Mini-review: Harmonic Feedback by Tara Kelly

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co
Release Date: May 25 2010
Source: Around The World Tours

Sixteen-year-old, music- and sound design-obsessed Drea doesn’t have friends. She has, as she’s often reminded, issues. Drea’s mom and a rotating band of psychiatrists have settled on "a touch of Asperger’s.”

Having just moved to the latest in a string of new towns, Drea meets two other outsiders. And Naomi and Justin seem to actually like Drea. The three of them form a band after an impromptu, Portishead-comparison-worthy jam after school. Justin swiftly challenges not only Drea’s preference for Poe over Black Lab but also her perceived inability to connect with another person. Justin, against all odds, may even like like Drea.

It’s obvious that Drea can’t hide behind her sound equipment anymore. But just when she’s found not one but two true friends, can she stand to lose one of them?

Drea's a pretty rockin' main character: I loved how blunt she was with everyone around her. Her Asperger's might be considered a handicap to some but for Drea, it's just who she is and she never lets it stop her from being who she is. Her lack of a filter made her extremely honest and that is rare these days. Something else that I loved...the relationship she has with Justin. Ohmygoodness, these two are just so sweet together! Their attraction to each other, their gradual friendship and then their official boyfriend-girlfriend relationship was very real and completely unrushed. There was one moment with a character in the novel that was extremely jarring but the bittersweetness of it felt right for the story.

Final Verdict: Read this! It's very well-written, it's a Tenner debut, and it has a really cute boy thrown in the mix! Music and drugs make an appearance in the story but it's mostly centered on Drea's journey of self-discovery. She learns to open herself up to more possibilities--and people. (Did I mention a really cute boy? Srzly, I love Justin.) Rating: 4.5 stars

Clickables: {main site}, {official book site}, {twitter}

Mini-review: Mistwood by Leah Cypess

Publisher: Greenwillow Books/HarperCollins
Release Date: April 27 2010
Source: Blog tour

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 Mistwod.

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.

Mistwood started out strong with an intriguing MC and the mystery surrounding her identity but somewhere around the middle of the book, the pace of the story slowed down to a syrupy-like lag that made me wonder if I wanted to continue on with the book. I think the slow unfolding of events was Cypess' way of introducing the reader to the characters and their complexities and I did enjoy that but I was impatient to know why Isabel couldn't remember who she was. Then the revelation slammed me with such force because HOLY CRAP, I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN. It's one of those why-didn't-I-see-that-one-coming-it-makes sense kind of answers and oh my goodness, I couldn't tear through that book fast enough once I found out. Once I finished, I couldn't shake the characters or the story out of my mind.

Final Verdict: We had a shaky introduction but in the end, Mistwood surprised me with its secrets and I grew rather fond of the story, even nicknaming the book Misty for the week or so that I had it. Misty has a quiet gravity about her and it might take a while to get used to it, but it's worth it. She has a lot of goodness to her :) There's a companion novel, Nightspell, that will soon follow and I am happily awaiting it! Rating: 4 stars

{main site} {twitter} {goodreads}

A million thank-you's, huggles and sprinkly cupcakes to Kim for lending me her copy! ♥

Mini-review: She's So Dead To Us by Kieran Scott

Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Release Date: May 25 2010
Source: Around The World Tours

When having money is all that matters, what happens when you lose it all?

Perfect, picturesque Orchard Hill. It was the last thing Ally Ryan saw in the rear-view mirror as her mother drove them out of town and away from the shame of the scandal her father caused when his hedge fund went south and practically bankrupted all their friends -- friends that liked having trust funds and new cars, and that didn't like constant reminders that they had been swindled. So it was adios, Orchard Hill. Thanks for nothing.

Now, two years later, Ally's mother has landed a job back at the site of their downfall. So instead of Ally's new low-key, happy life, it'll be back into the snake pit with the likes of Shannen Moore and Hammond Ross.

But then there's Jake Graydon. Handsome, wealthy, bored Jake Graydon. He moved to town after Ally left and knows nothing of her scandal, but does know that he likes her. And she likes him. So off into the sunset they can go, right? Too bad Jake's friends have a problem with his new crush since it would make Ally happy. And if anyone deserves to be unhappy, it's Ally Ryan. Ally was hoping to have left all the drama in the past, but some things just can't be forgotten. Isn't there more to life than money?

Was I expecting to love this book as much as I did? Not at all. I've read some of Scott's other books and they're usually fun, not too serious and leave me smiling once I'm done. But She's So Dead To Us ventures into some slippery emotional territory and I didn't just smile: I laughed, I gasped, I shrieked, I may have dropped some f-bombs...you get the idea. This book was something completely different than what I'm used to from the author and oh, do I welcome it!  Being able to jump between Ally and Jake's viewpoints was such fun; Ally's, for me, was particularly enjoyable because she has had a taste of both worlds: she was part of the elite group (that now shuns her) and though she's fallen from grace, that hasn't stopped her from being her kickass self.

And then there's Jake. Stuck in the middle because he likes Ally but his friends don't. Although he waffles* between doing what's considered right and what actually is right, I'm still on his side and I hope he and Ally somehow find their way amongst the drama. (and let me tell you, there is mucho drama--which never felt outlandish. I could actually see people doing what Ally's ex friends did to her in real life.) I found their role reversal very interesting because Jake's technically the "new Ally" among his friends...

Final Verdict: GO READ THIS. Buy it, borrow it, steal it, whatever you need to do. Especially if you're not into reading books about drama between rich kids. Why? Because these rich kids have character: there are complex layers underneath all that prada totin' and their issues make this book a must-read. Rating: 5 stars

Clickables: {main site}, {twitter}, {blog}

Sorry if this intense gushing is out of character for me. I just really loved this one. ♥

*I like using the word waffle. Have you noticed? It sounds neat.

Mini-review: The Ghost & The Goth by Stacey Kade

Publisher: Hyperion Book CH
Release Date: June 29th 2010
Source: Around The World Tours

After a close encounter with the front end of a school bus, Alona Dare goes from Homecoming Queen to Queen of the Dead. Now she’s stuck here in spirit form with no sign of the big, bright light coming to take her away. To make matters worse, the only person who might be able to help her is Will Killian, a total loser/outcast type who hates the social elite. He alone can see and hear her, but he wants nothing to do with the former mean girl of Groundsboro High.

Can they get over their mutual distrust—and this weird attraction between them—to work together before Alona vanishes for good and Will is locked up for seeing things that don’t exist?

Stacey Kade's The Ghost & The Goth really charmed me. Alona Dare is not the nicest girl in the world but once she meets Will (who I love times three! ♥) and gets to know him, she starts softening up a bit and the same happens with Will once he realizes Miss Alona Dare is not just a pretty airhead. Kade did really well with the dual narrations: the reader is given great insight into both Will and Alona's characters and reading about their initial (and soon changing) impressions of one another was a treat. While mostly light, the book does delve into some serious issues but nothing too traumatizing... it's very entertaining, especially with a snarky dead girl and a much-too-serious yet adorable boy :)

Final verdict: The Ghost & The Goth=win for me! Even though I already knew what was going to happen halfway through the book, I still thoroughly enjoyed Kade's debut and I am so ready for the sequel. The Ghost & The Goth promises some fun times for those who pick it up and a squabbling couple that I'm rooting for! Alona+Will FTW! Rating: 4 stars

Cover comment: I completely spazzed out when I saw this cover. It's just so perfect for the story and I love seeing it whenever I walk into a bookstore.

Clickables: {main site} {twitter} {journal} 

Mini-reviews: Shadow Hills & Hunger

Publisher: EgmontUSA
Release Date: July 13th, 2010
Source: Around The World Tours

His love captivated her... his secrets might kill her.

Since her sister’s mysterious death, Persephone “Phe” Archer has been plagued by a series of disturbing dreams. Determined to find out what happened to her sister, Phe enrolls at Devenish Prep in Shadow Hills, Massachusetts—the subject of her sister’s final diary entry.

After stepping on campus, Phe immediately realizes that there’s something different about this place—an unexplained epidemic that decimated the town in the 1700s, an ancient and creepy cemetery, and gorgeous boy Zach—and somehow she’s connected to it all.

But the more questions she asks and the deeper she digs, the more entangled Phe becomes in the haunting past of Shadow Hills. Finding what links her to this town…might cost her her life

I found Phe's assertive attitude refreshing from the usual protagonists who waffle between thinking about what they want to do and then finding a reason not to. She had no problem in throwing herself into the action and sometimes her act-first-think-later mentality got her in trouble...but no matter what, she always kept her cool. I thought Zach, her gorgeous boy (I love that she calls him that!), was a little too perfect but he was such a sweetie that I didn't really mind that much. Phe and Zach's chemistry was palpable and they were just so cute together! But what really impressed me about Shadow Hills was Hopcus' attention to detail: the setting, the intricate way the plot unfolded....all the little details that debut authors might fumble at in the beginning, she nailed with ease. The execution throughout the novel was tight but towards the end the story unraveled a little, leaving me with an open-ended finale. This left me a little confused because it felt like there was room for the story to continue. I'm hoping for a sequel so we get to see more of Phe and a few subplots that Hopcus introduced... but overall, Shadow Hills was an enjoyable debut. Rating: 4 stars

Publisher: Harcourt Graphia
Release Date:  October 18th 2010
Source: Borrowed from a great friend :)

"Thou art the Black Rider. Go thee out unto the world.”

Lisabeth Lewis has a black steed, a set of scales, and a new job: she’s been appointed Famine. How will an anorexic seventeen-year-old girl from the suburbs fare as one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?

Traveling the world on her steed gives Lisa freedom from her troubles at home: her constant battle with hunger, and her struggle to hide it from the people who care about her. But being Famine forces her to go places where hunger is a painful part of everyday life, and to face the horrifying effects of her phenomenal power. Can Lisa find a way to harness that power — and the courage to battle her own inner demons?

I was expecting more from this novel but the author did create a good story and deliver her message in a very clever way. What disappointed me slightly was how I wasn't able to connect with the story as I thought I would--I liked Lisa but all of the other characters, her parents, her boyfriend, her friends...they didn't have enough of a backstory so they were were very much minor characters in the grand scheme of things. Lisa's journey as Famine was where Kessler really proved her writing ability-Lisa was able to see how hunger devastated people in other places and the emotion in those passages really drove the story along. Hunger didn't impress me like I thought it would but I liked it enough to read the next book in the trilogy. Rating: 3.5 stars