Incarceron review

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

(synopsis from Catherine Fisher's webpage)

Imagine a living prison so vast that it contains corridors and forests, cities and seas. Imagine a prisoner with no memory, who is sure he came from Outside, even though the prison has been sealed for centuries and only one man, half real, half legend, has ever escaped.
Imagine a girl in a manor house in a society where time has been forbidden, where everyone is held in a seventeenth century world run by computers, doomed to an arranged marriage that appals her, tangled in an assassination plot she both dreads and desires.
One inside, one outside
But both imprisoned.
Imagine a war that has hollowed the moon, seven skullrings that contain souls, a flying ship and a wall at the world's end.
Imagine the unimaginable.
Imagine Incarceron.


my thoughts:

this was another one of those books that i had high expectations for and then it didn't quite live up to them.

it was original and entertaining, but ultimately unsatisfactory. it was hard to get really engaged in the story or the characters. at the end, the story veered into the dangerous territory i refer to as "the abstract" where i couldn't understand what was happening...this book just wasn't what i'd hoped.

it also had an inconclusive ending. what more can i say?

my rating: 3.5

Mistwood review

Happy March, everybody!


Mistwood by Leah Cypess

(synopsis from Goodreads)

The Shifter is an immortal creature bound by an ancient spell to protect the kings of Samorna. When the realm is peaceful, she retreats to the Mistwood. But when she is needed she always comes.

Isabel remembers nothing. Nothing before the prince rode into her forest to take her back to the castle. Nothing about who she is supposed to be, or the powers she is supposed to have.

Prince Rokan needs Isabel to be his Shifter. He needs her ability to shift to animal form, to wind, to mist. He needs her lethal speed and superhuman strength. And he needs her loyalty—because without it, she may be his greatest threat.

Isabel knows that her prince is lying to her, but she can't help wanting to protect him from the dangers and intrigues of the court . . . until a deadly truth shatters the bond between them.

Now Isabel faces a choice that threatens her loyalty, her heart . . . and everything she thought she knew.

my thoughts:

i have slightly mixed feelings about this book. the idea was very original, something that seems hard to find in fantasy lately. i was very excited to read the book.

i had trouble warming up to the MC, though. the Shifter sounds cool in theory, but when actually seeing everything through her eyes...well, it was kind of cold. it made it hard to really feel very affectionate about her as a character. (maybe this was just me, though)

on the plus side, i never knew what would happen next. this is the main thing that kept me reading. while this made Mistwood an interesting read, i don't know that i would want to re-read it.

however, i gotta say, Ms. Cypess didn't leave me hanging! she gets some credit for that.

my rating: 4.1

Nevermore review

okay. so i know i'm not around much these days. i missed Valentine's Day (hope everybody enjoyed their day as much as i did mine!). i just finished a couple of exams (accounting and microeconomics) and i finally feel like i can breathe! school and life are a bit crazy, and meanwhile, my poor blog is being neglected.

i'm sorry.

i can't promise i'll be around more, but i'll try to be better about posting. i promise!! in the meantime....


Nevermore by Kelly Creagh

(synopsis from Goodreads)

Cheerleader Isobel Lanley is horrified when she is paired with Varen Nethers for an English project, which is due—so unfair—on the day of the rival game. Cold and aloof, sardonic and sharp-tongued, Varen makes it clear he’d rather not have anything to do with her either. But when Isobel discovers strange writing in his journal, she can’t help but give this enigmatic boy with the piercing eyes another look.

Soon, Isobel finds herself making excuses to be with Varen. Steadily pulled away from her friends and her possessive boyfriend, Isobel ventures deeper and deeper into the dream world Varen has created through the pages of his notebook, a realm where the terrifying stories of Edgar Allan Poe come to life.

As her world begins to unravel around her, Isobel discovers that dreams, like words, hold more power than she ever imagined, and that the most frightening realities are those of the mind. Now she must find a way to reach Varen before he is consumed by the shadows of his own nightmares.

His life depends on it.

my thoughts:

i loved the idea of this book the first time i heard it. the whole premise, the cover--it was seductive and enticing. actually the whole book sounded (and felt when i was reading it) like Beautiful Creatures minus the To Kill a Mockingbird influence plus some Edgar Allen Poe influence. if that makes any sense at all.

if you're a fan of Poe and a fan of YA lit, this book is for you. i loved it. i devoured the story. i liked that the author wasn't afraid to use characters that weren't necessarily instantly lovable. she made them dynamic, changing them throughout the story, which i think is missing from a lot of stories; i like being able to watch the character grow as the story goes on. it's more engaging and personal. this change was especially evident in Isobel, who went through some seriously-needed character development.

despite definite opportunities to do so, Ms. Creagh kept the story from veering into what i'd call "the abstract". the abstract never makes any sense to me. she let the story have some creative freedom without completely losing me, and i really appreciated that.

of course, no story is perfect (or at least, almost no story is). my complaint about Nevermore was....you guessed it, the cliff-hanger ending!! i cannot tell you how much these are starting to annoy me. oh well. i guess it means there's more from Ms. Creagh to look forward to, even if Nevermore had no closure.

my rating: 4.6

Firelight review

Firelight by Sophie Jordan

(synopsis from Ms. Jordan's website)

With her rare ability to breathe fire, Jacinda is special even among the draki—the descendants of dragons who can shift between human and dragon forms. But when Jacinda's rebelliousness leads her family to flee into the human world, she struggles to adapt, even as her draki spirit fades. The one thing that revives it is Will, whose family hunts her kind. Jacinda can't resist getting closer to him, even though she knows she's risking not only her life but the draki's most closely guarded secret.


my thoughts:

this book surpassed my expectations. i didn't really know what to think when i bought this, but after reading it, i was glad i'd gotten it!

Firelight was different from the other paranormal romances i've been read. it was subtly enchanting in it's own way. it didn't have the normal paranormal creatures (instead, it had the unique drakis), and Firelight had no love triangle! kudos to Ms. Jordan for breaking that trend!

Will presents a fascinating dilemma. Jacinda can't stay away from him, but being near his family is the surest way to get herself killed...it's a new level of forbidden romance.

i could feel and see the setting (an element that is too-oft neglected), which was enhanced by the draki's unique traits. the story was neatly written and sewn together so that all the elements meshed. i liked that.

on the other hand, Firelight left me hanging....just like half of the other books i've read lately. *sigh* at the very least, i wish i knew that these books were the first in a series and not stand-alones like i'd assumed.

my rating: 4.4

Matched review

Matched by Ally Condie

(synopsis from Goodreads)

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

my thoughts:

this was one of my most anticipated reads of 2010. i was waiting for months before i finally read it, and i wanted so much to love it.

well...it wasn't everything i'd hoped.

it took me a while to really get caught up in the story. however, once i did, i will admit that it was completely engaging. fighting against the government? reminiscent of The Hunger Games, definitely a plus. the concept of your true match being chosen for you? original. a fluke causing you to have two matches? very intriguing.

the story did rely on a love triangle, though, and that is quickly becoming one of the more frustrating cliches in YA lit. at least the triangle wasn't dragged out past the ending of the book. but there-in lies another of my peeves with Matched: there was no conclusion! i have to wait many more months to find out what happens?? i am so sick of waiting!

i know i'll be in line to get the next book, though. Xander, Ky, and Cassia were all compelling characters in their own way and i really, really want to know what will happen next. but i'm not forgiving Ms. Condie for leaving me hanging like that!

my rating: 4.1/5.0

Aurelia review

Aurelia by Anne Osterlund

(synopsis from Fantastic Fiction)

Princess Aurelia is next in line to rule the kingdom of Tyralt, but she would rather be one of the common folk, free to learn and roam and . . . not marry the next tyrannical prince that comes courting. Naturally, the king wants Aurelia to marry for political power. Aurelia wants to marry for love. And someone in the kingdom wants her . . . dead. Assigned to investigate and protect Aurelia is Robert, the son of the king's former royal spy and one of Aurelia's oldest friends. As Aurelia and Robert slowly uncover clues as to who is threatening her, their friendship turns to romance. With everything possible on the line - her life, her kingdom, her heart - Aurelia is forced to take matters into her own hands, no matter the cost.

my thoughts:

Aurelia wasn't what i'd expected from Ms. Osterlund. i'd read Academy 7, and the two books are completely different!

pros:

Aurelia was historical fiction and mystery. i like both of those genres.
the ending was a surprise.
i liked Aurelia and the other MC, Robert.

cons:

Aurelia was definitely lacking the originality that defined Academy 7! Academy 7 was an ingenious blend of scifi/fantasy that i couldn't put down...Aurelia was pretty conventional. politics, a non-descript kingdom, and rather flat characters weren't what i was expecting after reading Academy 7.
as far as subplots go, there wasn't much to speak of. it was a fairly simple, straightforward story.

bottom line:

Aurelia was a good debut, but my experience was greatly overshadowed by how much better i know Ms. Osterlund can write. however, i am looking forward to the sequel, Exile, now that Ms. Osterlund has some additional experience writing.

my rating: 3.8

Paranormalcy!

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White.

synopsis (from Ms. White's webpage):

Evie’s always thought of herself as a normal teenager, even though she works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she’s falling for a shape-shifter, and she’s the only person who can see through paranormals’ glamours.

But Evie’s about to realize that she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.

So much for normal.

it seems like all too often, the books i'm excited for and dying to read just don't live up to the hype. or their beautiful covers.

i am SO glad to say that this was not the case with Paranormalcy! my rating: 4.6

this book rocks. the voice, the paranormal creatures, and the story were all wonderfully fresh. reading Paranormalcy was like a splash of cool water--tingly, exciting, and at times, downright startling. even when i thought i knew what was going to happen, i really didn't. the story was utterly unpredictable.

my one complaint: too much was left unfinished! but i guess that's where the sequel comes in...eventually. bleep! i hate waiting for a good book. please hurry, Ms. White!