Hallowed by Cynthia Hand

Release date: January 17, 2012
Publisher: HarperTeen
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 403
Buy the book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository
Ebook available from: Barnes & Noble | Amazon

For months Clara Gardner trained to face the fire from her visions, but she wasn't prepared for the choice she had to make that day. And in the aftermath, she discovered that nothing about being part angel is as straightforward as she thought.

Now, torn between her love for Tucker and her complicated feelings about the roles she and Christian seem destined to play in a world that is both dangerous and beautiful, Clara struggles with a shocking revelation: Someone she loves will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain, the only thing Clara knows for sure is that the fire was just the beginning.

So, um... I'm going to have to warn you guys. I have crazy emotions about this book, so... Should I have a spaz during this review, just disregard me. Hallowed made me swoon, cry, and blindingly happy all within a single page at times. I was scared that the second book couldn't live up to Unearthly, but as soon as reviews started to come in, all I could do was WAIT. IMPATIENTLY. Very impatiently.

I love that there is so much more going on here than just the actual plot. Deeper ideas are explored, and I love love love to think about a book. This is part of why the journey in reading it is so special and so emotional. Clara deals with so much more in Hallowed than in Unearthly. She is learning about herself and exploring whether or not the way she lives her life is her choice or if everything is laid out for her. She deals with loss and with heartbreak and everything in between with such poise and realness, which only makes me love her as a character more.

I know we've all been dreading the idea of a love triangle in this book. I was definitely a big part of that dread. I also felt like it was inevitable, though not in a gag-worthy way. I love Clara and Tucker, but the way her relationship with Christian is handled makes you realize what a good influence in her life he is. I could defend either choice, and that's not normally the case with me, even though it'd break my heart for her to turn down either one. Ho hum.

I also loved seeing more of the characters introduced in Unearthly. Jeffrey is still a bit of a mystery throughout the book, yet we still learn more about him as he deals with the events of the book. He puts on a brave face, but we definitely see him break. I also loved seeing Angela and her insecurities, making her a much more real character to me. She may be super sleuth, but she has real doubts and fears, and that always makes me feel for a character more. I think almost every character was brought close to their breaking point in Hallowed, and that's such an interesting position to explore in a character. You really see the depths of them.

Honestly, I can't say too much more about Hallowed. Most of what I say won't bring justice to what I felt while I read it. It's a beautiful story expertly crafted and expertly executed.

Risk a paper cut? Hoo boy, DO IT. I don't think I know a single person who disliked it, and I can honestly say you won't regret it.

Happy Birthday to Me by Brian Rowe

Release date: April 7, 2011
Format: Ebook
Pages: 175
Source: Provided for review by author
Buy the book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon
Ebook available from: Amazon
IT'S ONLY 99 CENTS, GUYS!!!

Seventeen-year-old Cameron Martin has a huge problem: he’s aging a whole year of his life with each passing day!

High school is hard enough; imagine rapidly aging from seventeen to seventy in a matter of weeks, with no logical explanation, and with prom, graduation, and the state championship basketball game all on the horizon. That’s what happens to Cameron, a popular pretty boy who's never had to face a day looking anything but perfect.

All Cameron wants to do is go back to normal, but no one, not even the best doctors, can diagnose his condition. When he finds love with a mysterious young woman, however, he realizes his only hope for survival might be with the one person who started his condition in the first place..

My first thought was probably a common one. I immediately thought Happy Birthday to Me sounded just like a hybrid between Beastly and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. One book I quite enjoyed and the other a movie I loved. (I just couldn't get into the Beastly movie like I could the book...) I thought, "What could go wrong?" Then I realized there were tons of things that could go wrong. Luckily, they didn't! (Muahahaha. I set that one up good.)

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Happy Birthday to Me. I thought the premise was a good one. The plot ran at a good pace, and I really found we got a good look at Cameron and grew to care about him, though it certainly looked doubtful at the beginning. Cameron's character arc was definitely the best part of the book for me. Even when he was a jerk at the beginning, I could tell there was something redeeming within him, and that helped me stay invested even when I couldn't stand him. I wanted to know if he was going to tap his potential, so I just had to keep reading! And even while he does progress as a character, he's not perfect. He's not suddenly an unerring person, and that was realistic to me.

I also enjoyed his reactions to his aging, along with his classmates'. At first he's utterly dismayed, and yet slowly he comes to accept the aging process and the feelings that come with it. While I don't know how it feels to rapidly age, or to be older than I am now, I feel like that's kind of how it is. You turn thirty and you freak out, but by the time you're fifty, you realize that good things come with age, and I kind of thought that's how Cameron felt, though he obviously didn't want to die--though who really does?

My only real complaint came with the ending. We spent a long time experiencing Cameron's feelings at his situation, which I really enjoyed, but it ended so quickly. Though I was sure of Liesel's position in the book from the beginning, she wasn't explained until very close to the end and their relationship became something big rather quickly. I liked the development itself, but I didn't like how suddenly it happened.

All in all, Happy Birthday to Me was a very enjoyable and quick read. I found the characters to be engaging and real, and enjoyed the faint paranormal elements in it. I'm exciting to read the second one, Happy Birthday to Me Again!

Risk a paper cut? If you have any inclination towards a nice, easy, and quick read (and, really, who doesn't??) you'll be in for a treat. It's hard to go wrong with Happy Birthday to Me. Come on, give yourself an early birthday present! :)

Follow Friday #21

Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read each week and is a joint effort between all of us bloggers to find new blogs to read, love, and obsess over. Plus each week a different question is answered, so we can all learn a little bit more about the bloggers whose opinions matter to us. :) Tally ho!


Hoo! So I've been MIA on this one for a while guys! I seem to not have time on Thursday nights or Friday during the day recently, but I've found that I have the time tonight! Yay! :)

Q. Define what characteristics your favorite books share. Do they all have a kick ass heroine or is the love interest the hot Alpha Male?
ME. This is really a great question, and one I've never thought about. I definitely love strong heroines. I can't stand a girl who sits around whining about her circumstances and doesn't do anything about it, relying on someone else to save her. We're at a point in history where women and their excellence is actually recognized on a regular basis, so I don't care about a heroine who doesn't represent that. They an start off lame, but if they don't develop, I'm not going to like the book. Other than that, I do love books set in specific periods, since they're more immersive in my opinion. I find myself getting lost in another world, one unlike my own, which I LOVE.

So that's the fun! Please please please leave me links to your posts, and I'll definitely visit you guys! It may take me a day, but I will visit. :) Have a great weekend all! And, hey! It's Super Bowl weekend, so I'll be watching... For the commercials mostly. Hehehe.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Release date: January 3, 2012
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 390
Buy the book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository
Ebook available from: Barnes & Noble

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl.

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

Most fairy tale retellings that I've read have been just okay, though I still kind of love them. Cinder was in a different league from those. I LOVED IT. I read most of it in one sitting, and about cried when I realized the last page was just that. A cyborg Cinderella is crazy original and the world Marissa Meyer set her story in was fascinating to read about and explore. I honestly don't know how I'm possibly going to wait till next year for Scarlet!

First order of business, the world. I found it rather confusing at first, but I got my bearings rather quickly. Rather than giving us a big history lesson in one big dump, we got little bits of information at a time, accumulating quickly into a fully realized picture of the world. We quickly learn that cyborgs are sub-human, treated as property and live at the whim of whomever owned them, unless they were able to earn the money to live on their own. Meyer's vision of the world in the future isn't so much a dystopian one. We can see how the world is in a state of disorder, and the government doesn't hide this from the citizens. They're faced with the threat of attack from the gifted Lunars, beings who used to be human that have lived on the moon so long they've mutated into something else, and an incurable disease they don't know the cause of. A rather bleak picture for our fairy tale, but it sets a fascinating picture and creates a whole new set of problems for our characters past, "Will she get the prince?" and therefore a much better story.

I loved loved loved Cinder. She's had a hard life, and really wants to complain about it, but she squares her shoulders and does what has to be done. She doesn't dream big at first, but as she learns just how valuable she is--despite being a second class citizen--she really comes into her own, fighting for what she wants most of all, rather than believing she can't enact change. I loved how human she was, even though she can't remember being treated as one, and how much love is in her silicone heart. She fights for the ones she loves, even if they can't or won't love her back, even if she knows there's nothing she can do, even if she knows the truth will make them hate her. I also loved Kai. He was adorable, loving, strong, sweet, compassionate, and basically everything good. I couldn't get over his devotion to doing what was right for his people, even if it meant unhappiness for him. SWOON.

Really the only reason I didn't give this a big, glowing five stars is that I figured out the big twist way too early. By one hundred pages in, I had almost every detail figured out. I don't know if we were supposed to do this or not, but I like to take more time to figure things out, and I like to not be so sure. I love to question my conclusions over and over again until the big reveal, but once I had the idea, things kept compounding to make me surer and surer. Seriously, this is not a big detail, but it slightly detracted from my enjoyment. I'm silly.

Cinder is a practically perfectly executed fairy tale retelling. It brings the details and basic plot of the classic story of Cinderella while adding in new, unexpected ideas and creating a fresh spin. We get the best of both the classic story and a modern novel.

Risk a paper cut? If you've ever found yourself smiling at any Disney movie ever, READ IT. If you love robots and/or China, READ IT. If you like plagues, READ IT. Just find some excuse to buy it or borrow it. Make sure you get it into your grubby, grease-stained hands before I force it into them. :)

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

Release date: April 19, 2011
Publisher: HarlequinTEEN
Format: Paperback
Pages: 293
Buy the book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository
Ebook available from: Barnes & Noble | Amazon

It's always been just Kate and her mom—and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall.

Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld—and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.

Kate is sure he's crazy—until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess.

I have positives and negatives for The Goddess Test. I was interested. I had to know just what was going to happen, and if my suspicions were right. I thought the idea behind the story was an intriguing one that a lot could have been done with. I'll read the second one, because I got myself invested in Kate and Henry's relationship. I also thought much of the characterization was blah, and that the mythology was not quite up to par, though.

Characterization... What can I say? There were a few too many cookie cutter qualities for me. For example, Ava is a spoiled cheerleader type with the hottest boyfriend in school who doesn't like the protagonist because her boyfriend is nice to the new girl. Been done a thousand times. Sure we find out more later, but she still has the same basic personality throughout the whole book: materialistic, promiscuous, and self-centered. Bleh. Even Kate was a bit blah to me at times. She didn't want to know what was going on around her. Really? You're stuck in what you believe to be Hades' mansion surrounded by the dead, and you are content with that?

I'm really not normally one to complain about tampering with myths. Myths have been changed time and time again as the years go by, so why not tweak them a bit to help yourself out? I just didn't see going against things that are evidenced time and time again throughout the stories. The gods are known for having been bed-hopping kinds of people, so their judgement on lust is just ludicrous. I would think that being lustful was a quality necessary to be one of them, not the opposite. Part of the reason people were fascinated with the gods was that they were all powerful, yet human in their faults. So them holding Kate up to some kind of perfect standard just doesn't mesh. Sure, they think a lot of themselves, but I think they'd even realize the silliness of that. (Okay, I'm off my soapbox now. Please don't hate me!)

After all of that ranting, I really did enjoy the book!! The plot was smoothly paced. There were no lulls; I just HAD to keep turning the pages. Like I said before, the idea for the story is a really cool one. I also liked the idea of Persephone's story being quite different from the one everyone had learned over the years. I could see how that is something that could have truly happened, and it made me truly like Hades (Henry) when the only idea of him I really had was the blue-haired guy from Hercules--a radically different idea than the one I got from the book.

I loved the relationship between Kate and her mother. A lot of young adult novels have neglectful or absent parents, and I loved seeing a healthy relationship between a character and her mother. Her willingness to give up everything to save her mother is such a beautiful trait, especially since we see no hint of resentment for it. I also actually really liked the relationship between Kate and Henry. They start off really as nothing, and their mutual affection grows slowly through actually spending time together, not lust. They just enjoy their time together and that fosters a healing love that I found to be quite beautiful.

So while I have conflicting views of different aspects of The Goddess Test, as a whole, I really enjoyed it. My real complaints are my personal nitpicking more than anything. I'm really looking forward to Goddess Interrupted!

Risk a paper cut? Those with a passing interest in mythology will enjoy the modern interpretation of a classic myth, while everyone else will love the sweet romance and mother/daughter relationship. I'd risk some paper cuts to re-read it!

In My Mailbox (10)

Howdy all! It's time for In My Mailbox! In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren where bloggers get to share just what kind of lovely books and swag they got over the past week through purchasing, borrowing, gifting, etc. 

Ooh, I had such a happy week this week guys! I got a lovely package of books from Amazon that I'd ordered, plus a couple of ebooks through Netgalley. I've already read a couple of them, but they were awesomeeee. I was a happy person this week! :)


From review through Netgalley:

New Girl by Paige Harbison

Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale

Purchased:

Hallowed by Cynthia Hand

A Million Suns by Beth Revis

Tiger's Quest by Colleen Houck

\Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

So that's it! I've previously read Under the Never Sky and enjoyed it so much I had to own a copy of it. Isn't it pretty? I finished Cinder yesterday, and LOVED it, so keep an eye out for that review! I'd love to see all that you guys got in your mailboxes this week, and have a lovely week all! :)

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Release date: March 22, 2011
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Format: Paperback
Pages: 320
Buy the book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository
Ebook available from: Barnes & Noble | Amazon

What if you knew exactly when you would die?

Thanks to modern science, every human being has become a ticking genetic time bomb—males only live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out.

When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite her husband Linden's genuine love for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape—to find her twin brother and go home.

But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden's eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant she trusts, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limted time she has left.

Wither is a hard book to write a review for. I was engrossed, even though there was not a whole ton of action. Emotionally, I was exhausted at the book's end, but not for Rhine. I hated reading about such a future, and it'd be very hard to not feel for the characters, especially Cecily. I didn't like realizing no one was outraged at all that happened to her. At thirteen, she should've been hanging out with friends, getting her first real boyfriend, and experimenting with makeup. Not a wife, not at all. And I know it's fiction, but the idea that anyone--anyone at all--could envision this as a future hurt.

All of this being said, as a whole I really enjoyed reading Wither. It's simply a hard book to recommend. As most have said before me, the atmosphere is ridiculous. The world of Rhine feels real through the atmosphere and allows for the holes in the worldbuilding. The mansion feels sinister and comfortable at the same time. Even the characters have multiple faces. It all works together to create a very specific and haunting kind of vibe, one that I hope continues throughout the second book as well.

The characters were definitely also a highlight. I thought they all had a lot of depth, and while their motives and actions were often not close to what my own might have been, I could see why they did what they did and couldn't blame them for it. They had backgrounds or motives to support them. I almost feel silly for pointing this out, but a lot of times I can't see motivation for characters, other than to drive plot, and that gets frustrating! So yay! Gabriel was easily the most likable character, though we actually see very little of him. Please give me more!!!

Because the atmosphere was palpable and the characters realistic, Wither was an emotional story. We spend a lot of time listening to Rhine's thoughts and feelings. We see how deeply she comes to care for her sister wives, even when she's angry at them. We see her feelings for Gabriel grow through his kindness and gentleness. We see her confusion as she comes to feel sympathy--and maybe something more?--for Linden. We really feel all of her emotions, and I LOVED this. I am that much more invested in a book if I can feel a protagonist's emotions, and it really kept me reading.

Wither is a huge testament to Lauren DeStefano's writing ability. She takes a very hard subject and, at least in my opinion, doesn't belittle the seriousness. Rather, she shows us the pain of the situation, and makes us feel for her characters. There was little action, and the climax came and went very quickly, but Wither was an excellent read to me.

I would not recommend Wither to younger readers of young adult. The subject matter is very adult and not presented in the most delicate way (a way that works for the story, but isn't quite right for someone not in high school at least--in my opinion.)

Risk a paper cut? I really don't know how comfortable I am recommending Wither, but if you find your tastes coincide with mine, and can stomach some upsetting things, I'd say it's a rather illuminating read. If that helps??