemates turn out to be demons as well, she becomes entangled in a dark plan to raise demons as soldiers in the coming war. And as she begins to come into her own and unravel the secrets of her "friends," and herself, Sophie learns that trust shouldn't always be placed with the obvious.

Reality Check: As with the first book, this is a nice, easy read that isn't anything too special but for the most part I enjoyed my time with it. There were a few scenes that made me set it down - surprisingly, the big flashy ones - but I picked it back up and continued right to the end.

The book does end on a weird "hope when the world is ending" moment that felt a little forced, but it was only the last page or so.

Pet Peeve: There is a black cat on the cover. Again. And was there a cat in the book? NO. Cover Designer: YOU LET ME DOWN AGAIN. Once more and I complain to the publisher. False cover advertising is a crime against readers everywhere!

Conclusion: I definitely recommend the series, and will be picking up (what I assume will be the last) Book 3.

 out of 4 Paws Up

Genre: Young Adult Paranormal

Eat-Man Volume 1 by Akihito Yoshitomi

Found this on the shelf at the library and was intrigued. I usually don’t go near "classic" manga, but I thought it might be worth a try.

Summary: Bolt Clank is an Explorer able to ingest a weapon or object and subsequently transform the flesh of his arm into it. With the help of many beautiful women he goes in search of rare items – for a price, of course. With the exception of a two-parter, each chapter is a stand-alone story.

Reality Check: This is a very original and fun story that I quite enjoyed. As a classic old manga, the art is classic old-school in my opinion – simple yet detailed – but not rough on the eyes.

Conclusion: I definitely recommend it as a light, fun read, and would love to get my hands on more volumes someday.

out of 4 Paws Up

Genre: Young Adult Adventure

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

I absolutely adored Stephanie’s debut novel Anna and the French Kiss. Such a light, clean romance in these times of dark and dreary subjects. I awaited Lola with great excitement, and after many tries and fails to get my hands on an ARC it was released and I got it from the library. I did ponder purchasing it, but now I’m glad I didn’t.

Summary: Lola, a high school girl who never wears the same crazy outfit twice, adores her rock star boyfriend Max, a “man” of 22 years. But when her first crush Cricket – who broke her heart – and his family move back in next door, Lola finds that she – and her old crush – have more feelings for each other than they should.

Reality Check: My expectations for Lola were great, which may have been part of the reason I was so disappointed. Lola is the complete opposite of Anna, the MC from Stephanie’s first book, which wouldn’t mean much but it’s because they are complete opposites that it felt forced. Like Stephanie made her as “Anna’s opposite” instead of a unique, individual character. The whole story was like that, actually – setting, situation, family, relationships. It felt like Stephanie was so afraid to have similarities with Anna that she was meticulous that every detail be completely different.

And then there was Anna and St. Clair as secondary characters in the story. Sure we loved them and wanted them to make an appearance, but it was like Stephanie was “giving the reader what they wanted,” which isn’t always what’s best for us. Anna and St. Clair’s story was over – we didn’t need a running epilogue of them cutting into Lola’s story. Especially when all we’re being told is they’re blissfully happy. Bor-ring.

Character-wise, I found Lola annoying and didn’t take to her. Max made my skin crawl, and Cricket – what a name… – was a wimp. As for the story, it was very bland and melodramatic. Where Anna shone with simplicity and romance, Lola fell flat. It was too simple, and any romance was drowned in carnal passion that made me roll my eyes. There are times to be hands-on, but there are also times to be still. Lola (and her boys) had never heard of the concept of being still, and that made both relationships feel cheap and temporary.

All that said, Stephanie is a very good writer and while I was disappointed by the content I breezed through Lola in three days (quite a feat right now).

Conclusion: Compared to Anna, Lola is a horrible flop of a second book. But by itself, it is a well written, relatively light and (relatively) clean teen romance that should not be overlooked. And I will still give any future Stephanie books the excitement and anticipation they deserve.

out of 4 Paws Up

Rating: PG-13 for suggestive content and situations, and some language

Genre: Young Adult Romance

13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

I’ve been following Maureen on Twitter for several months now and thought it was about time I read one of her books. 13 Little Blue Envelopes looked intriguing as a good place to start and I was dying for a travel story, so I decided to give it a try.

Summary: Ginny receives a mysterious package of 13 letters from her deceased Aunt Peg that send her on a great adventure all over the world making new friends, doing some crazy things, inevitably falling in love, and most of all discovering herself.

Reality Check: I wanted to love this book, and I did – for the first third. I was caught up in the excitement of the travel – which feels heavily researched so therefore very realistic – and adventure of it all, and I devoured every word.

And then the character got in the way. Maureen is amazing at story ideas and setting, but her characters leave much to be desired. Ginny was whiny and boring and flat and bland as flour. Where she should have been having an amazing adventure she was simply “doing” and not “experiencing,” going through the motions until halfway through she just gave up caring at all. I never felt like I got to know her – I have no idea what she is like normally. She was just a shell that we followed around to see the sights. Like a travel bus – it sees everything and shows you it all, but what does it care?

And the writing wasn’t quite there. It was third person but felt very first person, which resulted in constant sudden halts where I was yanked out of the story with strong reminders that it wasn’t in fact “I” but “She.” It was not a pleasant journey of a read.

Favorite Place: Harrods. How have I never heard of this place before? When I finally get to London, I know where I’m going.

Conclusion: It was a great premise and an exciting adventure, but there were too many things to continually ruin it for me. I made myself finish it just to finish it, but if it hadn't been a softcover I would’ve given up. I am still contemplating if I want to read the sequel, The Last Little Blue Envelope. Sequels usually revolve even more around the character, and that would be a nightmare for me. But it has been over five years – perhaps Maureen has gotten better? Who knows.

out of 4 Paws Up

Genre: Young Adult Adventure