Waiting on Wednesday #005: The Iron Thorn by Caitlin Kittredge

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

I read an excerpt of this book on Randombuzzers.com and along with the summary below it looks like it's going to be really quirky and completely fascinating. It's totally up my alley because I love ideas that are way outside the box which this one seems to be. It's also going to be the February Giveaway over at New Books for New Bloggers! (By the way Aoife is pronounced like Eve).

The Iron Thorn by Caitlin Kittredge
Release Date: February 22, 2011

From Amazon.com
In the city of Lovecraft, the Proctors rule and a great Engine turns below the streets, grinding any resistance to their order to dust. The necrovirus is blamed for Lovecraft's epidemic of madness, for the strange and eldritch creatures that roam the streets after dark, and for everything that the city leaders deem Heretical—born of the belief in magic and witchcraft. And for Aoife Grayson, her time is growing shorter by the day.

Aoife Grayson's family is unique, in the worst way—every one of them, including her mother and her elder brother Conrad, has gone mad on their 16th birthday. And now, a ward of the state, and one of the only female students at the School of Engines, she is trying to pretend that her fate can be different.

Review: Fallen by Lauren Kate

Fallen by Lauren Kate

Release Date: December 8, 2009
Downloaded from Library:
December 1, 2010
Publisher: Delacorte
Pages: 464
Reading level: Young Adult
My Rating:

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price's attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He's the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.

Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce–and goes out of his way to make that very clear–she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.

-- from Goodreads.com

I have to be honest and say that the entire idea of this book just didn't appeal to me to begin with. Then, after reading good reviews and all the hype, I decided that it was growing on me. What pushed me over the top and helped me decide to pick it up and read it was the review that said it would resonate with Twilight fans. Yeah. I only read the Twilight series so that I could have an intelligent conversation with fans, explaining to them just why I detested the books.

Let me just say, that they weren't wrong about the comparison to Twilight. It was just as much of a struggle for me to get through. It was not fun.

First, the biggest complaint I had with the book was the writing style. I felt like I kept almost getting to the good part. There would be something happening, there would be interactions between people. Then suddenly, just as it was getting good, the narrative chopped off abruptly and then we got Luce thinking about the end of the scene at some other time. It felt like being jerked right out of a movie where I'm getting to see things unfold as they happen and the only way I get to know what happened in the good parts is to have someone else who actually got to see the whole movie tell me about it. I am a staunch believer that being told rather than shown is lazy writing. This went a step farther and just made me want to put the book down every other chapter.

Second, my next biggest complaint was that I just didn't care about the characters. The fallen angel who is in love with the girl who dies and comes back every 17 years sound like tragic, fantastical characters. I expected the angel to be suave, mature, ancient souled, having learned the ins and outs of life throughout his many many years alive. I expected someone like possibly Angel from Buffy (even his tortured soul was realistic). What I received was a sullen, moody, brat who flips off the girl he supposedly loves the first time he sees her. Yeah, real mature. The girl he loves? Well I expected someone strong, beautiful, intelligent, with some sort of otherworldly air of a person who is reincarnated regularly. What I got was a weak, fickle, naive little girl who read like Bella Swan's little sister running off and getting into trouble to be rescued from every time I turned around. Why would an ancient, fallen angel love her? Why should I care when both of them are just pale shadows of greatness that could have been? The answer is, I didn't. I couldn't.

The entire world was dark and gloomy feeling all the time. It was sort of depressing and I didn't want to read it anymore when I was halfway through. Nothing happened in this dark, gloomy world either. At least half of the things that took place had no bearing on anything, let alone the plot which I don't think showed up until after many many annoying sessions of Luce asking questions nobody would answer. That got very old after a while but if it had been used to expose personalities or events or something other than coming across as filler to make the series into a 4 book thing I could have forgiven it. But all it did was add to my general frustration with the book.

It's been a difficult process to write this review -- I hate writing negative reviews -- so this is the last thing I will say. No real girl gets the flutters from every guy she meets just months after the guy she really liked went up in flames right in front of her. She gets terrified that it'll happen to other guys she likes and she avoids guys altogether. She doesn't stalk one and sneak out of school to meet another at a questionable bar. Sorry. This is one case of forcing characters to meet plot points and it doesn't work. It only gets 2 stars because according to my rating system 1 star means I put it down and didn't finish. However, so that I can have intelligent conversations with fans, telling them exactly why I detest this book, I read the whole thing.

New Books for New Bloggers

Because book blogging is one of my most favorite things in the world, I wanted to encourage new bloggers in the YA Book Blogosphere to continue blogging even when it seems like no one's reading. Or because they cannot afford the newest books. New Books for New Bloggers is where new bloggers will come together and have a chance to find new friends, new blogs, and win new books every month!

Giveaway For February 2011

Title: The Iron Thorn
Author: Caitlin Kittredge
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Release Date: February 22, 2011
Pages: 512
Genre: Alternate History
Deadline: February 15, 2011 (because it's the first post)

Click here to check out the Rules & Giveaway!

Follow Friday #004

Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee.com. It's been so long since I've done one of these. I'm excited to see who has joined the blogosphere since the last time I did!

What can I say? I'm from NJ. Who else could I cheer for? :D

Comment if you decide to follow me. I'd love to read your blog and follow you too!

Review: Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Paranormalcy
by Kiersten White

Release Date: August 31, 2010
Downloaded from Library:
December 12, 2010
Publisher: Harper Teen
Pages: 352
Reading level: Young Adult
My Rating:

Weird as it is working for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, Evie's always thought of herself as normal. Sure, her best friend is a mermaid, 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 still. Normal.

Only now paranormals are dying, and Evie's dreams are filled with haunting voices and mysterious prophecies. She soon realizes that there may be a link between her abilities and the sudden rash of deaths. Not only that, but she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.

So much for normal.

-- from the dust jacket

I almost didn't read this because the summary on the dust jacket made it sound really ridiculous. A faerie ex, a mermaid best friend, and the shape-shifter she's falling for combined with a dark faerie prophecy (cue the doom and gloom sound effect) were all just a little too hokey sounding to me, especially because of the way that was introduced on the dust jacket in a very glib tone.

I have to say it would have been a sad thing had I listened to my first instinct and the poor writing skills of whoever was given the task of summarizing the book for the dust jacket because it's so much better than that. The reason I actually did read it is because I'd read a great review on the Story Siren's site so I decided I'd compromise and listened to this one on my ipod while driving.

I loved the characterization of Evie as the odd girl out in a paranormal universe wishing she could be normal and finding out she was actually more paranormal than anyone she came into contact with on a day by day basis as an employee of the International Paranormal Containment Agency. Her struggle with not fitting in, her need to, and her strong aversion to wanting to be stolen by faeries was so realistic. But in spite of not being the typical teenage girl, Evie so is. I completely saw her dragging Lend into watching the show Easton High mentioned in the story as the same as her getting him tied down to watch The O.C. or 90210. I felt her mourn the loss of connection with anyone remotely parental and the losses she suffered.

I also loved the characterization of Lish, Evie's mermaid best friend. Her attempts at cussing through the language translator that did not allow profanity was seriously laugh-worthy. She was such a sweet soul and I enjoyed the scenes with her the most, I think.

So as bizarre as the idea of faeries and mermaids and shape-shifters all in one book seemed, Ms. White breathed life into them so perfectly that it was all real. I was able to seamlessly immerse myself in the beautifully painted world in all its surreality and I adore books that allow me to completely suspend disbelief and live entirely inside them for a few hours.

This is a brilliantly written novel about a girl who could be anyone fighting the frustrations of high school (metaphorically, of course) and it's a supernatural romance of such sweetness that it has you on tenterhooks the entire time. Ms. White's only fault may be (and definitely it's not the amazingly quirky fashion sense of the main character) that she made it difficult for me to stomach someone who was so totally unwanted except for by her boyfriend. And while that can ring romantic to those who don't have to face that feeling, it's a truly achingly lonely thing to put a person through. Even a fictional one. However, all in all, this is a great, do not miss, book.

Contest: Update & ARC Giveaway

Lauren Conrad Style Winner

So the winner of the Lauren Conrad Style giveaway was: Cleo W. If you're still interested in this book, please comment and let me know and I'll get that out to you ASAP.

Across the Universe by Beth Revis ARC Giveaway

I just finished reading this so it's off to the next person. If you'd like to be that person, please enter!

Rules

You must be 13 or older

Fill out the entry form below

One entry per person
+1 for tweeting
+1 for blogging
+1 for advertising on your blog
for a total of 4 entries (comment and let me know if you do these)

I can only send to those in the US. I'm sorry!

Deadline: February 15, 2011

Winner: Truly Bookish

Review: StarCrossed by Elizabeth C. Bunce

StarCrossed (Thief Errant #1)
by Elizabeth C. Bunce

Release Date: October 1, 2010
Received: January 4, 2011
(Star Book Tours)
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books
Pages: 400
Reading level: Young Adult
My Rating:

Digger thrives as a spy and sneak-thief among the feuding religious factions of Gerse, dodging the Greenmen who have banned all magic. But when a routine job goes horribly wrong and her partner and lover Tegen is killed, she has to get out of the city, fast, and hides herself in a merry group of nobles to do so. Accepted as a lady's maid to shy young Merista Nemair, Digger finds new peace and friendship at the Nemair stronghold--as well as plenty of jewels for the taking. But after the devious Lord Daul catches her in the act of thievery, he blackmails her into becoming his personal spy in the castle, and Digger soon realizes that her noble hosts aren't as apolitical as she thought... that indeed, she may be at the heart of a magical rebellion.
From elizabethcbunce.com

I'm not much of a period setting reader but Ms. Bunce's obsession with all things renaissance (as stated humorously in her bio at the back of the book) shone through brilliantly in the full-color view of Digger's world we are given. StarCrossed starts out with some very intriguing action. I was immediately drawn into Digger's plight and enjoyed her voice as she described the world around her and her memories of what had happened.

After the opening scene, however, I felt the book's fire dwindled down to a slow burn for the rest of the first half of the story. While the exposition of the other players in the game and the foreshadowing and hints of all the lies and politics and secrets was very interesting, the first half of the book lacked the action its opening promised. Perhaps that is how most period set fantasy books work and if so, well-done, Ms. Bunce. I personally would have preferred a little more peril and a little less of the arrogant attitude that Digger began displaying for those around her.

Though, I suppose, to remove that attitude would have meant we would not have seen a change or growth in Digger as the second half of the book careened into high gear and she begins to question everything she had ever learned about life and how to live it safest when one is a thief. As soon as I hit the halfway point of the book I found myself not wanting to put it down and thinking about it when I was supposed to be doing other things. As a result I spent almost an entire night finishing it, reading on into the wee morning hours (which thankfully, since I am unemployed, didn't cause me too much of a problem the next day!) to finish it.

It's well worth the read, let me tell you. The characters are bright and multi-dimensional against the equally beautiful landscape of castles and snowbound mountains. I enjoyed the addition of the opal-eyed courtesan and watching Merista (the daughter of the wealthy family who has taken Digger into their home) transition from a girl who didn't seem comfortable at all in her own skin to a girl blossoming into womanhood with pride and bravery. Digger's own transformation over the course of the book is what I would consider a coming of age and, though it's seemingly more subtle than Merista's, it's no small feat when you take into consideration where she started out.

There were a few plot twists that I saw coming but the fact that Ms. Bunce imagined them and brought them expertly to fruition made them all the more amazing to read once they were brought into the light. There was little in the book that surprised me but that is by no means a bad thing. In fact, after a while I felt as though I had settled in with family for a retelling of some history or other.

All in all I think this is a terrific book and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys soaring heights seen from the tops of towers and reading other people's journals to find out their secrets; sneak thieves and magical princesses alike. And, in the tradition of endings I like best, this story (while set to be the first in a trilogy) could easily end with this book and I would still be very satisfied with it that way. Though I definitely look forward to the next installment!

What's Happening Wednesday #001

And now a brief update and announcement as to what's happening now that the holidays are over and I'm going to be back and ready to get into the blog again.

Reviews
I haven't stopped reading so I have a bunch of reviews to post. Coming next week:

StarCrossed by Elizabeth C. Bunce
The Scorch Trials by James Dashner
Torment by Lauren Kate
Kiss in the Dark by Lauren Henderson
Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Contests
Because I've been receiving tons of books and stuff from publishers (and loving most of them!) I want to share the joy with you, fellow readers. So up for grabs next week will be:

His Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Pullman (paperbacks)
Falling Under by Danielle Younge-Ullman (hardcover)

And as soon as I'm done reading them I'll be passing on:

Across The Universe by Beth Revis (ARC)
The Water Wars by Cameron Stracher

So join me in the new year. 2011 promises to be a great time in the reading world. Follow Into The Morning Reads now and be sure not to miss out on my contests and reviews of things to come!