Review: Delirium

Delirium, by Lauren Oliver

Series: Delirium Trilogy 1

Genre: YA, Sci-fi, Dystopia, Romance

Published: February 2011

Pages: 441

My rating:  

When I read about this book and its intriguing plot, I knew I HAD to read it! A world where love is considered a disease you can be cured from (at the age of 18), is definitely original, and makes sense somehow -in a very scary way. Is it really for the best, to live a steady life without the dangers of falling in love and having your heart broken?

Because it’s not just a loveless marriage that lies ahead. Passions for all kinds of hobbies vanish, friendship suffers due to lack of feeling and memories, even having children (which in some cases may lead to detachment) is merely a sense of duty.

Details like the passages and psalms from the ‘Book of Shhh’ and old children’s rhymes that were adapted to this society’s view on LOVE, give the story more depth. These aspects were funny in a gruesome way, realistic in completing the rules many of us live by through the Bible.

From the start, the author convincingly conveys the detached, loveless feel that radiates from the society Lena Holoway lives in. A steady and predictable life where nothing is left to chance, awaits Lena in just a couple of months. I totally believed the importance of the BIG, defining test day; no matter how ridiculous the idea of an entire civilization based on test results playing matchmaker might seem.

Although… the idea isn’t that quaint at all. Don’t many people nowadays find their match by means of personality tests on dating sites through the internet? Apparently chemistry doesn’t play a big part anymore after a certain age, whereas compatible character traits do.

Back to the book though ;)

The narrating in the first person is very realistic and makes you feel like you are Lena completely. My first fear of reading yet another book in the first person subsided swiftly though, because it’s finally used proper here. For example: flashbacks are written in tense past, which gives the book natural feel. Lauren Oliver has a way of describing thoughts and feelings impeccably: you experience Lena’s confusion, the moments her brain turns into a big blur are excruciatingly vivid, the doubts she has are comprehendible, as well as the shock she experiences when things happen she never even knew existed (and have been taught to be literally deadly wrong). You become Lena with all her hopes, doubts and fears.

Lena certainly isn’t a flat character, as is her best friend Hana. The way Lena and Hana change, the way Lena sees Hana, the way it affects their friendship… Extremely well written, real, recognizable and relatable. I don’t think I’ve encountered any character lately I felt so close to as I do to Lena.

Normally I love my books to be as descriptive as possible, with character depth as well. Where this book lacks descriptiveness in the ‘exterior’ department (surroundings, houses, people), it makes up for emotions. I can honestly say I didn’t miss the descriptiveness. The story reads away easily and totally envelopes you, on the other hand it sure takes its sweet time to develop... Some passages drag on with minor details, unimportant to the story. Other details of Lena’s life make the story so much more alive: the way Lena feels when running for example with the happiness washing over her and the connection she shares with Hana in those moments, they all made me feel like I was there. They made me want to go out running myself, whereas I LOATHE running! (Lauren Oliver would be very good at writing subliminal messages, LOL…)

Here’s an example of the beautiful, descriptive staccato writing Lauren Oliver uses sometimes. SO recognizable how one thought triggers another! (Although I have to admit she lost me entirely with some sentences, going on and on, comma after comma, until I lost track...)

‘Snapshots, moments, mere seconds: as fragile and beautiful and hopeless as a single butterfly, flapping on against a gathering wind.’

It took over 100 pages for the romance to even begin -be it VERY modest- at the second (accidental) meeting Lena has with Alex, which was a far too lengthy and unnecessary time to do the world building and preparations in my opinion. But Alex was worth the wait. The author doesn’t fill in many gaps with background info, she makes you find out things through Lena. Very naturally their romance develops, Lena resisting at first because it feels wrong to her. I admire her strength for being able to withstand the temptation, her desire to hold on to what she’s been taught to be the right thing to do. Perhaps logical because she also fears what’s happening to her, and what will become of her. But when the truth turns out to be a huge lie, and the lies turn out to be the truth, it’s like Lena turns around completely. Her character growth feels natural, as well as understandable. Once she finds out what really happened to her mother, her last step to becoming one of the ‘sympathizers’ of LOVE, is made.

The city surrounded by heavily guarded electrified borders to keep ‘infected’ people from ‘The Wilds’ entering  (’Invalids’ they’re called, though their existence is denied and silenced by the people in charge); ‘The Crypts’ where sympathizers, infected people and everyone else endangering society are literally left to rot and die; the raids sweeping over the city once every while: all gruesome details of the story bringing it to life. People trying to escape by climbing the borders, while big men with guns and dogs chase after them, helicopters circle around them, chaos breaking loose: very strong reminders of actual escape-images regarding the border separating East- from West Germany for many years. Terrifyingly realistic. Very exciting. Movie-worthy even...

Without wanting to give away too much about the ending, I still want to share my thoughts with you. The turn the book took towards the ending, was the way I hoped it would go. It simply had to be that way, otherwise there wouldn’t be a happy ending for Lena. Unfortunately the book didn’t end then… Lena got her wish, or did she?

‘Delirium’ has left me desperate to know what happened and is going to happen. Love is the drug, but it’s also the cure. But is love enough to survive? Are memories enough, once reality hits?

I will most definitely be reading the sequel ‘Pandemonium’, because I’m not ready to abandon Lena and Alex. How can I, when I’ve actually become Lena?

Review: Unearthly

Unearthly, by Cynthia Hand
Series: Unearthly, book 1
Genre: Ya, Paranormal Romance
Published: January 2011
Pages: 435
My Rating: 

Angels are some of my favourite ‘things’. I simply adore these divine beings with their majestic wings. Their pure, untouched souls vibrating with untainted love. Ergo, reading about them is wonderful to me. I enjoy(ed) the 'Fallen' series by Lauren Kate very much, but was very disappointed by 'Hush, Hush' and its sequel. So I was hoping ‘Unearthly’ would be better. It was actually, being good and sweet, but not as epic I hoped it would be. It was, however, the story I expected 'Hush, Hush' to be. The way 'Hush, Hush' could and should have been had it been about 'good' angels and had it been written properly...

The beginning of the book did not draw me in immediately though. The vision Clara had, wasn’t written very strongly; it’s more telling than showing what the author does.
The rather simple writing style in the present tense even appalled me at first. (To me, writing a book in present tense feels like a beginner’s mistake.) Too many sentences are short and start with ‘I...’ or ‘He...’, another indication pointing towards the author’s lack of writing experience. But the storyline takes the focus off these flaws, fortunately.

Lately, I find myself becoming tired of 16-year old heroines. However, the concept of ‘Unearthly’ is original enough to grab ones attention and it makes one wanna read on. Being a normal, modern, school-going girl who happens to be part-angel, Clara receives a vision which becomes her life’s purpose. Bit by bit the vision becomes clearer, until Clara knows where to find the mysterious boy she is supposed to save from a forest fire. The author wrote in some lovely and believable details and explanations on angels, which were new to me. Everything is clear and simple, and explained rather than expected to be common knowledge.

Slowly, the story develops once Clara moves across the country with her half-angel mother and demi-angel brother and meets Christian, the mystery boy from her visions. Clara makes new friends and learns more about angels from an unexpected source. Because she is still uncertain about her purpose, Clara tries to get to know as much about Christian as she possibly can. This involves a mild form of stalking, not like some of the unhealthy stalking we’ve read about in a lot of YA books lately. Wink, nudge…
Nothing epic happening at first, asides from the knowledge Clara has angel blood flowing through her veins and feathers growing out of her back (when needed/forced). Through the major part of the book, the story seems to focus more on Clara’s adjustment to her new life. Towards the end and Clara’s supposed purpose-fulfilment the story picks up speed. Still the plot isn’t huge but more subtle and not entirely exposed during this first instalment of the trilogy.

Because of the simple writing style, ‘Unearthly’ reads away quickly, easily and understandably, without the ridiculous plot twists or over-the-top paranoia we encountered in ‘Hush, Hush’. Actually, for a book on angels with meaningful purposes the pace is very slow. Clearly ‘Unearthly’ puts the emphasis on romance rather than action. The story itself is endearing enough to make you forget about the lack in sentence variation or non-descriptiveness.

The romance part flows very naturally, it doesn’t feel forced on in any way. I had expected things to go slightly different, knowing Clara’s destiny was somehow entwined with Christian’s. Then again, that’s not how these stories usually turn out. The story is incredibly sweet and realistic, and like Clara, you forget she’s part-angel sometimes. Sure, there almost isn’t anything she isn’t good at, but most of the time her human side prevails. She’s a normal teen trying to find out her purpose in life, not just an angel-blood trying to live up to her purpose. Her angelic-ness makes it even harder for her to be herself, having to hide her true self most of the time.
The choices she makes are very understandable, Clara is easy to relate to. It’s hard to act divine and put yourself last, when you feel like a normal girl who wants to live a normal life and put herself first. I was left as confused as she was, in the end. Which is a sign of good penmanship after all. I truely was Clara...

Tucker seems like the kind of guy any girl would be lucky to have: an attractive, spirited cowboy with a golden heart.
Christian is still too much of a mystery to me to make up my mind about him.
My initial thoughts that something was ‘up’ with Angela were right. Gotta admire a girl with so much enthusiasm, whose mother owns one of the coolest places in town.
Wendy shares most qualities her twin brother Tucker; she’s steady, trustworthy, loyal and down-to-earth.
I know Clara's mother Maggie deliberately let her daughter find out things, but it pained me to actually feel her shutting Clara out at times.

The way things were going I should have expected the book’s ending. But the way things were supposed to be going, allowed the ending to surprise me. Thankfully Hallowed (the sequel to ‘Unearthly’) is already written and I’m glad I pre-ordered it. Because this book was clearly a set-up for a longer story, a (albeit very long) introduction for more to come; leaving some serious issues to be resolved, questions to be answered and mess to be cleaned up. A task I am willing to take on, because this book was a very lovely read. A feel-good book if you will, with its darker passages, humour, endearing characters, very promising concept and somewhat gloomy ending.

P.S. Alas, I own the book with the *least* attractive cover option out of the 3 different versions. It's hideous in my opinion even; the girl dressed in white with her 'computerized' hair, against the blue forest background. I sooo don't get this cover, as opposed to the other beautiful ones!

Review: The Iron Thorn (Iron Codex #1)

The Iron Thorn, by Caitlin Kittredge
Series: The Iron Codex, book 1
Genre: YA, Sci-fi, Steampunk, Dystopia
Published: February 2011
Pages: 492
My Rating: 

This book is a Must-Read! It’s got something for everyone: steampunk, romance, adventure, dystopia, secrets, mysteries, great characters, monsters, strange worlds, faeries, a beautiful written story, a plot with unexpected twists…

Here’s the short(ish) version of the review:
* The cover seems very fitting, it projects the grim feeling of dark fantasy in the story, while bringing across the lonely feeling Aoife must have had many times, surrounded by those grey skies and spying Ravens. 5/5 stars
* Caitlin Kittredge has a very poetic writing style, beautiful sentences string the pages of this book together. However, the story wasn’t overwritten: I found every word interesting, every word was where it needed to be and added only to the plot and story. The style and use of prose enhances and complements the feel of the story completely. 5/5 stars
*The characters are very interesting and very real. They have good and bad qualities, they doubt themselves, they grow, they make mistakes, their relationships change. They’re actual humans, not just stereotypes, and you really care what happens to them. 5/5 stars
*The story itself has many different elements: steampunk, adventure, dystopian, mystery, romance, dark fantasy...
One minute you find yourself in the middle of an Indiana Jones movie with all the secret chambers and flying airships, the next minute you’ve landed in a grim, alien-like Fairytale world. Madness and alternate worlds battle over one another, which one is the actual reality? Never a dull moment, but all is blended together perfectly with some unexpected twists. The action is not too overwhelming, or at cost of the story/feelings/characters. The story puts quality over quantity (despite it being sizable enough with almost 500 pages) and lacks no depth, thankfully. The ending is not disappointing, it is truly epic in proportions. 5/5 stars
*The plot and the alternate worlds built here were immensely thought through and well described with many details. The whole thing has a dystopian feel to it and steampunk it definitely is. Slowly the story develops, with surprising twists that keep you interested the entire time. It’s kind of like reading an old-school adventure, with secret chambers, traps, airship-travels, and so on. Until the story takes a turn one did not see coming, seemingly unfitting the steampunk elements. Until the author made it fit, logically and extremely well. Convincing us of the strange reality of this strange world where time ticks to a different clock. Where there is darkness, there is light. Where there is reason, there is magic. 5/5 stars
*All in all I find it a very original idea, an original world. The real world, the ‘Iron’ world, is scary with its rules and demands. Dictatorial, cold, scientific; medieval even in the sense of punishing so-called heretics who do not accept their truth as the only truth. The ‘Thorn Land’ may even be scarier with its unpredictability; inhabited by corpse-drinking Mists, the treacherous ‘Folk’ and trees that could swallow you whole and turn you into part of them. 5/5 stars

Here's an even longer review:
Already in the first chapter, a dizzying amount of info is being dropped on the reader. Necessary info, for building the world our main character ‘Aoife’ lives in. The story is being told from Aoife’s point of view (in the first person). The city of ‘Lovecraft’, Massachusetts, is a grim place, with its 17 asylums due to the immensely consuming ‘necrovirus’ which has infected many people. One of those infected people is Aoife’s mother Nerissa, whom she visits her every week in the asylum where she is committed as a charity case. Aoife never knew her father.
The necrovirus slowly consumes ones brain until its victim becomes a ‘nightjar’: a ghastly creature who in turn can infect someone, after biting them.

Lovecraft runs on a big machine at the heart of the city, built by the ‘Master Builder’ who has become the ‘God’ of Lovecraft. There are strict rules provided by the government concerning what ‘aether tubes broadcastings’ inhabitants are allowed to listen to, where they can and can’t go, what they can read and what ‘religion’ they must have. Heretics are people who do not believe in science and reality, but practice magic instead. Therefore, they are severely punished (old style, by partial or whole burning rituals) for their ‘lack of ignorance’, when caught by the ’Proctors’. Ravens (mechanically engineered ravens who have the ability to recreate an image which can be seen my a magic lantern of some sorts) are the Proctors’ little flying spies.

Aoife and her best friend Calvin Daulton both go the Academy of Engines, Aoife as a charity case or 'ward of the state'. As a young girl she is not afraid to admit when she’s scared, especially now her 16th birthday is coming up. The necrovirus is latent in her family; Aoife’s brother Conrad has already been infected and was committed to an asylum after trying to kill his sister. However, he escaped. About 4 times a year he secretly writes her a letter to let her know he is still alive and ‘well’. When he sends her a letter telling her to go to ‘Greystone’ (their biological fathers house) in order to save herself and help him, Calvin and Aoife go on a secret mission. Will she find Conrad in time, or has he been lost for good? Maybe even dead?

After seemingly saving Aoife and Cal from becoming ghoul dinner because of their initially chosen guide, the attractive but illusive Dean Harrison leads them out of the city. Dean is somewhat of a mystery, a heretic in his own way, but very loyal when it comes to standing at Aoife’s side. Aoife is not sure what to make of him at first, a liar, or not? Here’s a quote from Dean that illustrates both Aoife’s doubts as well as Deans perspective on life: "A touch of truth makes a lie worth believing." Their journey involves places Aoife has only heard rumours about, such as the Nightfall Market, the ghost of a bridge that supposedly crashed years ago (taking 21 victims along with it…) and an eventful flight in an actual airship. Encounters with deadly mud-like monsters called Shoggoths, causing one of the characters serious (possibly lethal) injury by injecting them with the virus. The ‘mad’ flashes and visions are beautifully written; truly painful, poetical craziness.

The evolving relationships are written very believable and natural, the characters seem very real.
Aoife discovers and unravels more and more about her father; his strange, secretive clockwork driven house and her lost brother. When she learns of the ‘Land of Thorn’ she doubts herself even more at first. Could she really possess a power, a ‘Weird’, like her father before her? Or are these the first signs of madness, seeing how Nerissa spoke of the Land of Thorns as well? Aoife’s self-confidence and fear keep altering, the hope to find her brother keeps her going, even though the fear for the lurking necrovirus stays with her. Learning the truth, discovering who really is the bad guy, experiencing her father’s memories, realising nothing and no one is what it/they seem(s); all these things only seem to make Aoife stronger. She intends to fulfil the destiny which has been forced upon her in order to protect her loved ones.

The author really takes you along the journey of feelings Aoife develops for Dean, slowly but steadily. Since Aoife is afraid she has no future besides the one in the madhouse, she doesn’t allow herself to get involved with anyone at first, not even Dean. She doesn’t need distractions from her quest either, after all. But Dean is the first person who does not judge her for her family’s burden en believes her without a doubt. He’s an outcast, like herself. More than once he risks his life to save hers, mind you despite the fact Aoife is not your typical damsel in distress! (She’s independent, smart, brave, not afraid to speak her mind, good with machinery and doesn’t act the way a ‘properly brought up young lady’ should.)

Calvin finds it hard to believe in anything besides the Proctors’ truth and is convinced that everything happening to Aoife is just another sign of her upcoming madness. The way he looks down upon the ‘common’ people, even if Aoife is one of them too, is not a nice personality trait. The way he feels towards women’s behaviour and future may be considered ‘normal’ during the fifties, I find Calvins expectations degrading. I actually didn’t understand why he befriended someone like Aoife at first, because associating with heretics (Nerissa) is punishable and he keeps throwing that knowledge in Aoife’s face in one way or the other, practically saying she should be thankful to have him. I find him quite nasty and unbearable and cannot comprehend why he sticks to Aoife’s side. Until things finally become clear... He’s the guy you expect to turn on his friends in the end, because of his allegiance to his country/beliefs/so-called righteousness/whatever. (You know the type…) But maybe he is not what he seems after all…

I did not expect what was happening in the end. At all. Some important things turned out right, other things spiralled out of control into a huge, epic disaster.
The only downside I can see? The book ENDED. With a major cliff-hanger! I am seriously DYING to know what will happen to Aoife, Dean, Cal and even Bethina. What will happen to Thorn and Iron, though we saw disturbing glances already. I’m not ready to leave this world yet, to leave Aoife and Dean behind. I wanna go along with them on their journey and I certainly will, once the sequel is out. Which hopefully will be soon. Yesterday, if possible. Pretty Please, Caitlin Kittredge????

Review: A Great and Terrible Beauty

A Great and Terrible Beauty, by Libba Bray
Series: A Great and Terrible Beauty, book 1 of 3
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Supernatural
Published: December 2003
Pages: 403
My rating:  Unfinished!


I can't be honest in my judgement about this book, because I don't have all the facts. I gave up. After reading more than 100 pages (which is more than a quarter of the book!) I decided to let the book rest in peace. I still wasn't drawn into the story, still wasn't gripped. Rather than keep hoping the story will improve, I'll read something else.

What stands out about this book when you flip through it, is that it’s written in Present Tense. I myself have only ever gotten as far as writing fan-fiction, but one of the first lessons was NOT to write in Present Tense. It has an odd feel to it. It made me like the book less, instantly.

It reads slow, like a 'quality' movie. Very long introductions. Gemma’s boredom is very feel-able. Okay, her mother is almost killed by a shadow-demon-thingy and then stabs herself with a knife instead, but was it the vision, or real? The action isn’t that well written, blurry descriptions. I didn't understand what the shadow-monster looked like or where it came from.
Also, you’re not really in the middle of things, they’re not embracing you and pulling you in. It's like you're watching from a distance and are unable to loose yourself in the reality of the book, as you are supposed to.
It’s not until page 50 or so Gemma finally reaches Spencer’s and (tiny) things happen. I like that she hates being a lady but all her thoughts and mental comments are a bit overwhelming. Not always as funny or witty as they were probably meant to be. Kind of obnoxious.

Spencer’s setting is eerie enough, it has potential despite not being that original.

I did like that Gemma stands up for ‘poor’ Ann and that way draws the attention of the popular girls. I like all the details about what ladies are supposed to act like (especially towards her brother Tom) and the way society works and looks. Like they’re not supposed to look out the carriage window when they ride through the slums. Literally closing yourself off for misfortune.

The church scene after dark where Gemma has to obtain the wine is creepy. But the ‘mystery’ surrounding the young Indian man is too… hazy. Too childishly simple, so far. Too easy.

From reading the bit I've read so far, clearly this book is meant for a much younger audience, not for teens. 13 Year olds would probably really like the mystery and girls' relationships.

I'm not saying this is a bad book, it's just not for me. It didn't grab me. Young girls might like it though. Perhaps, had I been that age, I would have loved it too. Part of me thinks that would have been the case. Alas, I am not that young anymore.

I'm just glad I didn't buy the whole trilogy in advance and get to spend my money on more interesting books. Or, so I hope.

Have a nice day! :)

Review: Crescendo

Crescendo (Hush, Hush #2), by Becca Fitzpatrick
Series: Hush, Hush, book 2
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Mystery
Published: October 2010
Pages: 427
My Rating:



** SPOILER ALERT **

In some ways 'Crescendo' was an improvement to 'Hush, Hush', in other ways it was just as... bad. I'm sticking to 2 stars for this one too. There were parts I liked, there were other parts that seemed entirely out of place and there was too much confusing information. Way too much going on again.

The beginning is more hopeful than 'Hush, Hush'. It starts out with more action, some flashbacks in which we learn more about Nora's dads death. And at least now Nora knows what she wants from Patch. She's not afraid of him anymore, doesn't suspect him anymore and can feel free to love him. He's proven his love to her by denying her sacrifice, thus giving up his chance to become human. (Despite this, Nora still doubts his feelings for her, silly girl!!!) Patch's reward is: being Nora's guardian angel. Only when Nora finds out Patch can't be 'with' her as her lover, at penalty of hell, she decides it's better for both of them to dump him. (Not so selfish anymore: she chooses Patch's happiness over her own.)

Nora didn't give up her old paranoid habits: she still suspects everyone, Scott being her next victim. She follows him around, manoeuvres herself in his bedroom while she doesn't trust the guy, even fears for her life... Doesn't she EVER learn? I find the whole thing pretty juvenile, the suspicions, the stalking, the snooping. Get a life, Nora!

As pointed out by both girls, they're each others only friends. So WHY does Nora neglect to fill Vee in on earth-shattering news when she finds it out, like the fact Marcie's dad could be her dad? Is it because she's afraid that telling one thing may lead to having to tell her more? Or does she simply 'forget' these things because of all the other stuff that's going on in her life? Not raining down on her, no pouring down!

Vee remains a flat character to me though, all I really know about the girl is that she's a little overweight and tries to diet all the time, in her own way. Oh yeah, she's got a big mouth. And she drives Nora around when Nora doesn't have her own car anymore. (Again, what mother in her right mind would sell her daughters car to pay off stuff? Especially if her daughter is stuck in an abandoned farmhouse, all alone!)

Vee's willingness to be Nora's private driver for so long, is no reason to begin several chapters in a row with the same statement that Vee dropped Nora off somewere. Seriously missing variation in writing here... (I read the sentence about 'favouring the stairs over the elevator' twice already.)
And what happened to Nora's black eye? One minute it's prominently there, the next chapter it's already gone. It takes most HUMANS longer to heal, Nora. Euhm, Becca.

And Patch can't feel, physically? That's like sparkly vampires all over again. As is the being sucked into his memories upon touching his scars... There's nothing wrong with a little imagination, but this is very unbelievable.

Also, I still don't get what's up with Marcie and Nora. Patch can't have true love, but he can screw around? And since he can't have Nora, he's just 'doing' the girl he already knows is her biological sister? WHAT AN ASSHOLE! The whole book makes noooo sense, I'm telling you...

Things seemed to happen randomly, the book was going nowhere for some passages, then when things finally sped up, an information overload rained down on me. I had a hard time finding order in the chaos. All the clues that had to be figured out by Nora are chaotic, the whole book reads like a detective for kiddies. It actually reads like it's written by a twelve-year old, for twelve-year olds. (Which is why the sex never goes any further, obviously...)

I had to grin when I read about the 'Black Hand'. I'm assuming Becca never read any Dutch children's books, but there's an old famous book about 'Pietje Bell' and his 'gang'. Pietje Bell was a naughty boy who lived on the streets, he was a poor boy and along with his 'gang' (guess what it's called? The Black Hand!) they were the little menaces of society with golden hearts, you know the kind. This 'coincidence' made me feel even stronger that this book is written for a very young audience.

And WHY was the Amusement Park built by fallen angels? Why on earth 9pun intended) do fallen angels build amusement parks in their spare time? Are we going to get an answer to that question in the next book? WHY won’t archangels go there? Because of all the noise and thoughts they can't tune in on the fallen angels' thoughts? Or was it purely because it makes a nice, creepy setting? (It does do that. Especially Funhouses are freaking me out!)

Another unbelievable fact: they release Nora from the hospital mere hours after she was shot, attempted to be murdered even, and allow her to stay ALONE in the farmhouse? Yeah, right…

I'd have to re-read the entire book to finally make sense of the whole thing, all the plot twists and turns, the who's related to who and who wants to kill who and why again. And the open end makes things even worse. Nora's biological dad wants to bring down the fallen angels because they posess the Nephilim's offspring bodies and doesn't like it one bit that Nora's chosen the other side. Please, don't tell me he wants to kill her as well... How many people have tried to kill Nora by now? I've lost count...

This books brings me to tears and not in a good way... I cancelled my pre-ordered for 'Silence' already, uncertain I can take anymore of this. I kept hoping things would improve, but they don't. Well, sort of. In this book there were actually more good parts than in the first book. It's the tying loose ends together that takes too long, you've lost track of the whole plot already a long time ago. Since I've hear Nora actually suffers from amnesia all through the third book, I really quit. This is going nowhere. Fast.

This book could/should have been EPIC with the battle between Nephilim offspring and fallen angels that's coming, but it's like reading a suspicious teen girl's diary. A real shame.

Have a good day! :)

Review: Hush, Hush

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
Series: Hush, Hush, book 1
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal, Mystery
Published: October 2009
Pages: 391
My Rating:




** SPOILER ALERT! **

Don't make the mistake of judging this book by its cover. The cover is gorgeous! But the book? We'd better 'hush, hush' about it...

Firstly, I have to ask: what's up with these names: Nora and Patch? Are they Becca Fitzpatrick's cats' names? (And I still don't know Patch's real name...!!!)

At first, I was drawn in from the first chapter. Who was this guy, knowing everything about Nora? I really liked the interaction between the two of them. Or maybe I should say the way Patch handled Nora. I had a few laughs about some things, for example when they discuss human reproduction in class, more specific body language. When Patch analyses Nora's body language in front of everyone, concluding 'she's game' I was laughing, as well as feeling Nora's shame. I love Patch's bravoure.

I thought the way Nora and Vee tried to find out things about Patch (and Elliot) was very fun. It was something I could have attempted too, at age 13 though, rather than at age 16. Dressing up like someone else and not very subtily questioning those who obviously are not interested in answering your questions and see through you rightaway may not be all that clever...

While reading, I got the 'Final Destination' vibe more and more, with all the bad things that happen (in Nora's mind, as it turns out later). 'A Hundred Ways to Die' would have been an appropiate title too. I got a bit tired of all the accidents that happened, and then seemed not to have happened. And it never occured to Nora that because Patch is able to 'speak' in her mind, he can make her 'see' things in her mind as well?
I didn't expect so much of a thriller and basically a murder mysterie (even though the subject wasn't killed, merely attempted to). I guess when I read the book was about fallen angels, I expected something like Lauren Kate's 'Fallen' books. I expected more, somehow. But it's not fair to compare I guess.

Nora's feelings and suspicions are all over the place. First, she suspects Patch. Then, when she starts to develop feelings for him, she stops to listen to her head (sometimes) and lets her heart take over. Luckily, Elliot shows up to take the blame. Looking all evil all of a sudden. And even though Patch finally admits he wanted to kill Nora, that thought gets washed away as quickly by Nora as I will have forgotten this book.
Which is a great example of how shallow/superficial this book is written. The feelings aren't going that deep. You don't get to relate to Nora('s crush) that much. You are left hanging in the midst of it all, maybe it's because Nora can't seem to make up her own mind, I blame it on lack of writing skills and lack of a consistent character.

Buildings and surroundings are described very little. I'm not even sure what Nora's room and living room look like, that's lacking for me.

When I read that Nora's mom has a job that keeps her away from her daughter for weeks at a time, only 1 year after her husband -Nora's dad- was murdered, I couldn't believe it. No mother in her right mind would leave her only daughter ALONE in an abandoned farmhouse situated in a scary location. Especially not after her husband died the way he did! Trying to hang on to memories by trying to keep the house would not have been enough reason for my mom would to go away and NOT take care of me!!!

I hated that whenever Nora and Patch were about to go beyond kissing, they were interrupted somehow. The build-up was very hot and steamy indeed, but then their intimacy was brutally ended. It got old and annoying after a few times. If you're scared to write sex-scenes, this is obviously the way to avoid them: have something happen that will break the couple up. Doing that 2, maybe 3 times is okay, but after that we have to have some resolve!!!

And what is up with Patch's inability to feel touches to his skin, being a fallen angel? I find that idea just as stupid and unbelievable as vampires' skins that sparkle in the sunlight. 'Come on, let's throw in another barrier! It's not bad enough that Patch wanted to kill Nora at first, no, once they overcome that issue, let's make him unable to feel too! You know, just to make things more interesting!'

I am kinda curious to know what happens next to Patch and Nora, the story in itself was okay and could use further deepening. Which is why I'm reading the sequel (since I've already bought it anyway and it's a quick read).

This book is okay to read, but it's not earth-shattering. It's a quick read that doesn't make you think too much. It's not heavy or action-packed in a hard-to-follow way. Maybe it's really for a younger audience. (Which I'm definately not anymore) I seriously don't understand the hype surrounding this book.

If compared to food, this would be junk-food. A quick snack which tastes good while you're at it, but makes you long for a real, decent meal to leave you satisfied afterwards.

Have a good day! :)

Review: Kissed by an Angel

Kissed by an Angel (trilogy), by Elizabeth Chandler
Series: Kissed by an Angel, book 1-3 of 5
Genre: YA, Mystery, Paranormal, Romance
Published: August 1998
Pages: 690
My Rating:

The plot of this book is what attracted me. Ivy falls in love, but when her boyfriend dies in a car-crash (the same car crash Ivy survives) she's left behind. Or is she? Tristan finds himself being an angel and tries to get through to Ivy. Which is very hard because she's given up on angels when Tristan died, after once being a firm believer. Tristan believes Ivy is in terrible danger so he needs to get through to her desperately.

The book was an easy read, a page-turner in the sense of simplicity. The characters were a bit shallow, feelings not entirely believable conveyed. Some parts dragged on too long. Especially towards the ending. I had to force myself to continue reading, hoping the plot would finally reveil itself. Because as a reader I knew what danger Ivy was in, and eventhough I understood that danger couldn't be dealt with another way, I was almost desperate for it to end. It took a bit too long even if it did turn more dark and creepy towards the end. The things that happened then weren't that original, and I didn't sympathize enough with the characters to really feel their pain.

There were some humorous side aspects in the shape of Tristan's little helper who uses her powers to... confuse people.

Even if the plot idea sounded original to me, it felt like something I have seen/read before already. The story had a murder-mystery feel to it, somehow not what I expected. It was a nice book to read, but average. I already own its sequel, 'Evercrossed' but I'm not in any hurry to read it...

Enjy your day! :)

Review: Torment

Torment, by Lauren Kate.

Series: Fallen, book 2 of 4

Genre: YA, Fantasy, Paranormal, Sci-fi, Romance

Published: September 2010

Pages: 452

My Rating:

After what seemed like an eternity of waiting for the sequel to 'Fallen' ('Torment') to get published, I finally got to know what would happen next to Lucinda and Daniel.
What I liked about this sequel was the different setting from the first book. Even though I could totally sympathize with Luce in the dreary environment of 'Fallen', 'Torment's' setting was refreshing. The sunny school for Nephilim felt lighter somehow.

I liked reading how Luce discovered her 'powers' (don't want to give too much away) and made new friends, who didn't appear to be all that friendly at first. On one side she was pining and aching for Daniel, she still took matters in her own hands. Even if she didn't know how. Which may have been stupid, but I can relate to those kinds of actions ;)

Most of all I liked where the ending was going (again the epic battle here... amongst her poor, unsuspecting family and friends), it made me very curious for 'Passion'!

Have a good day :)

Review: Fallen

Fallen, by Lauren Kate
Series: Fallen, book 1 of 4
Genre: YA, Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance
Published: December 2009
Pages: 452
My Rating: 

In all honesty I have to admit I'm writing this review whereas I've read the book quite some time ago. (About 2 years ago even!) That's not my usual style, but 'Fallen' deserves a review, so here I go.

The original (movie-worthy!) setting of this book set the tone immediately to a dark read: the reform school 'Swords and Cross' Lucinda is being sent to is a grim, gruesome place. It wasn't even her fault she got sent there in the first place. It's not like she meant to set her boyfriend on fire, it just happened. But maybe it was for the best Lucinda was sent away, it gave her the chance to live her life without being judged by all her fellow students.
Whether the academy is the best place to have a fresh, new start is debatable. It's not very inviting with all its grey buildings, the cemetery on school grounds and the old church now harboring an Olympic size swimming pool. Most of the students seem to have adapted to their surroundings and fate and seem like they actually belong in a place like that. The mandatory all BLACK dress code doesn't do anything to add to the cheeriness. However, Luce quickly finds herself a new friend in Penn, whose father used to be the janitor. Even Arianne who seems very strange at first turns out to be a loyal friend.
And of course, then there is Daniel. Daniel who doesn't seem interested in Luce and treats her with her disrespect. That is, when he acknowledges her at all. But Luce can't stop herself from feeling attracted to him. (Although why I can't figure out: I don't like his looks and he's the wrong kind of tormented. He's a drag, actually!)
Anyhow, Luce pines for Daniel and tries to get in touch with him. This goes on for the major part of the book, nothing else of importance happens. There were times I wondered why I kept reading even, it felt rather boring to read about this seemingly unrequited love.
Luckily, we have Cam to keep things interesting, with his black hair and cat-like green eyes. And even though you can sense from a mile away he's BAD news (yes, with a capital B, A and D!) he's smoking hot. Now there's an attraction I understand!
When it comes to Cam, you can sense Daniel is jealous, or rather protective of Luce, in other ways, deeper ways. Like he knows about Cams badness. And finally things start to make sense, the romance takes off (a little, in a goody-two-shoes-way) and we find out why Daniel kept Luce away but didn't want Cam near her either. At that point there hadn't been any 'fantasy' aspect to the book, so although I knew what the book was about, I was still surprised when Daniel showed his true self. Like his angelic-ness didn't belong in the book. But I got used to it quickly. One things that kept being annoying though, was that Daniel couldn't tell Luce what the deal was about. No, she has to find out herself.

The semi-epic ending of the book was harsh in ways I did not see coming. Well written, realistic when it comes to feelings, detailed when it comes to he angels' appearances.

All in all a book with an original concept, a promising story with epic battles lurking around the corner, an endangered romance without knowing how to make sure it will last this lifetime. The writing is okay, not too hard, but detailed enough. The characters aren't that well-written and I can't really feel the chemistry beyond the fate-link Luce and Daniel share. A bit of a mediocre book perhaps, with a little extra though. It certainly  kept me engaged enough to read the sequels!

Also, I dare say it's right up there with the 'Twilight' Saga. If you liked those, you'll like these as well. I hope the movie they're planning on doing about this one will go through, because I know these books will translate beautifully onto the silver screen!

Have a nice day! :)

About me...

Hello readers out there! The woman behind this 'Blythes & Books' Blog goes by the name of Mandy.

I'm a 30-something woman living with her husband (for over 6 years) in their humble home, which is situated in the eastern part of The Netherlands. This house of ours is filled to the brim with my hobbies: I have a scrapbooking room and a room where my Blythe dolls (9 of them) are sort of living in their still-not-finished homes surrounded with tiny shoes, outfits and vintage Skipper clothing.
As of lately I have seriously started collecting books as well. By that I don't mean special books or editions, simply great amounts of books I need to have ;) Real books, that is, not e-books. Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I love the weighty feel of a book in my hands! I love the way books smell, I love the sometimes beautifully embellished pages, the endlessness of the print on the pages. I don't like E-books because books shouldn't be 'lit up' and read from a desk chair. Books should be enjoyed in a comfortable manner, preferably in silence, but always with a cup of tea and some chocolates. Always ;)

For as long as I can remember, I've been in love with books. I used to move around the house with my eyes glued to the pages, to many people's annoyance. Unfortunately, the high-school-reading-list killed my passion for reading. There were too many of them to read in too short a time, they went too deep with their messages, sometimes they were too smutty  -even though they were supposedly 'literature' one could learn from.

When the movies 'Harry Potter' and 'Twilight' came along, I became interested in reading again. (Sort of embarrassing to admit with all the controversy surrounding the franchise, LOL.) Carefully I re-entered the world that had patiently waited for me, the world of fantasy. I love how you can be curled up on the couch when it's cold outside, accompanied by a book, tea and chocolates and be in another world all at once. I love how you can bask in the sunlight while reading about a place the exact opposite and feel chilly somehow. I love how you become someone else without having to face the consequences. Anything and everything is possible. That's why sometimes I actually DREAD beginning a new book, when the one I just finished was so good I'm still living in it. It really feels like betraying a friend when I leave, or betraying myself even.

Yes, the power of words. I envy those who posses the talent to enchant readers, to create new worlds, to write with poetic beauty. Like many others I aspire to write my own book someday. Until then I'll read to find out what I like, to separate the right from the wrong. My favorite genres are: fantasy, paranormal romance, supernatural stories, steampunk, sci-fi, historic, dystopian; YA in general.

Like so many others out there, I decided to start a blog about books (and maybe some Blythe stuff as well). It'll mostly be about the ones I've read and reviewed, but I intend to extend my blog to cover reveals, books I'm anxiously awaiting and maybe some book trailers as well. My goal is to keep readers informed by writing well-argumented reviews. Someday I hope to be able to review ARCs as well. It would be a great honour to read and review a book before it has hit the shelves. Consider this an invitation if you have anything to offer ;)

I joined 'Goodreads' (http://www.goodreads.com/) this year and I love keeping track of my books there, reviewing them, being on the prowl for interesting new reads, discussing books and finding more reviews on a book if I'm not sure about it. I read in English, mostly because I find the atmosphere is somehow lost once the book is translated into Dutch. Also because there aren't many great Dutch YA books.

In my next post I'll leave you with one of the first reviews I did since I joined Goodreads. It's not much, but I started doing more extensive reviews after a while, so bare with me. I will re-write these reviews some day, but for now they will have to do. Whilst reading I already keep track of many things now, and some of the early reviews on Goodreads were done some time after reading.

If you want to contact me, you can email me at: blythesandbooks at hotmail dot com  (Hopefully you understand what I mean and the link still works, I adjusted the text a bit in hope of avoiding spam...)


Have a nice day and leave me a comment here, it's much appreciated!

Hugs!