Review: Unspoken

Title: Unspoken (The Lynburn Legacy #1)
Author: Sarah Rees Brennan
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Adults
Publication Date: September 11, 2012

Kami Glass loves someone she’s never met . . . a boy she’s talked to in her head ever since she was born. She wasn’t silent about her imaginary friend during her childhood, and is thus a bit of an outsider in her sleepy English town of Sorry-in-the-Vale. Still, Kami hasn’t suffered too much from not fitting in. She has a best friend, runs the school newspaper, and is only occasionally caught talking to herself. Her life is in order, just the way she likes it, despite the voice in her head.

But all that changes when the Lynburns return.

The Lynburn family has owned the spectacular and sinister manor that overlooks Sorry-in-the-Vale for centuries. The mysterious twin sisters who abandoned their ancestral home a generation ago are back, along with their teenage sons, Jared and Ash, one of whom is eerily familiar to Kami. Kami is not one to shy away from the unknown—in fact, she’s determined to find answers for all the questions Sorry-in-the-Vale is suddenly posing. Who is responsible for the bloody deeds in the depths of the woods? What is her own mother hiding? And now that her imaginary friend has become a real boy, does she still love him? Does she hate him? Can she trust him?

Rating: 5 stars*

What do I like about this book? Hmm....

I think the better question is what DON'T like about this book?

Because that list is virtually non-existent.

I just cannot get over how fabulously the author tackled every aspect of this book that could have made it just another typical, clichéd  YA novel!

Just the fact that Kami has been able to talk to this "imaginary" boy in her head for her entire life, this imaginary boy she's in love with, only to suddenly discover that he's real and they now go to the same school! Oh yes, the boy she's told everything to--every secret, thought, insecurity--this boy is not a figment of her imagination. I feel like this set-up could have easily turned into a major case of insta-love, but THANK YOU GODS OF LITERATURE for giving Sarah Rees Brennan a much more brilliant idea! 

Kami and Jared are pretty freaked out at discovering the other is 100% real--understandably so, I might add--They're not sure whether they should be friends, girlfriend-boyfriend, or enemies. They spend a fair bit of time resenting the fact that the other person isn't imaginary and I LOVED IT. 

Their relationship is just so unique in the world of YA--confusing, strained, frustrating, yet at the same time, their chemistry is undeniable. It's just crafted wonderfully and very realistically. 

Now let's just take a moment to appreciate the sheer awesomeness of Brennan's characters. Seriously. They. Are. Magnificent. Not only are they all very distinct, personality-wise, but they're all gifted with impressive wit. I wish I could be funny like Kami and Angela--no actually, can I just be BFFs with them??? Angela was a personal favorite of mine. I mean, how often do you meet a character who loves naps, is super lazy, can seriously kick butt, and hates people? I was like, "let me love you!" Kami was sassy and super witty, very much like Veronica Mars. I fell in love with Kami's character from the moment she made her first joke. Another thing about these characters that was so refreshing was how sensible they all were! Especially Kami! She thought things through, was courageous but not stupid, and didn't let her emotions take over! The best way to describe her would be this quote:

"She didn't want to be the girl who just believed in the guy she liked, no matter what extenuating mind-reading circumstances existed. She didn't want her feelings to blind her. She didn't want anything to blind her. She did not know what her feelings were, or what his were, or how to separate the two. She did not want to drown in what was between them and lose control, or lose who she was." 
If you hated Bella, I think you're going to love Kami. Heck, even if you liked Bella, you'll still probably love Kami because she is just made of awesomesauce. 

All in all: This. Book. Is. Freaking. Amazing. There is a supernatural element present in the book--which I won't spoil for you--but I can honestly say that Brennan's take on this is quite unique and honestly? I did not see it coming. At all. 

*I was provided a copy of this book by Netgalley and the publishers in return for an honest review.

Review: Flat-Out Love

Flat-Out Love
by Jessica Park

Published April 11th 2011 by Jessica Park

Flat-Out Love is a warm and witty novel of family love and dysfunction, deep heartache and raw vulnerability, with a bit of mystery and one whopping, knock-you-to-your-knees romance.

Something is seriously off in the Watkins home. And Julie Seagle, college freshman, small-town Ohio transplant, and the newest resident of this Boston house, is determined to get to the bottom of it.

When Julie's off-campus housing falls through, her mother's old college roommate, Erin Watkins, invites her to move in. The parents, Erin and Roger, are welcoming, but emotionally distant and academically driven to eccentric extremes. The middle child, Matt, is an MIT tech geek with a sweet side ... and the social skills of a spool of USB cable. The youngest, Celeste, is a frighteningly bright but freakishly fastidious 13-year-old who hauls around a life-sized cardboard cutout of her oldest brother almost everywhere she goes.

And there's that oldest brother, Finn: funny, gorgeous, smart, sensitive, almost emotionally available. Geographically? Definitely unavailable. That's because Finn is traveling the world and surfacing only for random Facebook chats, e-mails, and status updates. Before long, through late-night exchanges of disembodied text, he begins to stir something tender and silly and maybe even a little bit sexy in Julie's suddenly lonesome soul.

To Julie, the emotionally scrambled members of the Watkins family add up to something that ... well ... doesn't quite add up. Not until she forces a buried secret to the surface, eliciting a dramatic confrontation that threatens to tear the fragile Watkins family apart, does she get her answer.

Flat-Out Love comes complete with emails, Facebook status updates, and instant messages.
-goodreads

Rating: 5/5 shining stars
Review:
Oh. My God.

   I think. I am in love. Goodness freaking gracious this book was magnificent! I'm sorry, I think I need a moment, lest this entire review turn into incoherent babble and ranting about how much I utterly love this book.....


......


Okay okay, reasons why I love this book

• the HUMOUR. Why can't I be funny like the people in the book?! It totally wasn't the trying-too-hard kind of funny but totally natural and sarcastic and just plain hilarious.
• Perfect Mix of Family Dysfunction and Romance--I adored the entire Watkins family--even Flat Finn! Especially Celeste, though. She was so precocious and quirky and lovable! And I even loved Matt's geeky T-shirts!
• Slow-Building Romance---I've probably said this before, but I hate insta-love. This book had the perfect slow-building romance and funny playful banter. It was very natural-feeling, albeit a little unconventional. I loved Julie and Finn’s messages. And I will unabashedly admit that I was a little in love with the boy myself. Okay, blatant lie. I was utterly enamored.
• Julie--she was a great protagonist. Super funny and nice and full of life, which was just what the Watkins family needed. She also had her own family problems involving an absent dad, which made her real. Plus, she's super interested in psychology, which of course scores her some brownie points with me.
• The Mystery--so, it's not a mystery in the normal sense of the word, involving murders and Sherlockian hats, but you definitely know that something happened to the Watkins family that made them so.... "stuck." The entire book I was wracking my brain trying to figure out the secret! I ended up guessing it right, but only just before the secret was actually revealed. 
• The General Quirkiness--- This book was just.... different from every other book I've ever read! I mean, there was romance and family and "dealing with stuff," but... I don't know, this book was a mix of silly with quirky and just so... like a teddy bear in book form! 
• The fact that it was in 3rd person and I still loved it!!! Normally, I really am not a big fan of 3rd person narratives because I find it hard to connect to the characters... but this book did not give me that problem AT ALL!
• The Facebook Statuses--I really really REALLY enjoyed how the author would incorporate the different status updates with each chapter. Absolutely hilarious!

 Seriously, YOU GUYS, I highly highly highly recommend this book! It's a great book, plus it was only like $2 on my nook! No doubt one of my best nook-finds ever!

Review: Spell Bound

Spell Bound (Hex Hall #3)
by Rachel Hawkins
Published March 13th 2012 by Hyperion Book CH

Just as Sophie Mercer has come to accept her extraordinary magical powers as a demon, the Prodigium Council strips them away. Now Sophie is defenseless, alone, and at the mercy of her sworn enemies—the Brannicks, a family of warrior women who hunt down the Prodigium. Or at least that’s what Sophie thinks, until she makes a surprising discovery. The Brannicks know an epic war is coming, and they believe Sophie is the only one powerful enough to stop the world from ending. But without her magic, Sophie isn’t as confident.

Sophie’s bound for one hell of a ride—can she get her powers back before it’s too late?



Rating: 4.5 sparkling stars
Review:
To quote a certain gal we all adore, Holy Hell Weasel. 
This book was flippin' amazing!!! Aaaah! I cannot believe this series is over already! Why Rachel Hawkins, WHY?! 


Let me just start off by saying that I am absolutely in LOVE with this series! Literally, the weekend after this book came out, I rushed to the nearest Barnes and Noble, grabbed the book, and just sat down in the store and read it. In one sitting! Goodness gracious, I couldn't put this book down!


Spell Bound picks up immediately after Demonglass and believe me, it will grab your attention hook, line, and sinker! Seriously, you will be speeding through the book without even realizing it. There were quite a few twists and turns and surprises in this book--some I anticipated, and some I totally didn't! This book was fast-paced and flowed so smoothly. The ONE thing that prevented this book from being a full-blown 5 stars was that Last Battle. It was pretty much the climax, the culmination of all the things that's happened to Sophie, but it ended way too soon! I wanted more fighting, more action, more bad guy butt-kicking! 


But luckily, the characters more than made up for any shortcomings. Sophie Mercer is, without a doubt, one of my favorite YA characters EVER! She is so loyal and compassionate and snarky as heck! You gotta love a girl with a sense of humor like her. So much bad stuff has happened to her throughout the entire series, but she emerges tough as ever and still manages to retain her enviable sarcasm.

And of course I must mention the boys! I was so glad/excited to finally see how Cal and Archer actually interact when the whole love triangle is actually in the same room! It wasn't quite what I was expecting, but I think Hawkins handled her love triangle a lot better than some of the other authors out there. Archer was just.... gosh, pure perfection! Definitely one of my all time favorite Book Boyfriends. He and Sophie are the perfect sarcastic couple extraordinaire! At the same time, Cal was pretty awesome too. I am a devoted Team Archer kind of gal, but Cal, he was just such a good, selfless guy... and that major stunt he pulled at the end! UGH! Heart-wrenching! I feel like Hawkins resolved the love triangle as best as it could've been resolved.... but still! It kinda broker my heart a little...

The Brannicks were an interesting addition---and OMG I had my suspicions about how they fit into Sophie's life, and I was so right!!!--- Contrary to the blurb, the Brannicks didn't actually play a super huge part in the novel..... But good golly miss molly, I heard Hawkins is writing a spin-off and I just KNOW it's gonna feature some Brannicks.... like, say, Isolde and Torin! I definitely see more happening there! 


Good Lord, please oh please oh PLEASE let there be more adventures in the world of Hex Hall! (Possibly with some cameo appearances???)

 

Review: Dash & Lily's Book of Dares

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares
By Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Published October 26th, 2010 by Knopf Books for Young Readers

“I’ve left some clues for you.
If you want them, turn the page.
If you don’t, put the book back on the shelf, please.”

So begins the latest whirlwind romance from the New York Times bestselling authors of Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist. Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions?                           

                                                                            -goodreads

Review

Thank goodness it’s winter! It might sound silly, but I actually purposefully made myself wait until the end of November to read this so it would tie into December, the holiday month! Unfortunately… my plan totally backfired and I finished the book in TWO days in NOVEMBER!

                This book was amazing! From the plot to the characters, everything was crafted so splendidly! I’m normally not a huge fan of alternating-POV books, but Rachel Cohn and David Levithan pulled it off sooo unbelievably well. There was absolutely no confusion as to who was narrating which chapter—Dash and Lily’s identities were so… clear.

                Words can’t even describe how much I loved Dash and Lily. (Funny how I’m always at a lost for words when I have a blog to talk about books…) Anyways, Dash and Lily were the perfect characters.

                Dash might possibly be one of my all-time favorite male characters—and yes, that is among the rankings of Percy Jackson, Etienne St. Clair, Dimitri Belikov/Adrian Ivashkov, Wes, etc. The thing is, he’s just so different from all the other male characters out there! I mean, come on, who out there knows of a guy, fictional or real who wants an OED (unabridged!) for Christmas and wishes to be “esoteric” and “confound people with their own language?” Also, he is absolutely freaking hilarious. There are so many quotes by him in this book that had me rereading over and over again and laughing eve single time. He is the King of Snark (but in a totally lovable way), yet is very thoughtful and deep and has great moments of gentlemanliness.

                And Lily! Oh my gosh, she is the quirkiest, most awesome female characters I have ever encountered! And she’s also pretty darn hilarious. She has this great view on life and I can’t help but wish I were friends with someone like here. And Dash of course too. These two characters are opposites in so many ways, but somehow they complement each other exceptionally well.

                All the supporting characters was great too—they were all incredibly unique and memorable—my favorites being Boomer and Mrs. Basil E. (gosh I would seriously love to have an aunt like her.)

                The one, only one, aspect of this book that I wasn’t so crazy about was the lack of action, of a climax. Yes, the dares between the two were hilarious and great, but there was no huge maraschino cherry and sprinkles to the Sunday to some sort of major climax, which was unfortunate, but overall I still really enjoyed the book.

                In fact… I’m highly tempted to go out and get my own copy! My bibliophilic ways are seriously taking a toll on my wallet!

4/5 stars

And now on to some of my favorite quotes (because to be honest, I’d like to quote the whole book to you guys so you know how awesome it!)

“You think fairy tales are only for girls? Here's a hint - ask yourself who wrote them. I assure you, it wasn't just the women. It's the great male fantasy - all it takes is one dance to know that she's the one. All it takes is the sound of her song from the tower, or a look at her sleeping face. And right away you know - this is the girl in your head, sleeping or dancing or singing in front of you. Yes, girls want their princes, but boys want their princesses just as much. And they don't want a very long courtships. They want to know immediately.”                -Sofia

“I was horribly bookish, to the point of coming right out and saying it, which I knew was not socially acceptable. I particularly loved the adjective bookish, which I found other people used about as often as ramrod or chum or teetotaler.”                           -Dash

“I mean, what if love isn't a yes-or-no question? It's not either you're in love or you're not. I mean, aren't there different levels? And maybe these things, like words and expectations and whatever, don't go on top of the love. Maybe it's like a map, and they all have their own place, and then when you see it from the sky - whoa.”                                 -Boomer


“Well sure, who doesn't need a boyfriend? but realistically, those exotic creatures are hard to come by. At least a quality one.”               -Lily

"You bookish little pervert."               -Mark