Review: Clockwise by Elle Strauss

Casey Donovan has issues: hair, height and uncontrollable trips to the 19th century! And now this --she's accidentally taken Nate Mackenzie, the cutest boy in the school, back in time. Awkward. Protocol pressures her to tell their 1860 hosts that he is her brother and when Casey finds she has a handsome, wealthy (and unwanted) suitor, something changes in Nate. Are those romantic sparks or is it just "brotherly" protectiveness? When they return to the present, things go back to the way they were before: Casey parked on the bottom of the rung of the social ladder and Nate perched high on the very the top. Except this time her heart is broken. Plus, her best friend is mad, her parents are split up, and her younger brother gets escorted home by the police. The only thing that could make life worse is if, by some strange twist of fate, she took Nate back to the past again. Which of course, she does.

I really enjoyed reading Clockwise despite the fact that there were a few issues that stood out to me, and the reason i enjoyed reading the book so much is because Casey is one of the funniest narrators I have read in a long time. I often read books where the narrators doesn't read as a teenage girl but Casey was so realistic in her wit, humour and her sardonic self-view that it really made this book a pleasure to read.

This book is in no way groundbreaking or hard-hitting, it doesn't really have a climax and yes, it is completely fluffy with very little substance to it, so I wouldn't call it absolutely awesome. However as a quick, fun and clean read this book totally hits the spot. The story itself is pretty simple, the unpopular girl gets pulled into the past with the popular, cute jock and hijinks occur. I have to say that whilst Casey was a lovely character, none of the other characters really have much to them which I guess I can put down to the age range for this book, which I'd put as middle-grade to young YA. It did take me a while to get into the story since it seemed a little young for me,but when i did I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Since there is no real plot line aside from Casey and Nate being in the past and a few side plots like the creepy guy from 1960 with a crush on Casey and the story revolving around Samuel, who is a black person in a time of slavery, there are really no highly paced parts in this book. The pace is never slow though, it's a leisurely read which is good for just relaxing or winding down from a darker YA read. Actually, I should probably mention that in this seemingly fluffy story, there are darker historical events woven in such as the 1860s civil war and the racism and segregation of the 1960s, which are well written and fit into the story seamlessly, so you barely notice the seriousness of the issues.

Overall, Clockwise is a good book with a steady pace and an awesome, funny narrator. The book could have done with a more defined plot and some character development, but it was a pleasure to read and I'll be picking up the sequel for when I want something to chill to.

Book released 21st November 2011 by ESP Publishing

Book received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review (NetGalley)

Review: Ink by Amanda Sun

Katie Greene is lost in the wake of her mum's death. Sent to Japan, she meets gorgeous but aloof artist Tomohiro, whose tough attitude intrigues and scares her. Then things get really strange. When they're near each other, Tomohiro's drawings start to come to life…

Soon the wrong people begin to ask questions, and Katie and Tomohiro must risk everything to protect the truth.

The thing that made me want to read Ink so much was the gorgeous cover and the Japan setting. This book sounded like something brand new and refreshing with an original and absorbing setting. My issue with this book - and it's not just this book but a lot of the YA that I'm reading lately - is that it just didn't do that much to separate itself from other books in the genre, meaning that it isn't all that memorable and by the time the sequel comes out I'll likely have forgotten what happened here.

Not that it was a bad book, not at all, I really did enjoy it. There were a number of things that annoyed me but there were an equal number of things that I enjoyed. I was a little confused by how the Kami abilities worked, but the whole idea was so original that I was in awe of how creative Amanda Sun was. Also the Japan setting worked so well, the little snippets of Japanese were so nice for me, since I speak some Japanese and I could understand it though I was a little confused over whether they were all speaking Japanese, since Katie seems a little too fluent or English since the Japanese characters all seemed to be fluent.

The romance was a little typical, it was sexy and quick developing and Tomohiro was the typical "Don't come near me, I'm too dangerous!" YA boy. He was a bit of a jerk and Katie was too trusting and seemed pretty stupid, putting herself in dangerous situations from him. I liked it though, and I usually don't enjoy Bella and Edward-esque romances since they seem unhealthy. Katie and Tomohiro's romance didn't seem unhealthy at all.

Overall, I did enjoy Ink but it won't stay with me for too long. The writing was good and the plot was original but the execution wasn't anything new. The romance was pretty typical as well but I did enjoy it. Will I read the sequel? More than likely, but there are books that I'll put above it on the 'must-read' list!

Book released 5th July 2013 by Mira Ink (UK)

Book received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. (NetGalley)

Review: Sworn to Raise by Terah Edun

Seventeen-year-old Ciardis has grown up in poverty, a cleaner in a small vale on the outskirts of the kingdom. But beneath her kingdom’s seemingly idyllic surface lies a hidden secret. Whispers of an inept crown Prince are growing ever louder—intensified by the five year anniversary of the soulbond initiations.

Amidst scandalous whispers, Ciardis finds herself chosen to train for the Companion’s Guild. She leaves her home and sets off on a personal journey to become a Court Companion. A position she’d never thought possible for a lowly servant to obtain, she must prove that she has the skills to attract a Patron.

But she must master those skills quickly. If the legends are true, only Ciardis can harness the power to raise a Prince in an Imperial Court sworn to bring him down.

Look at the pretty cover... and... and... comparisons to Kristin Cashore and Maria Snyder? How on earth could I not request this book? I mean come on, this book had to be amazing, right? Right?!

No. This book suffers from high hopes syndrome, where the book itself is okay but it's compared to amazing authors that it could never stand up to and then the reader feels extremely let down, that's exactly how I felt with Sworn to Raise. The thing is, this book started off quite well, I was really intrigued by the whole companions idea, it's a kind of grown up concept because even though Edun never uses the exact words the whole thing is akin to prostitution. It's odd to say this but I was actually happy to see a more mature concept like that in this book and I wish the companion concept was explored a bit more and the training described in detail.

That was the problem with this book - the lack of detail and development. Ciardis is the only character that has any development at all, the side characters were completely flat and were given personalities with no back stories. Ciardis' sponsor, Serena is given this feud with another comapanion but there is no back story, there are bad girls and a handsome prince with no backstory and some random parts of the story which seemed completely unnecessary, like Ciardis learning to read. The plot starts out well, this could have been a really good book with the court intrigue that was being built up, but at around the fifty percent mark everything just turns into a massive mess...

We suddenly have this maze (like the one in Harry Potter's Triwizard Tournament, though why it's there I have no idea, since Ciardis get's through it really easily and it takes up a random few pages but has no effect on the plot at all. Then her and the prince go off somewhere and do some stuff and then the end comes really quickly and it all seemed so flat that despite reading it less than a week ago, I can't really remember what happened.

Overall, I think the only thing that kept me from giving up on Sworn To Raise was that it was a short book, so I finished it pretty quickly. Another 100 pages would have been good if they'd been used to develop the plot and characters. This could have been an okay book, but it fell extremely short of my expectations. I really would not recommend this to anyone. Sorry!

Book released 10th April 2013 by 

Book received from the publisher (via Netgalley) in exchange for an honest review.

Waiting on Wednesday (26th June 2013)

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

I got my first year university results back and I've passed! I am soooo happy now!

Defy by Sara B. Larson

January 7th 2014 - Scholastic Press

Alexa Hollen is a fighter. Forced to disguise herself as a boy and serve in the king's army, Alex uses her quick wit and fierce sword-fighting skills to earn a spot on the elite prince's guard. But when a powerful sorcerer sneaks into the palace in the dead of night, even Alex, who is virtually unbeatable, can't prevent him from abducting her, her fellow guard and friend Rylan, and Prince Damian, taking them through the treacherous wilds of the jungle and deep into enemy territory.

The longer Alex is held captive with both Rylan and the prince, the more she realizes that she is not the only one who has been keeping dangerous secrets. And suddenly, after her own secret is revealed, Alex finds herself confronted with two men vying for her heart: the safe and steady Rylan, who has always cared for her, and the dark, intriguing Damian. With hidden foes lurking around every corner, is Alex strong enough to save herself and the kingdom she's sworn to protect?

High fantasy is my favorite genre, and this sounds like omething that could match up to Graceling, Throne of Glass and Poison Study, even down to the cover. Yes please, I wants NOW!

---

Alienated by Melissa Landers
February 4th 2014 - Disney Hyperion

Handpicked to host the first-ever L’eihr exchange student, Cara thinks her future is set. Not only does she get a free ride to her dream college, she’ll have inside information about the mysterious L’eihrs that every journalist would kill for. Cara’s blog following is about to skyrocket.

Still, Cara isn’t sure what to think when she meets Aelyx. Humans and L’eihrs have nearly identical DNA, but cold, infuriatingly brilliant Aelyx couldn’t seem more alien. She’s certain about one thing, though: no human boy is this good-looking.

But when Cara's classmates get swept up by anti-L'eihr paranoia, Midtown High School suddenly isn't safe anymore. Threatening notes appear in Cara's locker, and a police officer has to escort her and Aelyx to class. 

Cara finds support in the last person she expected. She realizes that Aelyx isn’t just her only friend; she's fallen hard for him. But Aelyx has been hiding the truth about the purpose of his exchange, and its potentially deadly consequences. Soon Cara will be in for the fight of her life—not just for herself and the boy she loves, but for the future of her planet.

You had me at alien transfer students. This is such an awesome and original idea and I can't even wait... 2014 is so far away!

Review: Dare You To by Katie McGarry

If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does....

Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock-with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him.

But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all...

I picked up Dare You To because I loved Pushing The Limits so much, and I figured that Beth's story might be an okay read. I felt that I wouldn't love it, since there was no way that McGarry could make Beth and Ryan characters that I would love as much as Noah and Echo. I was wrong. Very, very wrong.

I read this book in one sitting, I absolutely devoured it. McGarry is an awesome writer and manages to keep you gripped even at the slower parts of the book. I didn't think it was possible, but McGarry has actually improved her writing since Dare You To  and I can't wait to see how much further she improved in Crash into You. There is never a break in this book, it's either the swoonworthy, cute romance, the heartbreaking angst or the action and danger that has you gripping your seat in absolute terror and you won't realise how much you've been holding your breath near the end until you finish the book and let out a massive sigh of relief.

What I was really worried about is that Ryan and Beth just wouldn't match up to the awesome of Noah and Echo, or that their romance will be very samey. I was wrong on both counts - Ryan and Beth stand out as their own characters, I disliked Beth when I read about her in Pushing The Limits but in Dare You To I started to really feel for her, and Ryan starts out as a stereotypical jock, yet McGarry develops him to be much more than that. Sure there's the 'good' one (Ryan and Echo) and the bad one (Noah and Beth), but McGarry manages to make each character their own, and I am so looking forward to reading Isaiah's story in Crash Into You.

Overall, Dare You To was an amazing addition to a fantastic series. I honestly can't fault McGarry here as the writing, the characters and the pacing were all brilliant. Now I have to sit around until Crash Into You come out (thankfully that comes out in November!). Read It!

Book released 7th June 2013 by Mira Ink (UK)/ 28th May 2013 by Harlequin Teen (US) *Cover shown is UK cover)

Book received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review (NetGalley)

Reviews for other books by this author:

Pushing The Limits (#1)

Review: In The After by Demitria Lunetta

Amy is watching TV when it happens, when the world is attacked by Them. These vile creatures are rapidly devouring mankind. Most of the population is overtaken, but Amy manages to escape—and even rescue “Baby,” a toddler left behind in the chaos. Marooned in Amy’s house, the girls do everything they can to survive—and avoid Them at all costs.

After years of hiding, they are miraculously rescued and taken to New Hope, a colony of survivors living in a former government research compound. While at first the colony seems like a dream with plenty of food, safety, and shelter, New Hope slowly reveals that it is far from ideal. And Amy soon realizes that unless things change, she’ll lose Baby—and much more.

In The After would have been an awesome book for me a couple of years ago, before I had basically read every YA post-apocalyptic survival book out there, but reading it when I did meant that I honestly felt like I was reading the same regurgitated storyline that I've read a hundred times now which meant that for me this book was just okay, nowhere near great.

What mostly fell short for me is that this book depends mostly on the storyline - the characters and the writing didn't really stand out to me - and whilst the first half of this book was really enjoyable and tense, the second half became pretty samey and predictable. The difference was that the first half saw Amy and Baby surviving in the wild using street-smarts and survival skills and Amy was built up to be this tough character and in the second half it became the typical 'survivor safe-place with secrets' storyline which I am getting extreemly tired of. Sure, Lunetta takes it a different way and adds some twists in which will shock a lot of readers and actually a few of the twists did shock me, but the others I saw coming from a mile off.

The description of the aliens in this book was terrifying though, and Lunetta managed to create a world which stood out in survival fiction which is why I enjoyed the survival part of the book more. There are all the normal tropes from survival fiction but the creatures are freakier, there is science behind it, and there aren't really that many attacks from the creatures, so this book is more about building the suspense than actually throwing the action in.

I really enjoyed many of the characters in this book, I'd love for Rice to have got more focus in the book since he seems like he will be a key player in the future books. I will probably read the sequel, simply because the way that Lunetta leaves it suggests that the next book will go back to the survival fiction genre and that could be absolutely amazing.

Overall, In The After didn't live up to it's potential even though it started fantastically. This book could have been amazing but it fell short for me because it didn't really stand out in this extremely popular genre. I may still recommend it for fans of survival fiction because this series does have some awesome potential. I will be reading the sequel.

Book released 25th June 2013 by HarperTeen

Book received from the publisher (via Edelweiss) in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Dusk by Eve Edwards

A love worth fighting for.

When Helen, a young hard-working nurse, meets aristocratic artist Sebastian, she doesn't expect to even like him, let alone fall in love. But against the troubled backdrop of wartime London, an unlikely but intense romance blossoms. And even the bloody trenches of the Somme, where they are both posted, cannot diminish their feelings for each other.

But Helen is concealing a secret and when a terrible crime is committed there are devastating consequences for them both.

When lives are being lost, can true love survive?

When I was younger I used to read a lot of war books. You may know the ones, often set in London with a young girl on the brink of adulthood living her life throughout the war. They may have been samey but I really enjoyed them as a young teenager. However, after a year so of devouring all of the ones my neighbour and Nan gave me, I found young adult books and I enjoyed them even more so the wartime books were totally forgotten. Then I got the email about this book and I asked for it even without knowing what it was about because it was by Eve Edwards who has written some of my favorite historical books ever and (under her pen name Julia Golding) some of my favorite fantasy books. Then I saw that it wa war... and YA and I was so unbelievably happy.

This book blew me away completely, it was everything that I hoped it would be and more. This is a book that is heartbreaking as much as romantic, a book that will tug at your heartstrings and make you think about it for long after you close the last page. A book about near misses between two people that live for eachother. Helen may not have been the most interesting character to follow, but she was true to life and her story was interesting, especially nearer the end. Seb had a for more gripping stiry for the most part, and the harrowing description of life in the trenches makes me wonder how Eve Edwards wrote it so descriptively and honestly. The amount of research that must have gone into making this book so authentic is amazing, I'm always astonished by the effort that historical authors go through.

The only fault I can find in this is that the non-linear time scale is a bit distracting and off-putting at times. I had to read back a couple of times to find out if I was in the past or present, this was a little bit annoying for me and I would liked the past to have been in a different font or something... still it wasn't a MASSIVE deal.

Overall, Dusk was a gripping story that seemed so realistic and authentic. My heart broke at many places and I was gripped by Helen and Seb from page one... and my mother totally agreed!

Book released 6th June 2013 by Penguin

Book received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review