Category Archives: Book Reviews

13Feb/13

Every Day by David Levithan, 5 stars

Every DayWell, after reading some of the negative reviews, I kinda feel bad about saying this. Every Day is one of the best love stories I’ve ever read. Is A a little obsessed with Rhiannon? Yes. Does A find inventive ways to be near her all the time, no matter what body A is in? Yes. Okay when you lay it out like that it does sound a little creepy, but haven’t we all behaved that way? Especially about our first major love? If you say no, then I humbly suggest you may never have been in love.

A has no body. A is basically little more than a soul that travels from person to person, tagging along for a day in the life. A is no one and everyone. When A meets Rhiannon, life seems to have a purpose because she is the first person A has known who is worth working for.

I loved A. I loved how A was used as a vessel to explore the generally restrictive thoughts of what makes a person male or female, since A is neither. Yes, Levithan probably peppered the book with more one day tolerance tales than was truly logical, but that was kinda the point of the story. Love is love, no matter who the two people involved are.

Rhiannon was adorable and I loved her and I wanted A to be with her in the worst way. Every moment between them was filled with a longing that hit me in the gut and made it impossible for me to look away.

I do agree that the subplot of Nathan and the priest/other traveling soul wasn’t explored enough. With the way the ending was, we didn’t need to know that there were more people like A out there. But I will overlook all of this because my enjoyment of the first love and epic feelings far outweighs that.

I highly suggest this book to anyone willing to overlook a few unanswered questions and believe in the unexplainable.

26Jan/13

As I Wake by Elizabeth Scott, 5 stars

as-i-wakeAfter reading a lot of the low reviews for this book I’ve decided there are two types of people. Those who ‘get’ Elizabeth Scott and her style of writing, and those who don’t. Neither group is better, I just think they exist.

This book was everything I’ve loved about her other books, sparse almost poetical writing that grips me from the get go. My only complaint would be that I wanted to know more about the dystopian alternate universe. I’d love to see Scott try her hand at a true dystopian novel.

This was a love story as much as anything, but a damaged and broken one. That may not appeal to some people, but it is right up my alley. For a large part of the book you aren’t sure what is going on, but that’s because Ava doesn’t know what is going on and that is the whole point!

Scott just has a way of putting you in the MC’s shoes and making you live and breath with them. I already handed this book off to a friend and would happily recommend it to others. If you are willing to read something a little off kilter from what you are used to, give it a try.

15Nov/12

The Selection by Kiera Cass, 4 stars

I liked this book SO much more than I expected to. It’s kinda like a romantic version of the Hunger Games. It was far from perfect however. I’d give it three stars if I was feeling mean just for its cliffhanger ending!

The book started out very weak for me. The conversations between America (I despise this name. I cherished every time a character called her Mere) and Aspen were some of the most disgusting gooey sentences written since Twilight. I’ve never been happier for a couple to break up. Yeah, that’s a spoiler, but it’s an obvious one.

I soldiered on, even though I was vomiting in my mouth a little, and got to the selection part. Here is where the book got good. I’m not even sure why it was so good, because it wasn’t extremely exciting or anything. It was mostly about America (Bleh) meeting the Prince, befriending the Prince, bickering with other girls, and actually starting to like the Prince. Sure, there was a bit of “The rebels are attacking!” moments and those damn rebels do intrigue me, but they were quickly forgotten.

As for characters, I liked Mere a lot, when Aspen (Asspen? lol) wasn’t around. He basically turns her into an idiot. The rest of the time she is just a kind teenage girl trying her best to get by. Maxon was pretty much perfect. Sweet, but not gooey, flawed, but not lame. I also loved the relationship that slowly and perfectly develops between them.

So listening to the book and getting happy for Mere (I’m just gonna call her that) I was surprised at how much I was rooting for her and how much I cared about the romance. It was so unlike me. And then that ending happened. That horrible, horrible ending.

I hate cliffhanger endings in books. So much. I am also dying to read the second book, so well done author. I even have a preference in who Mere ends up with, and it’s not Aspen the whiny lame-o.

I also heard the CW might be developing this as a show? Interesting, but they would need to pick up the action if this was a weekly show. Also, how does that work with only one book in the series out? I dunno, read the book though, it was awesome.

09Nov/12

Inferno by Robin Stevenson, 4 stars

This book was nothing like I expected. I really thought it was going to be a fantasy having to do with Dante’s Inferno. Oh well, shows how much I can tell looking at the cover.

Dante – who used to be Emily but recently changed her name – is not the most happy teenage girl on the planet. She hates her school and her best friend Beth moved away over the summer. Only Beth was more than a friend, but no one knows that.

When she meets a mysterious girl, Parker, outside the school, she finds herself drawn to her and questioning everything in her life except the feelings she has for this girl. Parker takes her under her wing, bringing her into a group that has big plans to change the world.

I pretty much read this in one sitting and really enjoyed it. Dante’s feelings all seemed very real from her sadness at the loss of her almost girlfriend to her stilted relationship with her parents. I liked that even though Dante is coming to terms with the fact that she is into girls, this isn’t a coming out story. She doesn’t even want to tell her parents yet, which in my experience is exactly how that sort of thing happens.

The group of teens trying to change the world are pretty much dumb and short sighted, but that’s exactly what they are meant to be. They talk big and have big plans and Dante is drawn to them because they are thinking outside the box. This could have gone a lot farther than it did, and I’m glad the author held back.

This is one of those books that really captures a very small bit of someone’s life. There is a lot that isn’t fully summed up, which may bother some people. Heck, it usually bothers me. I guess Dante’s immediate story was played out fully and that made it easier for me to accept some of the loose ends. Overall I would recommend this book.