Title: Tempest Rising
Author: Tracy Deebs Website | Facebook
Stand Alone or Series: (Tempest, #1)
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers (May, 2011)
Hardcover: 352 pages
ISBN: 9780802722317
Source: Purchased
Available On: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | TheBookDepository | Kindle | Nook
Description from GoodReads:
Tempest Maguire wants nothing more than to surf the killer waves near her California home; continue her steady relationship with her boyfriend, Mark; and take care of her brothers and surfer dad. But Tempest is half mermaid, and as her seventeenth birthday approaches, she will have to decide whether to remain on land or give herself to the ocean like her mother. The pull of the water becomes as insistent as her attraction to Kai, a gorgeous surfer whose uncanny abilities hint at an otherworldly identity as well. And when Tempest does finally give in to the water's temptation and enters a fantastical underwater world, she finds that a larger destiny awaits her-and that the entire ocean's future hangs in the balance.
My Review
First Impressions: Based on the description from GoodReads this sounds like the story of the daughter of the little mermaid. If the little mermaid had a daughter with a surfer guy and left her daughter. (It does to me!)
Plot & Characters: Tempest for most of the story struggles between what she wants and what she needs. She wants to stay on land with her family, yet her body longs for the sea. This seems to me like a problem she creates. Why can't she spend time in both places? I know she says she doesn't want to abandon her family but it just doesn't seem like that big of a problem.
Tempest has a boyfriend on land but introduce a dose of instant love and a few pages later she is attracted to another. I usually don't have a big problem with instant love but in this story it just seemed wrong. She threw away a relationship and years of memories and suddenly all she could think of was this new guy. Not cool.
The mythology was interesting. I enjoyed learning about mermaids and the other sea creatures. The evil witch was great and terrifying. The missing mother added a very interesting element to the story. I was anticipating the moment when I would finally meet her and learn why she abandoned her children. When she finally appears I felt ripped off. I was not given the reunion I wanted.
Final Thoughts: I enjoyed Tempest but was not able to connect with the main character. I recommend it if you enjoy mermaid stories and are not bothered by instant love.
Buy, Borrow or Skip: Borrow. I enjoyed Tempest and will read the next in the series but for now it doesn't stand out enough for me to say buy.
My Rating:
Title: Spellcaster
Author: Cara Lynn Shultz Website | Twitter
Stand Alone or Series: Spellbound, #2
Genre: YA Fiction/Paranormal Romance
Publisher: HarlequinTeen (March 27th 2012)
Hardcover: 384 pages
ISBN:
9780373210503
Source: NetGalley*
Available On: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | TheBookDepository | Kindle | Nook
Description from GoodReads:
Finding your eternal soulmate - easy.
Stopping a true-love-hungry evil - not so much…
After breaking a centuries-old romantic curse, Emma Connor is (almost) glad to get back to normal problems. Although...it's not easy dealing with the jealous cliques and gossip that rule her exclusive Upper East Side prep, even for a sixteen-year-old newbie witch. Having the most-wanted boy in school as her eternal soul mate sure helps ease the pain-especially since wealthy, rocker-hot Brendan Salinger is very good at staying irresistibly close....
But something dark and hungry is using Emma and Brendan's deepest fears to reveal damaging secrets and destroy their trust in each other. And Emma's crash course in über-spells may not be enough to keep them safe…or to stop an inhuman force bent on making their unsuspected power its own.
My Review
First Impressions: I enjoyed Spellbound and thus was excited about book #2.
Plot & Characters: One of the things I enjoyed the most about Spellbound was Emma's sense of humor and it was not the same in Spellcaster. Although I enjoyed it, it just didn't seem that different from the 1st book. Emma and Brendan fight for their love against a psycho[path, everything seems hopeless but their love and determination win in the end. I just wanted less predictable. I enjoyed it but expected more.
Final Thoughts: An ok series for those who enjoy YA Paranormal Romance. I will read the next on just to see where the story goes.
Buy, Borrow or Skip: Borrow, you can always buy later if you love it. :)
My Rating:
Title: This Is Not A Test
Author: Courtney Summers Website | Twitter
Genre: YA/Horror
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (June 19th 2012)
Paperback: 322 pages
ISBN:
9780312656744
Source: Publisher
Available On: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | TheBookDepository | Kindle | Nook
Description from GoodReads:
It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self.
To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up. As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live.
But as the days crawl by, the motivations for survival change in startling ways and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life—and death—inside.
When everything is gone, what do you hold on to?
My Review
First Impressions: I don't usually read horror stories. I have an overactive imagination and reading such books leaves me sleepless for a few nights. Yet, when This Is Not A Test arrived and I read the synopsis I was intrigued because it sounded more like a book about a girl finding a reason to survive then a gory retelling of people's flesh being torn off by the living dead.
Plot & Characters: Sloane has had it with life. She decides to end it but in a strange string of events she finds herself in her Cortege High taking refuge from the living dead with five other teens. I usually find it hard to relate to a character that wants to end her life and dislike when they are written in an over dramatic way but Courtney Summers does a wonderful job with Sloane. I loved the character and was almost praying for a fictional character.
The five other students are great because they show very different reactions to a catastrophic event. They have to not only deal with the zombies at their door but like typical teenagers the relationships between them.There are a few extremely sad moments as well as many very scary scenes. This Is Not A Test contains very little romance, it is more about raw human emotions in a time of crisis. Just as a warning, know that Courtney Summers is not scared to kill a character you really like and are hoping will survive.
Final Thoughts: This Is Not A Test does not have a dull moment. From beginning to end I was biting my nails scared for Sloane's life. If you enjoy contemporary books with tough issues or if you enjoy zombie/horror I think you will really enjoy this book. I wouldn't recommend this book to a younger audience because of the tough subject matter.
Buy, Borrow or Skip: Buy, but if you have an overactive imagination DO NOT read at night.
My Rating:
Title: Above
Author: Leah Bobet Website | Twitter
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books (April, 2012)
Hardcover: 368 pages
ISBN:
9780545296700
Source: Publisher
Available On: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | TheBookDepository | Kindle | Nook
Description from GoodReads:
Matthew has loved Ariel from the moment he found her in the tunnels, her bee’s wings falling away. They live in Safe, an underground refuge for those fleeing the city Above—like Whisper, who speaks to ghosts, and Jack Flash, who can shoot lightning from his fingers.
But one terrifying night, an old enemy invades Safe with an army of shadows, and only Matthew, Ariel, and a few friends escape Above. As Matthew unravels the mystery of Safe’s history and the shadows’ attack, he realizes he must find a way to remake his home—not just for himself, but for Ariel, who needs him more than ever before.
My Review
First Impressions: Above sounds like a fun read full of adventure and wonderful characters. It sounds different from anything that I have read.
Plot & Characters: I wanted to love this book but I was completely confused at the beginning. The book is written to reflect Mathew's background. He lacks a proper education so he is missing words, or just strange structure in his sentences. I found the writting style interesting but had difficulty understanding. It brought to mind me the book Room by Emma Donoghue not in the subject matter but in the writing style since Room is told by a child.
After a few chapters I was able to relate to Matthew and understand him. However, I was not able to get into the story and found it difficult to finish this book. Above is more the story of individuals that are trying to find a place where they belong than a story about supernatural creatures and their adventures.
Final Thoughts: This is one of those book that you will either love or hate. If you enjoy books that are written in creative ways then this may be the book for you. If you are looking for a fun read where you will read the adventures of the beautiful bee girl in the cover of this book then read the synopsis again because the cover is deceiving. I think the cover is beautiful but a bit misleading.
Buy, Borrow or Skip: I would say borrow for this one.
My Rating:
