Misfit by Jon Skovron

Published on: August 1, 2011
Publisher: Amulet Books
Source: Publisher provided egalley from Netgalley

From Goodreads:

Jael has always felt like a freak. She’s never kissed a boy, she never knew her mom, and her dad’s always been superstrict—but that’s probably because her mom was a demon, which makes Jael half demon and most definitely not a normal sophomore girl. On her sixteenth birthday, a mysterious present unlocks her family’s dangerous history and Jael’s untapped potential. What was merely an embarrassing secret before becomes a terrifying reality. Jael must learn to master her demon side in order to take on a vindictive Duke of Hell while also dealing with a twisted priest, best-friend drama, and a spacey blond skater boy who may have hidden depths.

I had a hard time getting into Misfit, but I trudged through, and once I got a little bit into it, the book got quite interesting. I think my original problems stemmed from the book being written in third person present tense. It reads like, "Jael sees her father's face," which just feels so unbelievably awkward to me. It also seemed to create a distance from the protagonist; we know everything she thinks, but it's not worded like she's telling us, but some other random person hanging around who happens to know all. But once I got over the writing, the story of Misfit hooked me.

I liked the different approach to demons, especially the fact that the author doesn't even delve into angels, which is obviously the more glamorous of the two. I also liked that the demons of today are actually the fallen gods of former civilizations. That connection to history makes the demons seem more plausible in today's world.

I also found most of the characters to be interesting. I am dying to know exactly how Dagon ended up where he was. I also felt like he was a very good character; a fallen god, resorting to being a baker in Hell, but very caring and nurturing towards his niece. Plus he always had sage-like advice. :) I didn't connect so much with Jael, but found myself not caring about that so much. I liked Jael's parent's relationship a lot, and felt like her mother, Astarte, was really the heart of the story. The flashbacks depicting Jael's parents were actually my favorite parts of the whole book.

I found the story to be compelling and the plot moved along. I never found myself getting bored with what was happening in the book or wondering when something exciting was going to happen, which is always a good thing. That comes from the interspersing of action-packed flashbacks, rather than the straight telling of just what was happening to Jael, and it worked quite well for me.

My biggest complaint from Misfit is the third person present tense. I have never been a fan of present tense in novels, but at least when it's in first person I can relate to the protagonist. I found myself not really caring about what happened to Jael except in how that would affect her family and friends. (Bad, I know.)

Oh! Almost forgot. I LOVED Jael's demon powers. I love love love how she has to communicate with elements, rather than just manipulate them to her will. I think it's unique and betrays the author's respect for the earth (No, I am not a hippie, but I can appreciate someone who cares.)

Misfit is a book I didn't expect to like, but found myself entranced by the engaging secondary characters and unique mythology.  

*Warning* There is a decent amount of cussing and some lewd content, and I wouldn't recommend the book for younger YA readers.

Three out of five stars.


Risk a paper cut? Anyone interested in demons and mythology would be delighted by the mix of the two into an interesting and unique novel.

To buy: Amazon

August RAK (No, not that kind, silly, Random Acts of Kindness!!)

So I gave in. I had told myself I wouldn't do this till September at least, but I couldn't help it. It looks like such fun!



RAK is Random Acts of Kindness, and is hosted by Book Soulmates. It's super easy and wonderful. It is open to EVERYONE (including international, The Book Depository makes everything so much better, doesn't it?). PLUS, as appreciation for making it a success, Book Soulmates is giving away a $20 Amazon gift card! As if we didn't have enough incentive as it was! Anyways...

Rules:

• Sign up each month that you'd like to participate.
  
• Show off your participation by grabbing the RAK button :)
• Create a wish list (on Amazon, Goodreads, or your blog etc) and post it in the Google Doc located in each R.A.K post for the month.
• If you choose to do a R.A.K for someone, check out their wish list and contact that blogger for their address.
  
• Please, once you receive a RAK, email or tweet Vanessa so that she can update the Google doc. There are a lot of requests for this!
• At the end of the month, SHOW US YOUR R.A.K!  Make a post saying 'Thank You' to whoever granted one of your wishes and share it with us :)

If you want to participate, fill out this form. Also, check out all of the people participating and their wishlists here. If you need to know anything else head on over to Book Soulmates!

Have a happy August!

Ward Against Death by Melanie Card

Release date: August 2, 2011
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Source: Publisher provided egalley from Netgalley

Ward de'Ath is an eighth generation necromancer, but not a good one. He dreams of being a surgeon, yet surgery is outlawed, and he's already been caught several times attempting. So when a nobleman calls wishing for Ward to wake his recently deceased daughter to say goodbye, he takes the job, trying to give up his dreams.


But upon waking her, Celia Carlyle insists she's been murdered, and makes Ward accompany her in a quest to prove it. And when Celia's quest becomes more dangerous and intriguing than Ward could imagine, he knows he should leave, yet he can't help but be drawn in the farther into the mystery he goes.

First, happy release day to Ward Against Death!! I worked hard to finish this book and review for today, and I did it! Cake for everyone! (Imaginary, cyber cake, mind you.)

I have quite a few friends who have read this book before me, and all have raved about it. I admitted it looked intriguing, but couldn't understand how they could love it as much as they did. Only once I started it did I understand. The idea of necromancers has intrigued me since I read Garth Nix's Sabriel years ago, but I don't seem to come across a lot of books focusing on necromancy. I didn't realize that that bothered me until I read this book. Yes, it is an evil sounding thing, but so fascinating! I like that it is Ward's innate talent, yet not really. He has the propensity for it, but can't seem to really get it down. And when he seems to start to get it, he doubts himself and fails. I hope he realizes just what he can do in later books!

Ward and Celia's voices are interesting, and a good match. Ward is timid and intellectual while Celia is physical and dominating. Ward doubts himself and all that he does, never sure if it's what he should be doing. Celia jumps into situations head first and just goes. I love each character's growth as they spend more time with the other. Ward becomes more proactive and seeks to fix things he would've just let pass at the beginning and Celia begins to let people in, especially Ward, despite her best efforts. They rub off on one another and really become more complete with the other around. (Awwwwww!!!) Besides, they have super good chemistry that is just aching to explode!

My big complaint for this book was a lack of explanation of the setting. Some books work quite well with their information gradually being given to the reader, but this really didn't even happen. Ward names all of these places, countries I presume, that he's wanted in, but I don't know what kind of world this is supposed to be. There's no real history given, other than lots of mentions of "the Ancients", and no way to know topography, excluding some vague mention that it didn't snow often wherever they were.

The only other thing I didn't like in the book had to do with narration. While I loved the points of views of Ward and Celia, I didn't quite get the inclusion of narration from Karysa. This is because we get her point of view a total of two times. I felt like it might have been thrown in to explain something else that may have been cut out in editing. When I first read a bit from her point of view, I thought it was interesting to add the view of an antagonist to the story; it also fixed a lot of confusion I had, but I expected her to be followed more than two times. I just think to either leave it out or commit. And, actually, it wasn't the big deal I seem to be making it out to be. :) :) I'm simply nitpicking because there's not much at all to criticize with this book.

Ward Against Death has a great formula working for it. Interesting idea, steady plot, loveable protagonist, and good execution. It all leads to a very fun and memorable read!

Risk a paper cut? Fans of anything paranormal will squee over Ward Against Death like Justin Bieber fans. But most anyone will squee over Ward and his completely endearing personality. :)

To buy:  Amazon

Teaser Tuesday: Ward Against Death by Melanie Card {4}

It's Tuesday! And we all know what that means!!! TEASER TUESDAY! EGADS! Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading, and it is quite simple.

All you have to do is this:

1. Pick up whatever book you are currently reading.
2. Open it up to a random page.
3. Pick two teaser sentences from somewhere on that page. (Be careful not to spoil anything!)
4. Share those sentences! Be sure to include the book title, author, etc. so your readers can add it to their to be read pile if they're intrigued!

Easy peasy, right?

Now I am endeavoring to finish Ward Against Death by Melanie Card at some point today, since it's out TODAY! Yayes for Ms. Melanie Card, right? So this is where my teaser is coming from, and I'm hoping a review will be soon to follow. *fingers crossed!!* Since I'm actually reading this on my Nook, and opening to a random page is rather difficult, I'm going to teaser from the page I'm on! 

From page 139 (though I suspect the page numbers on my Nook are not quite right...):

Ward stretched his arms up and out as they walked down the narrow city street, energized and joyous. The surgery, for all of its non-medical complications, had gone well. And if he didn't think too much about the smoky images of his life flying through the room and what the Tracker planned to do about it, he could enjoy the glimmer of pride that came with living the life he knew he was destined for. 

Denial was such a powerful tool.

Interesting, yes? No more information about what's happening, though! You'll just have to pick up the book to find out! :)

As always, thanks for checking out my teaser, and I'd love to see yours! Please leave a link here if you'd like me to check it out. I'd love for you to follow my blog, or follow me on Twitter, or be my friend on Goodreads, so we can chat! (I really love to chat, especially about books.)

A Million Suns (Across the Universe #2) Synopsis Revealed!

So not too long ago I reported that the (still) beautiful cover of Beth Revis' A Million Suns had been revealed. I still love it, and I know it's going to look so nice with my copy of Across the Universe when it comes out. But now Ms. Revis has shared that the synopsis has also been released! You can check it out here and then see the book page on Goodreads! It's coming together quite beautifully, I think. I certainly cannot wait to get my hands on it, and only getting more and more excited.

Here it is:

When Elder learns harrowing news about the space ship Godspeed, he and Amy must work together to unlock a puzzle that was set in motion hundreds of years earlier, all the while dealing with the romance that’s growing between them and the chaos that threatens to tear them apart. It all boils down to one mind-bending conclusion: They have to get off this ship.

If you can't control yourself and would like to preorder it, here you go!

Book Blogger Hop! (Kinda Number 3...)

So I'm terrible, and worked literally ALL DAY Friday, and didn't do a Follow Friday and Book Blogger Hop post... Therefore, I'm solely doing Book Blogger Hop. I will have Follow Friday again next week, I promise! On tothe fun...


So Book Blogger Hop is a weekly meme for bloggers and readers to check out other blogs and create more traffic and followers. It lasts Friday through Monday, and I get to answer a fun question. Click here to check out the full rules and info. Without further ado...

Q. Highlight one book you have received this week (for review, from the library, purchased at the store, etc.) that you can’t wait to dig into!

Me: Oh.... Oh my. I've gotten some really good-looking books this week. But I actually received my (long awaited) copy of Julie Kagawa's "The Iron Queen", the third book in the Iron Fey Series, and I am completely dying to read it. (If you haven't seen my RAVING review of the Iron King yet, here's proof of why I would be excited. I have yet to write my review of the Iron Daughter. ) I did my little happy dance when I got it in the mail. So here's the synopsis (SPOILER ALERT IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE OTHER TWO BOOKS!): 

My name is Meghan Chase.

I thought it was over. That my time with the fey, the impossible choices I had to make, the sacrifices of those I loved, was behind me. But a storm is approaching, an army of Iron fey that will drag me back, kicking and screaming. Drag me away from the banished prince who's sworn to stand by my side. Drag me into the core of conflict so powerful, I'm not sure anyone can survive it.

This time, there will be no turning back.

So yeah. Have a happy rest of the weekend and beginning of August all! Feel free to post your hops here and I'll check them out!

Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

From Goodreads:

In Maggie Stiefvater's SHIVER, Grace and Sam found each other. In LINGER, they fought to be together. Now, in FOREVER, the stakes are even higher than before. Wolves are being hunted. Lives are being threatened. And love is harder and harder to hold on to as death comes closing in.

I adored Shiver. Yes, ADORED. Linger was pretty good. And Forever was, to be honest, just kind of meh for me. I think I wanted a book full of the passion I remember so vividly from Shiver. Sam and Grace didn't even know each other, yet they were drawn together and there was a intensity there I searched hard to find in Forever. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed the book as a whole, but honestly couldn't get into it in the first hundred pages.

The thing I love about Maggie Stiefvater's writing is the lyrical quality to it. There seems to be poetry in her words, though there's no meter or rhyme to them. She creates a beautiful, wintry setting that surrounds the story and makes magic out of the mundane. All of this was still there in Forever. Mercy Falls seems like something out a storybook, though at the same time it feels like places I've stopped for gas on a road trip.

Sam and Grace are just as adorable together as they have always been, though I did find at times that I didn't quite understand their actions. For example, Grace is finally human for a extended period of time, and rather than immediately finding the guy she loves, she dawdles and has a random conversation with Cole. Now, I know that if I had seen my (I suppose boyfriend is the best word...) boyfriend for several months, I would not be hanging around making small talk with someone as rude as Cole. Sorry. This leads me to my next point...

I went into Forever expecting some sense of urgency. When we learn about Isabel's dad's plans (trying to be cryptic...) I thought, "Oh yeah. Here comes some good stuff." But no one seemed to go into action mode. Maybe Isabel, a bit. Only during the last seventy-five to one hundred pages, when the threat got REAL, did anyone seem to understand what was going to happen. And THAT was when the book got engrossing. At that point, I read the rest in a single sitting, and was quite satisfied. I found myself wondering how much more satisfied I'd be if the whole book had been like that.

Now, I don't have anything else negative to say, I promise. As for the characters, I actually really liked Cole in this one. I liked knowing a little bit more about his life, and was glad someone was smart enough to figure out something, anything really! I liked him showing a softer, human side, especially with Isabel and right at the end (if you've read the book, you know!). I liked Isabel in this one, too. I didn't like the fact that she spends like zero time with the other characters, but I did like the guts she finally has, rather than just hiding behind her cold exterior.

In retrospect, Forever was good, though not as good as I'd hoped. I'm hoping I'll like it more with another reading soon. That being said, I thought it was a fitting end to the series. There were some heartrendingly beautiful moments that made the book worthwhile, and, when in doubt, the prose saved the day.


Risk a paper cut? For fans of the series, this is obviously a no brainer. If you love beautiful prose, it's worth braving the cold of Mercy Falls.

To buy: Amazon