Review: Torn by Erica O'Rourke

Publication Date: June 28^th, 2011

Kensington Teen

Format:  Paperback, 311 pages

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

SUMMARY

Everyone has secrets.
Even best friends.

Swirling black descends like ravens, large enough to block the glow of the streetlights. A dull roar starts like a train on the ‘L’, a far-away rumbling that grows louder as it pulls closer, until it’s directly overhead and you feel it in your chest, except this doesn’t pass you by. Verity, white-faced and eyes blazing, shouts through the din, "Run, Mo!"

Mo Fitzgerald knows about secrets. But when she witnesses her best friend's murder, she discovers Verity was hiding things she never could have guessed. To find the answers she needs and the vengeance she craves, Mo—quiet, ordinary, unmagical Mo—will have to enter a world of raw magic and shifting alliances. And she'll have to choose between two very different, equally dangerous guys—protective, duty-bound Colin and brash, mysterious Luc. One wants to save her, one wants to claim her. Which would you choose?

Two guys. Two worlds. Two destinies. One Choice.

Yikes. I know right? The love triangle alarm is blaring in my ears. I should've really ran for the hills. Let me be honest and say I didn't see that blurb when I started reading. Otherwise, Torn would've been thrown in a pile of maybe-never. I have an aversion to love triangle but for once, this book actually handled it in a way that didn't incite some self-inflicted eyes gouging.

This book was quite a pleasant surprise. In a way, it was reminiscent of Holly Black's Curse Workers' series. Mafia and magic - seems like an odd combination but they somehow worked.

Maura Fitzgerald just witnessed the horrifying murder of her best friend, Verity.  She tried to convince herself that it was only a case of being in the wrong place and at the wrong time. But deep inside, she knew that there was no such thing for someone like her. After all, her family’s ties to the mob was as notorious as her father’s reputation as a money-laundering felon. They have enemies - seen and now, seemingly unseen. She made a promise to avenge her death but there are forces in the works that her usually quiet existence didn’t prepare her for. With a hired bodyguard keeping an eye on her every move, and a shady boy who keeps on popping in places when she least expects him to, Mo’ finds out eventually that getting entangled with the mob would be a walk in the park compared to the world that she’s about to stumble into.

It's quite funny...and weird how the fated saviour of the entire world as we know it was killed right off the bat, so the story focused on the second-fiddle. I hard a hard time accepting it first because of the numerous times I was told that Mo' (hate that name, by the way!) would never amount to anything as glorious as saving the world. But as the story unfolds, Mo's determination to find Verity's killers became the spine that she initially lacked.

If you ask me, I think the blurb on the front cover was a bit misleading. The love triangle wasn't really the focal point of the story until closer to the end when Colin questionably and without warning, started to change the way he saw Mo and how he acted around her. The author eliminated much of the agony that I go through when I read love triangles - and to which, I'm very thankful. The lead charater didn't even waffle about the two love interests until...well, like I said, until closer to the end. Mo spent the majority of the book, angsting over what amounts to betrayal had she return Luc's advances. You see, like her, I was under the impression that Luc and Verity had a thing and to some extent, they did. The author didn't really spend too much time explaining about the complexities of their relationship nor did she do a good job of convincing me that Luc could just fall in like with Mo based on Verity's stories about her alone.

I do wish that the magic and incantations or spells were a bit more evolved. I don't know about you but I tend to like magic books filled with words I can't quite pronounced. When an author describes the spell as something fluid, indiscernible and foreign, without really divulging more about it, I feel like it's a cop out way of saying, I couldn't be bothered with research...or being original for that matter.

Despite my grievances, I found Torn to be an enjoyable read. It had action set in two worlds that had no business intersecting, a reluctant heroine bound for greatness, and a promising romance which is sure to give me future headaches :). But hey, I feel that we barely scratched the surface of this mystical world and Mo's 'inherited' powers has barely been tapped. I have the second book and rest assured, it's going up a notch or two in my insurmountable TBR pile.  

Morsels {7}: Shadows, Trickster's Girl Brief Reviews.

Publication Date: February 21^st, 2012

Entangled Publishing

Format: Kindle Edition

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

SUMMARY

The last thing Dawson Black expected was Bethany Williams. As a Luxen, an alien life form on Earth, human girls are…well, fun. But since the Luxen have to keep their true identities a secret, falling for one would be insane. Dangerous. Tempting. Undeniable.

Bethany can’t deny the immediate connection between her and Dawson. And even though boys aren’t a complication she wants, she can’t stay away from him. Still, whenever they lock eyes, she’s drawn in. Captivated. Lured. Loved.

Dawson is keeping a secret that will change her existence...and put her life in jeopardy. But even he can’t stop risking everything for one human girl. Or from a fate that is as unavoidable as love itself.

I simply couldn't resist reading this. I spent the entire morning NOT working. I'm bad, I know! But..but...it's Dawson and Daemon...and gah!

This gives us a background story as to what happened to Dawson and Bethany. We all know that they disappered without a trace prior to Obsidian, so no suprise as to the eventual ending of Shadows. I kind of half dreaded/anticipated reading this just for the very reason. I dreaded knowing Dawson's demise. At the same time, I think it was pretty cool to see what turned Daemon into the socially-inept, personality deficient that we've known of him now. He just went into an overdrive after his brother's "death". I am convinced that Dawson and Bethany didn't die. Unless I see their bodies, so to speak, I am keeping my hopes alive that they'll show up eventually.

As usual, Ms. Armentrout gave me more than what I've expected. This little bitty is action-packed and brimming with funny and witty banters. Not gonna lie, I teared up on some occasions.

Publication Date: January 3^rd, 2011

Houghton Miffin Harcourt

Format: Paperback, 288 pages

RATING: 1 ouf of 5 Stars

SUMMARY

In the year 2098 America isn't so different from the USA of today. But, in a post-9/11 security-obssessed world, "secured" doesn't just refer to borders between countries, it also refer to borders between states. Teenagers still think they know everything, but there is no cure for cancer, as Kelsa knows first-hand from watching her father die.

The night Kelsa buries her father, a boy appears. He claims magic is responsible for the health of Earth, but human damage disrupts its flow. The planet is dying.

Kelsa has the powers to reverse the damage, but first she must accept that magic exists and see beyond her own pain in order to heal the planet.

This book was hard to get into. I've attempted to read this a while back and stalled. I decided to give it another go because I got an ARC of the second book.

The combination of excessive narrative did me in. I was interested in the concept - environmental crisis told through a story of magic in a futuristic setting but I am more convinced that it's the primary problem of this novel. It seem like it couldn't make up its mind. It just didn't work. The legends, magic, mixed in with PIDs and compods just felt like the plot line was suffering from an identity crisis. There was a lack of cohesiveness and harmony between the two components of the story.

Like I said, it was interesting enough. I liked the concept of a dying world, being killed slowly by a combination of magic and some sort of bacteria and what was involved to cure it. But ultimately, the characters' inability to appear...um interesting and animated killed it for me.

In My Mailbox #26

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, which showcases the books we've purchased, borrowed and received in the mail this week. This is the 26th episode of HOARDERS, Books Edition.

________________________________________________________________________

FOR REVIEW:

ARTICLE 5 by Kristen Simmons - A thousand thanks to Tor Teen for sending this. Incidentally, this brings my total copies to three. I kid you not. Check out my review here.

NET GALLEY

Dark Frost by Jennifer Estep

Dead of Night by Lynn Viehl

KINDLE

Shadows (Lux 0.5) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Almost by Anne Eliot (Check out my review and enter my giveaway here!)

Wraith by Angel Lawson (Download your free copy here!)

 Intuition by J. Meyers (Download your free copy here!)

Because of Low by Abbi Glines

The Next Thing I Knew by John Corwin

INDIE LOVE

Angelfall by Susan Ee

The Stillburrow Crush by Linda Cage

Playing For Keeps by R.L. Mathewson

Perfection: A Neighbour From Hell by R.L. Mathewson

Rock and a Hard Place by Angie Stanton

Wasteland by Lynn Rush

Callum & Harper by Fisher Amelie

THE REST OF MY INSANITY

The Wood Queen by Karen Mahoney

The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen

The Fine Art of Truth or Dare by Melissa Jensen

Empty by Suzanne Weyn

Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen

I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella

The Vanishing Game by Kate Kaye Meyers

A Beautiful Evil by Kelly Keaton

Arcadia Awakens by Kai Meyer

The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg

Fever by Lauren DeStefano

Faery Tales & Nightmares by Melissa Marr

The Returning by Christine Hinwood

Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

Chasing Boys by Karen Tayleur

The Butterfly Clues by Kate Ellison

The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour

Someone Else's Life by Katie Dale

The Flight of Gemma Hardy by Margot Livesy

Well, that's about two weeks worth of books. 

What's in your mailbox?

The Reason Why Anne Writes. The Reason Why Joy Blogs.

So yesterday, while I was, yet again ignoring a pile of kindling (my boss calls it work) on my desk, I got this email from an author whose recently released work I reviewed on the blog. Let me tell you, it was a novella.  It was far from the short and sweet, thank you for reading. I'm glad you loved it. No. This author actually wrote a full letter, detailing her experiences and mishaps while trying to publish her book. It's her debut work so of course there were no stars-aligning, meant-to-be cryptogram that told her everything will go smoothly.

She also talked about how her book came into fruition, research books about the women who thought their stories didn't matter because they DIDN'T get raped. They were only ALMOST raped. I can only imagine their thought processes as they try to distinguish the difference, feel the shame, and then some time when they were ready, the acceptance that you know what? A woman violated is a woman violated. Anyway, this is why she wrote this book. It was so girls like Jess would not feel like their fear, their trauma should be dismissed or trivialized just because it didn't really happened.

So here's Anne Eliot's email sent through my Goodreads profile.

"Joy, I tried to email you from your blog, not sure if you got it. Thanks so much for liking it. Reviewing it, all that you've said about it. 

Honestly, I just can't believe the response and flurry around this book. The story is bigger than me, and the girls it has moved so far--ones with a similar story, ones that have told me their stories--have all but broken my heart with what they've shared! 

Plus the reviews like yours have made it difficult to breathe with the gratitude and amazement floating through my lungs. 

I'm truly humbled by your kind review and just know that you made my day. My year. My whole everything. Most of the other reviews save a few, were from family, and people's kids who I knew. I thought they were all just being really nice. 

With this book, everything went wrong. Even the launch went live with a round of edits wiped out of the final XHTML file! I threw out my back on Superbowl Sunday (and the 40 hours after that, going back to page ONE on a mad, loner-re-edit.) Every single hour I had the urge to hit the 'unpublish' button, give up and finally admit the universe didn't want me to be a writer. I made it all the way to the gate with this book, and a few real-live editors and agents told me they liked it, but didn't want to publish a 'rape' book or had 'no home for a book like mine'. 

It wasn't until my sweet cousin showed up last summer at a family wedding, completely changed in spirit and unable to walk because of broken ribs that I realized this story didn't belong to me. When this beautiful, independent girl told me she couldn't stop looking over her shoulder no matter how hard she tried. 

When I told her about the 3 years of Almost, the rejection letters (so many), plus the PTSD research sitting under my bed (including the entire book also written in 3rd person) she cried, and told me I had to publish it myself. She said I was the only one she'd spoken to that made her feel understood. That there was nothing out there about being 'almost' raped. And during the whole wedding (Italian wedding) the entire loud family kept coming up to her and saying how 'lucky she was'. When I showed her the pages with the 'lucky' stuff in there, she and I both cried (did I mention the Italian part?) and she took the book home on her laptop and urged me to not give up. 

So I went for it, got an LLC, tried to 'be a publisher' on top of being a 'writer' and in a few short months seemed to have messed that all up like a pro, including our botched cover art. It looked like, on Feb. 4th, with the bad launch plus messed up file, that I sucked at the publishing thing even more than I did at the writing thing. 

Lowest point was bawling like a baby after two days of no sleep, and singing the song, 'All By Myself' alone in the kitchen while sniffling whiniy things like, 'they call this self publishing' because 'you're ALL BY YOURSELF', and then singing the song all over again, plus a few rounds of 'ONE is the loneliest number that you'll ever do' while chugging extreme amounts of coffee so I could finish the edits. Because my cousin wanted it published, it was going to do it no matter what. And to spite that wicked, tempting 'easy unpublish' button Amazon kept showing me. 

I've heard there are a few missing words and odd typos still in the book. Sigh. Not what I intended. If you know where they are hiding, this dyslexic person would love to fix what irked you. We will try for another full re-edit on the print version and then post the fixed html file live then. But after an amazing 3,500 free downloads!! IKR? The typos seem to be there to stay for many who have it with them. SO AMAZING that it's out there like that. I'm not at all in this for any money, that's for sure. Just want the story to be with any who needs it. 

Anyhow, you really touched my heart with that beautifully written review, the time you spent, and the energy you gave it. (Maybe you should have a few books, or do you? If so I'd love to read them as you are quite a bit better than I am with turning a phrase.) 

Either way, I hope you'll accept my too long email of thanks...and yeah, I'll totally take a bullet for you if needed... (It's the Italian way. If this were medieval times, I think this is where I'd pledge to follow you on crusade and guard your life etc. etc. etc.) so let me know on that, and again, JUST THANKS...Annie"

...And honestly? This is why I review the books I read. E-mails like these from authors like Anne. Please check out her book.

Amazon

Or you can enter my Almost giveaway HERE.

Are you an aspiring writer looking to submit a query of your work? Check out 

Butterfly Books, LLC and read their rules for submission. 

Review: Partials by Dan Wells

Publication Date: February 28^th, 2012

Balzer + Bray / Harper Collins

Format: ARC, 472 pages

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

SUMMARY

Humanity is all but extinguished after a war with partials--engineered organic beings identical to humans--has decimated the world’s population. Reduced to only tens of thousands by a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island. The threat of the partials is still imminent, but, worse, no baby has been born immune to the disease in over a decade. Humanity’s time is running out.

When sixteen-year-old Kira learns of her best friend’s pregnancy, she’s determined to find a solution. Then one rash decision forces Kira to flee her community with the unlikeliest of allies. As she tries desperately to save what is left of her race, she discovers that the survival of both humans and partials rests in her attempts to answer questions of the war’s origin that she never knew to ask.

Combining the fast-paced action of The Hunger Games with the provocative themes of Battlestar Galactica, Partials is a pulse-pounding journey into a world where the very concept of what it means to be human is in question--one where our sense of humanity is both our greatest liability, and our only hope for survival.

Imagine this: humans are on the verge of extinction; our survival hinges on perhaps the same reason we were going extinct in the first place. Desperate to re-populate, the remaining seat of government edicts that women of child-bearing age be pregnant or face conviction. The Hope Act established that age to be sixteen. Kira is an idealist frustrated with the choices a girl her age was given. On the one hand, would she be willing to just lay down and hand over her right as a woman to give life to another when the world does not give much hope for the child she would bring forth? On the other, are her rights more important than the urgent need for life to go on? Kira chose to find a cure for RM - a fatal disease that kills newborns upon breathing the pathogenic air. For the last several years, scientists have searched for a cure to no avail. Kira believes that the cure is in the hands of the Partials - a genetically manufactured breed of soldiers created with an immunity to the RM virus. Kidnapping one would involve treachery and bravery, especially if they have to infiltrate their dangerous territory. But it would be all worth it if Kira finds a cure, consequently saving the next generation.

This full-bellied book did not leave any stones unturned. It's heavy on the details and especially particular with the biological research aspect of the novel. On the same token, it was not beleaguered with jargons that could cause headaches to the readers. The simplified step-by-step explanation of how a virus infects a single cell was very educational. I never thought I'd say this about the text book Science element of this book but it was highly engrossing. Dan Wells either did his homework well or has a background in Virology because he managed to make Kira, a sixteen year-old, a very convincing virologist.

He also did a phenomenal job in painting the vivid world described here. People were not starving yet. There were still bounty to be had but it doesn't mean that there was a lack of desperation typical of a post-apocalyptic read. The desperation comes from the imminent extinction that everyone was dealing with and from the attacks of the 'mysterious' Voice.

The author took his time in revealing the identity of the Partials. No one knew what they looked like nor had any idea at all and since I've not watched the book trailer prior to reading this book, my expectations of their appearance was akin to those of mutants. Deadly wrong, I've never expected Samm - a picture perfect male specimen who could demolish a small platoon of soldiers with a blink of an eye. There was a distinction between Samm the Partial and Samm the human that Dan Wells did his best to show. Behind his armour and his seemingly robotic, stoic facial expressions lies the hopelessness that his kind faces. He never fought back nor complained not only because he knew it was futile but because deep inside he knew how far their hatred go and that to some extent, justified. There was a tangible loneliness to Samm and it had nothing to do with his containment.

The romance in this book was subtle; and for the first time, I was glad. It's hard to get romantic when the government is at your back practically telling you to go ahead and procreate. Where is the romance in that? But can I be honest and say that I was more...er, partial (pardon the pun) to Samm over Marcus? And no...there isn't a love triangle in this book. I'm just saying that if there was, I'm all for the genetically engineered Samm.

Partials is the perfect study of humans playing gods and the nightmare resulting from the rebellion of their own creation. The author somehow found the right balance of YA Science Fiction at its best and post-apocalyptic at its tamest. There wasn't a lack of suspense or action which made for an entertaining and surprisingly, a highly educational read.  Considering how it ended, this first book has me convinced that the best of this series is yet to come.

LINKS:

HarperCollins Canada Facebook | The Savvy Reader | Dan Wells

BROWSE INSIDE

Amazon | !ndigo

Review and Giveaway: Almost by Anne Eliot

Publication Date: February 3^rd, 2012

Butterfly Books

Format: Kindle Edition

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

SUMMARY

At a freshman party she doesn't remember, Jess Jordan was almost raped.

...Almost. Very nearly. Not quite. Three years later, Jess has managed to make everyone believe she's better. Over it. Because she is.

...Almost. Very nearly. Not quite.

Unfortunately, until Jess proves she's back to normal activities, her parents won't discuss college. So, she lands a summer internship and strikes a deal with hockey jock, Gray Porter: He gets $8,000. She gets a fake boyfriend and a social life.

Jess has no idea Gray signed on for reasons other than money. She also never expects to fall in love. But Gray’s amazingly hot, holds her hand all the time, and makes her forget that he’s simply doing his job. It’s like having a real boyfriend.

...Almost. Very nearly. Not quite.

Gray Porter is hiding secrets of his own. About Jess Jordan. About why he’s driven to protect her, why he won't cash her checks, or deny her anything she asks.

Once in a while, an unassuming book comes my way which simply makes me catch my breath. Its characters told the perfect stories, said all the right things, looked exactly how I liked them to look, did the things I expected them to do...in short, it hit all the right spots in an almost too perfect way. Almost is that book.

This is a story about a girl who's been living in a nightmare for the last three years. She has a perfect family who supports her, understands her, cares for her. But no amount of loving could stop the nightmares she endures every night. Reliving the rape that almost happened to her when she was a freshman makes her avoid sleeping at night every chance she gets. Her parents are convinced that the only way she could move on to college is that if she can prove to them that she's now somehow healed and back to being 'normal'. And what is normal anyway? Having friends? summer job? a boyfriend? An opportunity presents itself when Gray Porter, jock extraordinaire, serial heartbreaker, agreed to be her fake boyfriend for the summer. How far will this farce go? Well...perhaps not too far. Maybe only as far as Gray's secrets could take him.

Anne Eliot managed to tell this painful story in the most light-hearted way possible. The characters' funny and more often awkward encounters perfectly camouflaged their murky and shady connection that only one of them has a full awareness of. I love, love, love these two characters. Their dynamics worked so well while they hid their true feelings behind their sarcasm and humour. Gray is the ultimate heartthrob who won me over with his dimpled smile, kindness and social ineptness around Jess. Aside from Melina Marchetta's characters, I don't think I've ever fallen so hard for a cast as I have with everyone here. There have been so many YA books written where the absence of any kind of family relationships was noticeable but not here. I love Jess' supporting and ever-present parents and her younger sister who molly-coddled her at every turn. Gray's Gran and his two best friends is an unbreakable circle and pillar of support for this tormented, guilty boy who only ever wanted to do the right thing to begin with.

I can never pretend to understand what people like Jess has gone through in one way or another. I like that Anne Eliot skims the surface of Jess' suffering just so. It wasn't overwrought but it was touching just the same. The key to Jess' recovery was through remembering - facing the demons that her subconscious' defence mechanism hid from her. To some, it may seem like a convenient resolution but I disagree. Sometimes, no amount of therapy or drugs can help a person. Sometimes, it's only as simple as remembering.

This book is one of those rare ones that clicked in every possible way. The characters, dialogues, their banters. It's one of those books that though not written perfectly, the story is just too good to distract you from some minute mistakes.

Pssst! Want a copy of this awesome book? Read below for details! 

Review: The Bridge by Jane Higgins

Publication Date: August 1^st, 2011

Text Publishing

Format: Paperback, 363 pages

Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars

SUMMARY

The City is divided. The bridges gated. In Southside, the hostiles live in squalor and desperation, waiting for a chance to overrun the residents of Cityside.

Nik is still in high school but destined for a great career with the Internal Security and Intelligence Services, the brains behind the war. But when ISIS comes recruiting, everyone is shocked when he isn’t chosen. There must be an explanation, but no one will talk about it. Then the school is bombed and the hostiles take the bridges. Buildings are burning, kids are dead, and the hostiles have kidnapped Sol. Now ISIS is hunting for Nik.

But Nik is on the run, with Sol’s sister Fyffe and ISIS hot on their trail. They cross the bridge in search of Sol, and Nik finds answers to questions he’d never dared to ask.

The Bridge is a gritty adventure set in a future world where fear of outsiders pervades everything. A heart-stopping novel about friendship, identity and courage from an exciting new voice in young-adult fiction.

This book gave me grief; it was like staring at the sun, you know it's harmful to your eyes and yet you can't look away. It was a brutal read but try as I might, I couldn't refrain from reading. It was harsh, it tugged at my heart strings and it put my brain into some calisthenics its never been through before.

The City is at war, divided into settlements where some are living in impoverish, deplorable conditions. If you're living in the Cityside, you might be able to live decently but at a cost of your freedom. If you find yourself in the Southside, food, shelter, medicine take a backseat to weapons and arms. Not only would you be fighting the people from Cityside, you'd be fighting a futile war inside an even more divided community. Nik Stais had never known a family aside from Lou, Ffyffe, and Sol. When Lou was killed in a school bombing, he set out to take Fyffe and Sol back to their home where they would be safe. Easier said than done, especially when the road to safety is paved with ISIS soldiers hot on their tails and checkpoints guarded by soldiers against cityfolks. When the dust cleared, Nik and Fyffe crossed the bridge to Southside in search of a kidnapped Sol, taken for ransom by the Remnants - another faction in Southside who are set to destroy any hopes of peacetalks. To infiltrate the land of the hostiles is a suicide mission but they refused to stand by and watch Sol be just another victim of a senseless war.

This book does not pull any punches. It's a gritty tale of a boy who unknowingly stumbled upon his true identity set in a world so harsh that it took me several tries to finally man up and finish. It was garish story about the fundamental violence of war, its ugliness and the inevitable loss of humanity anchored by power-hungry men. But it also gave a vivid picture of optimism to some people who hasn't lost hope inspite of being exposed to everyday carnage and brutality.

I was both in awe and angry at Nik for his courage. He was an unflappable character whose only got love fuelling his steadfast resolve to rescue a little boy who's not even a blood relation. The author seemed to have written every single character with such resiliency that I sometimes find myself saying, "Are you for real?". Unwavering, unflinching, undaunted. I especially have a high regard for timid, thoughtful, wistful Fyffe. You'd think she was a weak character at first but she surprised me - how far this girl would go to save her brother and her resolute belief in Nik just made her a kick ass Mary Sue character in my book.

Reading this book is definitely not a walk in the park. The plot would take into little alleys that eventually lead into an ending that was somewhat open-ended. I'm feeling bereft. I hoped for more and hungry for a more satisfactory outcome - for everyone. I feel like there's a lot more to know about Nik's father and the woman who left him at school when he was five years old. The identity of the sniper who shot Sol and the process by which they found out was convenient - too convenient. What ever happened to Mace? I want to know who was the inside help when the school was bombed. I also found the political divisions to be a bit difficult to grasp. Overall, the violence and the successions of horrific incidents described in this book overshadowed my full appreciation for the writer's instrinsic talents.

I therefore conclude that books about war is not for me.

Review: Halflings by Heather Burch

Publication Date: February 1^st, 2012

Zondervan

Format: Hardcopy, 288 pages

RATING: 1 out of 5 Stars

SUMMARY

After being inexplicably targeted by an evil intent on harming her at any cost, seventeen-year-old Nikki finds herself under the watchful guardianship of three mysterious young men who call themselves halflings. Sworn to defend her, misfits Mace, Raven, and Vine battle to keep Nikki safe while hiding their deepest secret—and the wings that come with.

A growing attraction between Nikki and two of her protectors presents a whole other danger. While she risks a broken heart, Mace and Raven could lose everything, including their souls. As the mysteries behind the boys’ powers, as well as her role in a scientist’s dark plan, unfold, Nikki is faced with choices that will affect the future of an entire race of heavenly beings, as well as the precarious equilibrium of the earthly world.

DISCLAIMER: This is an opinion of someone whose brain has been marinating in flu and colds medicine for at least a week. You might want to read somebody else's review...someone more coherent.

Halflings has all the recipe of what I can consider as a train wreck. Love triangle. Ick. A heroine with a predisposition to whining crying waffling. Double ick. A plot that seemed to veer off in several directions without a defined course. Triple...well, you know. Ick. It started out so good - action right off the bat. And the introduction of the three half-baked angels were nothing short of enticing. But with every turn of the page, the story becomes convoluted and confusing and...it was just all over the place. Arrrrggh! Nikki reminds me of well, me - in front of my closet deciding what to wear, picking one or two or three out, only to discard them in favor of my original choice. Hey, I'm a woman. I can change my mind. Sue me.

Nikki Youngblood is one of those heroines who had potential at first. She's artistic, unimpressionable, ballsy. But all that changed as soon as she meets Mace. Oy vey. The fainting spells killed me every. single. time. Mace is beautiful. Mace is attracted to the human. Mace is confused. Mace must decide what was more important - to avoid eternal damnation or to love the most oblivious, beautiful daughter of man he's ever seen. In short, they both annoyed me to hell. At the risk of sounding pessimistic, I couldn't find anything in this book worth the time I spent reading it. I can probably count the number of times I did an eyeroll (probably the same amount of time Nikki vacillated between Mace and Raven). Somehow, they arrived at the conclusion that they'll be better off as friends...but then the female halflings showed up and Nikki was all jealous of Mace's and Raven's reactions to the half-angel females. Ugh.

Nikki is a Seer - someone who can forecast danger. In Nikki's case, she can draw the exact picture.  Kick ass, right? It would've been if the author explored Nikki's ability more.  Why didn't she see the hellhounds who were after her at the beginning of the novel? Why didn't she see...those people who were going to get killed in an accident? Or why didn't she see what was going to happen to her dog, Bo? Tsk. So many plot holes...er, questions.

The love triangle irked me. I wasn't at all interested in who Nikki ends up with. Raven seemed like a cool character until he developed an attraction for Nikki. It just felt too contrived. It didn't make sense that he was disgusted with Nikki (by virtue of being human) at first and then he was singing her praises the next. All because HE got her art? This guy was so full of himself. And Nikki was way too fascinated with his angel wings...I don't know if that's euphemism for something.

I'm not firmly set against love triangles, per se. But the author have got to make sense of it. Nikki's abject reactions to Raven was just as confusing as Raven's reactions to her. All in all, the romance (s) in this book? (They) It didn't work at all. Mace and Nikki decided that they're right and wrong for each other. Shoot. Me. Now. Seriously? They're a match made in heaven, if you ask me. I wanted to shake them both and yell at them to stop their freaking annoying song and dance.

I'd love to go on and tell you one or two things that I liked about this book but sadly, I couldn't find any. All the things that irritated me were just too distracting to find the good in the sea of bad.

Book Reel of the Week {+ Audio Clip}: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Hiya! I haven't had the time to stalk...er, peruse the inter webs for some fantastic book trailers. But today, I have something extra special since this book trailer includes an audio clip of chapter one. Today's book reel feature is Cinder by Marissa Meyer. I've read this book and loved it. If you're interested you can check out my review here. 

I'd like to thank Macmillan for providing me a sample of the clip. If you haven't had the chance, go and buy a copy stat! Incidentally Chapters 1 - 5 is free right now on Amazon! Download your copy here.

 Buy your copy here:  AMAZON | THE BOOK DEPOSITORY

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