Review: Unbreakable by Kami Garcia

Unbreakable by Kami Garcia

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Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (October 1, 2013)
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages (Hardcover): 320
Series: The Legion (Book 1)
Source: ARC from Publisher Rep
ISBN-13: 9780316210171
Genre: Supernatural/Suspense/Thriller
Author: Website | Twitter | Blog

When Kennedy Waters finds her mother dead, her world begins to unravel. She doesn’t know that paranormal forces in a much darker world are the ones pulling the strings. Not until identical twins Jared and Lukas Lockhart break into Kennedy’s room and destroy a dangerous spirit sent to kill her. The brothers reveal that her mother was part of an ancient secret society responsible for protecting the world from a vengeful demon — a society whose five members were all murdered on the same night.

Now Kennedy has to take her mother’s place in the Legion if she wants to uncover the truth and stay alive. Along with new Legion members Priest and Alara, the teens race to find the only weapon that might be able to destroy the demon — battling the deadly spirits he controls every step of the way.

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This is a book to devour. Kami Garcia has brought together a fantastic combination of great proportions. In a world that involves secret societies and hidden clues we find the Legion. The Legion exists just as surely and soundly as the all the other hidden societies in the world and it was founded shortly after the appearance of the Illuminati in a hope to defeat the heretics.

But Kennedy Waters doesn't know any of this. All she knows is that she has lost her mom and she is about to be shipped off to boarding school. She is alone and her life is broken...until she wakes up to Lukas and Jared in her bedroom, shooting a dead girl.

All that serves to do is drudge up more questions and confuse Kennedy, breaking her life into that many more pieces. This touches on one of the tiny problems with this book and it was that Kennedy just absorbed the information about ghosts and demons and was ready to run off with the twins. She didn't hit a level of appropriate denial or ask enough questions that would indicate her disbelief, she just seemed to take at face value. In the midst of trauma and confusion, it shouldn't be that easy.

As a whole, Kennedy was a likable character and each character was unique themselves. They didn't fit into any specific and stereotypical mold and that makes them brilliant. Kennedy has her talents but she makes mistakes that nearly cost them their lives, the little punk genius is well rounded and witty, the already-present-in-the-group girl is multi-faceted with her emotions, and the twins have a past and have been broken.

This makes their Da Vinci Code-like adventure even more exciting when you find out that the Legion is really fighting ghosties and demons. It it like taking two of my most favorite fandoms and mashing them together, this book was made for me. It is an easy read so it isn't too complex and that makes it a breeze to devour.

Just be prepared that much in the same tone as Cassandra Clare's writing, the moment you think you have something figured out, Kami Garcia is going to throw you a twist that will leave you in agony for the next book.

Rating out of 5:

Review: Rage by Jackie Morse Kessler

Rage by Jackie Morse Kessler

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Publisher: Graphia (March 15, 2011)
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages (Paperback): 213
Series: Riders of the Apocalypse (Book 2)
Read Next: Loss
Source: Library
ISBN-13: 9780547445281
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Author: Website | Twitter
Series Reviews: Hunger (2.5★)

Missy didn’t mean to cut so deep. But after the party where she was humiliated in front of practically everyone in school, who could blame her for wanting some comfort? Sure, most people don’t find comfort in the touch of a razor blade, but Missy always was . . . different. That’s why she was chosen to become one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: War. Now Missy wields a new kind of blade—a big, brutal sword that can cut down anyone and anything in her path. But it’s with this weapon in her hand that Missy learns something that could help her triumph over her own pain: control. A unique approach to the topic of self-mutilation, Rage is the story of a young woman who discovers her own power and refuses to be defeated by the world. 
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Overview:

The accuracy that I can see in this series now is absolutely astonishing. I found this book to be emotionally devastating and heart wrenching for Missy. These book reach out to teenagers going through something like this and show them they're not alone and that is absolutely power in words.

Review:

This book takes realism and accuracy in fiction to a new level. It highlights all the things that give Young Adult fiction the name of being "too dark" but it does that because its real; these are things that teens face in the deep recesses of themselves and hide from the world. I was unsure of how deep and true Hunger could have been but this book clarified that Jackie Morse Kessler is gifted and dedicated to true storytelling.

As part of the series, this book can still function as a stand alone for someone who wanted to reach out for something their experiencing. In this book, we have our Kurt Cobain rocker, Death who is the one resounding connection through the books. It is his task to replace the Horsemen of the Apocalypse as the rider position opens. Missy's adventure is unrelated and irrelevant to the story in Hunger though it is lightly referenced and gives background to why War is vacant.

When Death enters the scene, we find Missy holding her family's dead cat in her hands, "You have blood on your hands". The mood is instantaneously set to be dark, brooding, and quite appropriately raged. Missy's life is a disaster in her eyes. Love gone wrong, family gone wrong, life is wrong and the only way to fix it is to bleed the bad out. Driven by such intense emotion, Missy wars within herself at the things she has been forced to face. Humiliated by her ex, estranged from her sister, and now empowered by the sword, she really is just trying to sort out the straight path for herself but it is messy and heartbreaking.

These books are incredibly short reads that pack an incredible punch and I would recommend them for anyone who needs to know they are not alone. As a previous self-injurer, all I wanted to do was tell Missy she wasn't alone and I want you to know it, too.

Rating out of 5:

Review: A Need So Beautiful by Suzanne Young

A Need so Beautiful by Suzanne Young

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Publisher: Balzer & Bray (June 21, 2011)
Age Group: Young Adult (M*)
Pages (Hardcover): 276
Series: A Need So Beautiful (Book 1)
Read Next: A Want So Wicked
Source: Library
ISBN-13: 9780062008244
Genre: Urban Fantasy
      *This book contains mature themes

We all want to be remembered. Charlotte's destiny is to be Forgotten...

Charlotte’s best friend thinks Charlotte might be psychic. Her boyfriend thinks she’s cheating on him. But Charlotte knows what’s really wrong: She is one of the Forgotten, a kind of angel on earth, who feels the Need—a powerful, uncontrollable draw to help someone, usually a stranger.

But Charlotte never wanted this responsibility. What she wants is to help her best friend, whose life is spiraling out of control. She wants to lie in her boyfriend's arms forever. But as the Need grows stronger, it begins to take a dangerous toll on Charlotte. And who she was, is, and will become--her mark on this earth, her very existence--is in jeopardy of disappearing completely.

Charlotte will be forced to choose: Should she embrace her fate as a Forgotten, a fate that promises to rip her from the lives of those she loves forever? Or is she willing to fight against her destiny--no matter how dark the consequences.

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Overview:

I'm at a loss of what to actually rate this book. I liked it, there were definite parts I didn't like, but it was in fact beautiful. When I finished this book, it stayed with me, lingering in my thoughts and it pretty rare that a book reaches me like that. But there was something about this book that didn't reach my expectations yet I'm not disappointed.

Review:

If the overview of my thoughts is anything to go by, this book left me confused on whether or not I actually enjoyed it. In the beginning, we are introduced to Charlotte and her extremely unique situation. Charlotte has a beautiful gift that she refers to as The Need; this need compels her to people who need to be saved. In powerful ways, this gift changes lives but it also changes Charlotte because this is her destiny. Every time Charlotte pours herself into this need, she loses herself as part of the Forgotten. 

Essentially, Charlotte is an angel in this breathtaking and unique spin on what it actually means to be an angel. Charlotte is a strongly defined and created character. She is loving, empathic, compassionate, and a teenager who wishes only to live. She doesn't have to be strong enough to fight wars or evil incarnate trying to take over the world, she only has be to be strong enough to live her life and fulfill her destiny and I think a lot of times we, as readers, struggle to do that very same thing.

I believe the aspects of this book that I didn't like stem from the note of mature content that I have included. I understand that the bond between Charlotte and Harlin is unique and special and that it requires illustration of just how powerful it is, but I felt this book was too focused around that illustration being sex. For all its beauty, this book was a incredibly sex driven. I believe it is strongly for this reason that it doesn't get a better overall "rating" because I was that distracted by the content and it honestly takes a lot for me to say that.

In the end, I was left with the perfect amount of closure but with a heartbreaking desire to read A Want so Wicked. I was also left with a hint of sadness for this could have been a beautiful and gripping stand-alone for it ended in such glory. It would have left readers with a rare ending not typically found in YA literature and with a radiant story, but alas our journey with Charlotte continues and I can't wait to embark upon it.

 Rating out of 5:

 

Review: Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

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Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books (December 6, 2012)
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages (Hardcover): 498
Series: The Infernal Devices
Read Next: The Clockwork Princess (Nov. 2012)
Source: Library
ISBN-13: 9781416975885
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Steampunk
Author: Website | Twitter | Blog
Series Reviews: Book 1 (5★)

In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa's powers for his own dark ends. 

As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart.
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Overview:

Again, Cassandra Clare has crafted another piece of art. Continuing from the Clockwork Angel, we join Tessa on the journey full of the twists and turns that we have come to expect from Clare. Thick with mystery, laden with glorious steampunk, wrought with drama, and completed with our favorite characters, The Clockwork Prince leaves us in waiting purgatory for the Clockwork Princess.

Review:

The one thing that can consistently be said about these books is that they are well worth the wait. Cassandra Clare has such a solid world creation and concept behind each of her characters and the Clockwork Prince only perpetuates this as fact. As one of the most anticipated books of 2011, this book doesn't disappoint.

What we get from this book is deeper mystery, more about the characters we love, and triumph.  Tessa, as a female protagonist, continues to shine through in this book in her strength, courage, and unwavering loyalty. The delicate love triangle blossoms into a very intricate situation in this book. Tessa acknowledges the feelings for Will but behind that the feelings exist for Jem.

I have always been Team Jem. I feel like the idea of Will being the bad boy is overdone and cliche, where the creation and history of Jem is unique and vivid. From the color of his hair to the cane, he is unique and heartwarming. The relationships amongst these characters, and all other characters as well, are all tried and tested in this book as secrets, lies, and cheating are all.

Cassandra Clare's trademark in my eyes are her twists. You never expect the plot to unfold the way it does and she has an uncanny way of keeping you on the edge of your seat; that rings true for this book as well. It is this unfolding mystery that has me waiting for Clockwork Princess.

Guest Post: Flame of Surrender

Flame of Surrender by Rhiannon Paille

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Author Rhiannon Paille is stopping by with a guest post in the spirit of release day for her new book Flame of Surrender, Book 1 in the Flame and the Ferryman series. Be on the lookout for the review of this wild fantasy ride!

About Rhi:

Rhi was never a normal girl. She tried, but she couldn’t get rid of the visions, the voices in her head, and the hallucinations. When she was on the edge of crazy someone pulled her back and explained it all. She wasn’t insane. She was psychic, really psychic, too psychic. Her life was an urban fantasy wrapped in a paranormal romance and served with a side of horror. To escape her everyday weirdness she began writing fantasy. She frequents twitter and facebook, and can be found at www.rhiannonpaille.com

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Flame of Surrender Deleted Scenes

There were A LOT of things that got deleted in FoS, so let me try to sum them up and then tell you roughly why.

1) The Villains POV 

There were about 20,000 words from the Villain’s POV that went away. Salvaged from the wreckage was that crazy disturbing torture scene. I loved it, but my BETA readers kept saying the same thing, “I was getting into it and then I hit the Villain POV and it went blah on me.” So I had to take them out because they didn’t work with the flow. We’re not living in the 90’s where Epic Fantasy Authors write 1100 page books and simultaneously follow three or four different storylines at once. We’re in the digital, technology age and we like our books to be one story at a time because there are so many of them out there to read. It’s much friendlier to the reader to divide up all those subplots and do spin offs and separate stories than to build this entirely huge network of a book right off the bat. Plus, agents and editors will go cross eyed if you send them something that’s 250k words and it’s your first book. So I axed this entire thread because it didn’t keep the book flowing.

2) The Tower Scene

This was a scene that originally I hadn’t planned for and then it just happened and then when I was reading the book through and checking all my p’s and q’s I felt like it was just too much. The characters are in turmoil, having this sexy moment between all the stuff on their mind is nice and all, but it’s two pages in the midst of close to four hundred and I didn’t see the point of it being there when there’s all the other kissing scenes and making love scenes already in the book. Plainly, it seemed like overkill, but that doesn’t mean it can’t exist somewhere else right?

3) Krishani destroying things in Amersil

This was crafty of me because in the beginning chapters I talk about five different instances of Krishani destroying things, but I don’t go into vivid detail of these things. That was an earlier version of the book that had the scenes where Krishani destroyed things in the present instead of having flashbacks of destroying things. The reason this was removed was because it didn’t fit into the timeline of the book, and I didn’t want to do any flipping back and forth in the time line. It’s confusing enough chronicling three years of Kaliel andKrishani’s lives without me taking liberties with my author prowess and heading back in time as well as forwards. I always hated it when books would jump around and I had to pay attention to figure out if this scene is from the past, present, or future. The way the book is now, it’s always the present, and time only moves forward, signified by me talking about the seasons, the festivals or straight up saying it’s been six moons. (moons being months)

And that was all the major cuts to the book, I tried to keep my cutting light because the book is 105,00 words now, the first draft was 170,000 words, and then my second draft was 135,000 words. A lot of that was grammar, spelling and sentence structure stuff. I got rid of A LOT of fluff stuff that made no sense and sounded funny.

Review: The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

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Publisher: Razorbill (September 21, 2010)
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages (Hardcover): 343
Source: Library
ISBN-13: 9781595143372
Genre: Urban Fantasy

Mackie Doyle is not one of us. Though he lives in the small town of Gentry, he comes from a world of tunnels and black murky water, a world of living dead girls ruled by a little tattooed princess. He is a Replacement, left in the crib of a human baby sixteen years ago. Now, because of fatal allergies to iron, blood, and consecrated ground, Mackie is fighting to survive in the human world.

Mackie would give anything to live among us, to practice on his bass or spend time with his crush, Tate. But when Tate's baby sister goes missing, Mackie is drawn irrevocably into the underworld of Gentry, known as Mayhem. He must face the dark creatures of the Slag Heaps and find his rightful place, in our world, or theirs.

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This book has the dark theme of infant children being snatched at birth with a nonhuman "replacement" left in its wake. We are immediately introduced to Mackie Doyle who is significantly different from his human counterparts from his pale skin to his dark eyes and his overall level of freak. Yovanoff did a great job at the alienation that Mackie experiences when everyone, including himself, knows he is different.

When Tate's sister is presumed dead, Tate forces Malcom to tell her the truth and what he finds out is more truth about himself and suddenly we're thrown into the welcoming plot of the underground paranormal existence that thrives beneath the slag heap. We find out that the town of Gentry isn't as pleasant as it first seems; its past is dark and its a typical setup for the town that thrives in the middle-of-nowhere when all the other towns falter and fizzle. The truth of what happens to the infants is revealed and Mackie, the exception replacement, finds the strength to fight against it.

The plot takes us on an adventure through monsters, plotting, fun, and more until a most predictable and not quite exciting ending. The story was compelling until the finale left me feeling like it ended to easily; it was all set for something epic but it fizzled just like the outlying towns of Gentry. The remaining characters were well constructed and I loved The Morrigan possibly more than any other character; fun and lively this support character had a blossoming personality and a strength about her throughout the story. "She" felt much more well rounded than Tate or any of Mackie's friends with a deep connected history to Mackie.

The one thing that could have been answered with more clarity was what a replacement actually is; we know they do not typically survive, but what are they and why are they cast offs? And if it is assumed they are not to survive, as we expereince with Tate's sister's replacement, why leave them at all?

Favorite Quote:

"I love you, and when I tell you goodbye, I don't mean forever or for long. Just that I'm going home now, and so are you." - The Morrigan

Review: White Cat by Holly Black

White Cat by Holly Black

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Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books (May 4, 2010)

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages (Paperback): 310

Series: Curse Workers (Book 1)

Source: Library

ISBN-13: 9781416963967

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Cassel comes from a family of curse workers — people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they're all mobsters, or con artists. Except for Cassel. He hasn't got the magic touch, so he's an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail — he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago. 

Ever since, Cassel has carefully built up a façade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his façade starts crumbling when he starts sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something. He's noticing other disturbing things, too, including the strange behavior of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him, caught up in a mysterious plot. As Cassel begins to suspect he's part of a huge con game, he also wonders what really happened to Lila. Could she still be alive? To find that out, Cassel will have to out-con the conmen. 

Holly Black has created a gripping tale of mobsters and dark magic where a single touch can bring love — or death — and your dreams might be more real than your memories.

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After getting into this book, I began to really enjoy the story that was being told. Black has constructed an alternate reality of Curse Workers that extends back into the most ancient of histories; workers populate Australia and the United States pilfering jobs for crime families like The Godfather.

In this sense, I thought that the story had a hint of a dystopian concept even though it wasn't a dystopia. In a world of curse workers, everyone is forced to wear gloves; everyone lives in fear of getting worked. In Cassel's world, someone coming at you with bare hands can be more deadly than a sharpened knife.

Black also had strong familial themes that ran through this book. After his heinous crime against Lila and the Zacharov family, Cassel's brothers were there to help him and make sure his crime went unpunished; the big brothers cleaning up the mess. But then, we also see the insanely dysfunctional side of his family and the family he realized he always wanted but never had. With a mother in jail, living in the house of a hoarder, and being released from school, Cassel begins to unravel the truth about families; even a deep level of loyalty he can't seem to shake.

As the story progresses, we have the privilege to watch Cassel grow as a person. Bearing witness to character development is a strong part of this book as we see him go from leading a life of "normalcy" to honestly having and trusting friends. His intelligence surges as he realizes the biggest con of his life. From the roof, the only place to go is down, but when he hits rock bottom and finds the truth, the only place for him to go is up.

The one aspect that caused me to not really love the book was the easy-to-unravel plot. It wasn't hard for me to know what was really going on with Cassel as to what he was and what was happening to him. But even knowing what was happening, the read was still enjoyable and Black's writing was great. It was also the first book that had a character with a name similar to mine (the same as my nickname): Lila. But that was a personal little smile point, and not really important to anyone else, I'm sure.