All right, I've postponed this long enough. It's time to get serious with my reading goals of 2015!

60 Books Challenge

( List for Books ReadCollapse )

World After by Susan Ee

Release Date | November 19, 2013

Where to Buy | amazon, barnes and noble, book depository

Premise | In this sequel to the bestselling fantasy thriller, Angelfall, the survivors of the angel apocalypse begin to scrape back together what's left of the modern world.

When a group of people capture Penryn's sister, Paige, thinking she's a monster, the situation ends in a massacre. Paige disappears. Humans are terrified. Mom is heartbroken.

Penryn drives through the streets of San Francisco looking for Paige. Why are the streets so empty? Where is everybody? Her search leads her into the heart of the angels' secret plans where she catches a glimpse of their motivations, and learns the horrifying extent to which the angels are willing to go.

Meanwhile, Raffe hunts for his wings. Without them, he can't rejoin the angels, can't take his rightful place as one of their leaders. When faced with recapturing his wings or helping Penryn survive, which will he choose?

Summary from Goodreads

Review | The first book, Angelfall, went from self-published to indie/traditionally published and skyrocketed to popularity thanks to the word of popular and prominent book bloggers. It was well deserved, I thoroughly enjoyed the story too and sang its praises.

However, this one is quite the disappointment and such a downfall from its incredible heights. I used to love Penryn’s tenacity, devotion, and no frills attitude. But in this addition, she’s hypocritical, judgmental, selfish, and oh so very irritating and intolerable.

What I hated the most about this book was the way treated and viewed her mother and sister who are obviously suffering from mental conditions, trauma, and a whole host of things. She thinks of them as less than human and doesn’t display any concern for them unless she has to and shows disgust at their actions or having to take care of them by spending prolonged periods of time together with them. Really? This is your mother and sister! What the heck! They are people and deserve more than your insincere and negative considerations. Ugh.

Not to mention she’s also selfish and inconsiderate by only doing what is best for her and not really for others. Furthermore, all she thinks about is Raffe and how doing so and so brings her closer to him. KNOCK IT OFF. We didn’t have these lovesick, dopey thoughts in the first book so why are you behaving in such a way now!? Talk about a character turnaround and for the worse.

This book was so slow and boring to read about, especially when you have such a poor main character as Penryn to read about until maybe the last third of the book where Raffe comes along. There’s more exciting scenes there and he’s an overall a more interesting character considering he’s not developed at all and we only know him very superficially. Speaks a lot for this book, doesn’t it? The action scenes helped but not much. All I could feel was sorry for Penryn’s mother and sister the entire book at what they had to endure and how they are received by others in the book.

What a letdown. Series is definitely going in the wrong direction. Not interested in reading more.

Grade | D

Alienated by Melissa Landers

Release Date | February 4, 2014

Where to Buy | amazon, barnes and noble, book depository

Premise | Two years ago, the aliens made contact. Now Cara Sweeney is going to be sharing a bathroom with one of them.




Review | The concept of this book sounded so good! Humans and aliens working together to foster relationships through positive interactions within the global community via exchange student programs. No humans discovering alien societies plot lines, hostile alien forces threatening to invade and takeover the Earth, aliens hidden among us and have been for many years. I thought this was a unique way to bring a narrative between different groups of intelligent life forms without going through the standardized tropes of the field.

Nope.

I was promised a light-hearted, humorous book with a fun romance. Instead I got an over reaching, under developed narrative that tried to make itself more important than it actually was or portrayed itself to be. Seriously? You got teenagers trying to tackle large global-scale changing political treaties, protests, and heated relationships have many ramifications for either side. Not to mention violent protests outside of our main character’s HIGH SCHOOL?

What?

No. Where’s my fun hijinks of two very different socially crafted entities trying to understand and navigate the worlds of the others? Hah. There was very little of that with much of the narrative focusing on the too serious and the oncoming threat of interplanetary war. Uh huh.

Also, that romance was damn aggravating. Cara is just so naïve, blind, and rather dense. She develops and immediate and practically all consuming crush on Aelyx from the moment she meets him. Why? He’s practically the hottest guy she’s ever seen in her life. She always gushes over him about how awesome he is, how sweet, how kind, how different he is from his kind and doesn’t listen when her friend caution her that he might have some ulterior motives and might not be so nice as she thinks.

But she doesn’t listen and INSISTS they don’t know him like she does when she doesn’t even know him either. They hardly talk to each other and when they do merely have superficial conversations so it’s not a surprise that he WAS up to no good and had some nefarious plans in mind. Now we can talk about seeing someone through rose-colored glasses but this was just dumb and willful ignorance.

Meh, this could have been cute. This could have been fun! But instead… all I got was a bunch of groans and eye rolls at the ridiculous romance and over reaching plot. No thanks.

Grade | D/D-

Gates of Thread and Stone by Lori M. Lee

Release Date | August 5, 2014

Where to Buy | amazon, barnes and noble, book depository

Premise | In the Labyrinth, we had a saying: keep silent, keep still, keep safe.

In a city of walls and secrets, where only one man is supposed to possess magic, seventeen-year-old Kai struggles to keep hidden her own secret—she can manipulate the threads of time. When Kai was eight, she was found by Reev on the riverbank, and her “brother” has taken care of her ever since. Kai doesn’t know where her ability comes from—or where she came from. All that matters is that she and Reev stay together, and maybe one day move out of the freight container they call home, away from the metal walls of the Labyrinth. Kai’s only friend is Avan, the shopkeeper’s son with the scandalous reputation that both frightens and intrigues her.

Then Reev disappears. When keeping silent and safe means losing him forever, Kai vows to do what-ever it takes to find him. She will leave the only home she’s ever known and risk getting caught up in a revolution centuries in the making. But to save Reev, Kai must unravel the threads of her past and face shocking truths about her brother, her friendship with Avan, and her unique power.

Summary from Goodreads

Review | So here’s the deal. Gates of Thread and Stone has an awesome premise, fabulous cover, easy and readable prose, with some rollicking good times in the narrative but… (there’s always a but) these aspects could not overcome the often confused and misplaced pacing, over emphasis on romance, and a rather sketchy and unclear world building.

For a story that has a main character with some really cool powers (manipulating time by playing with the threads of time) it really had a hard time figuring out the right pacing. At times it was dull, meandering, quick and abrupt, or smooth and appropriate. I, as a reader, could not become enmeshed within the story and found my interest dropping bit by bit.

I will say, though, the strong loyalty and devotion Kai has to her adopted brother Reev (as in he took up that role and she saw him and equated him as thus) is commendable. Family ties are not stressed upon enough in YA books these days. The action scenes and times when Kai used her powers were also well done and I thoroughly enjoyed that.

Let’s not forget Ms. Lori Lee! I’m so proud and happy that one of my Asian brethren has become a published author! We must all support them in some form or fashion in their endeavors. There are not enough authors of color/minority in the market, I’ll say.

The real drawback was Kai’s already well formed infatuation/crush on Avan. I mean, meh. It could work in many times but it did not work here. She always angsted about him, had him preoccupy her thoughts much of the time, and over analyzed and dramatized every interaction, touch, or story about him. It really drained all the tension from the book and I could not grudge up a penny of interest in it.

With that being said, many people will enjoy this book/series. I, sadly, did not like it as much as I hoped I would.

Grade | C+/B-

Boundless by Cynthia Hand

Release Date | January 22, 2013

Where to Buy | amazon, barnes and noble, book depository

Premise | The past few years have held more surprises than part-angel Clara Gardner could ever have anticipated. Yet from the dizzying highs of first love, to the agonizing low of losing someone close to her, the one thing she can no longer deny is that she was never meant to live a normal life.

Since discovering the special role she plays among the other angel-bloods, Clara has been determined to protect Tucker Avery from the evil that follows her . . . even if it means breaking both their hearts. Leaving town seems like the best option, so she’s headed back to California - and so is Christian Prescott, the irresistible boy from the vision that started her on this journey in the first place.

As Clara makes her way in a world that is frighteningly new, she discovers that the fallen angel who attacked her is watching her every move. And he’s not the only one. . . . With the battle against the Black Wings looming, Clara knows she must finally fulfill her destiny. But it won’t come without sacrifices and betrayal.

In the riveting finale of the Unearthly series, Clara must decide her fate once and for all.

Summary from Goodreads

Review | Oh man, I’m on a roll finishing these series. Quite proud of myself.

I love this series! It’s like a fun ride with adventure, tension filled romance, and humor mixed with a bit of sass. Not to mention the addition of great friends! What’s not to love right?

Come on, you know it, and I know it, everyone knows it. The best part about this series is actually the crackling romantic tension between Clara, Tucker, and Christian. There’s like no doubt about it and the best parts of this books that got me really engaged was the scenes with Clara and, in smaller parts, Christian, except it annoyed me more often times than not.

Don’t be fooled though, even if I wasn’t really as excited or enraptured by this addition, Boundless, isn’t drowned in romantic drama. There’s action, uncovering of new powers, and a climax! I really loved how we got to find out the mystery behind all these destinies, prophetic visions/dreams, and battle between angel sides. Everything unraveled so awesomely, it was well thought out.

I wish Angela’s destiny or whatever was a bit more significant than what it actually was in the book but I wasn’t expecting that turn of events. Family connections are important here, more so than they were in the other ones, and I wish we had more page time with the other members of Clara’s family before this all ended.

Tucker and Clara are my number one! The ending was all parts exciting and fulfilling. Perhaps a bit too deus ex machina for some people’s liking and it really pushed the limits with me in having things fall into place so one couple could be together with another.

Ah well. A good series. I definitely enjoyed it and don’t regret it at all.

Grade | A-

The Wicked and the Just by J. Anderson Coats

Release Date | April 17, 2012

Where to Buy | amazon, barnes and noble, book depository

Premise | Cecily longs to return to her beloved Edgeley Hall, where her father was lord of the manor. But now he has completely ruined her life. He is moving them to Caernarvon, in occupied Wales, where he can get a place for almost nothing, since the king needs good strong Englishmen to keep down the vicious Welshmen. At least Cecily will get to be the lady of the house at last—if all goes well.

Gwenhwyfar knows all about that house. Once she dreamed of being the lady there herself, until the English came and destroyed the lives of everyone she knows. Now Gwenhwyfar must wait hand and foot on this bratty English girl who has taken what should have been hers.

While Cecily struggles to find her place amongst the snobby English landowners, Gwenhwyfar struggles just to survive. And meanwhile the Welsh are not as conquered as they seem. Outside the city walls of Caernarvon, tensions are rising ever higher—until finally they must reach the breaking point

Summary from Goodreads

Review | Have you ever read a character you positively despised from the get go? Well, Cecily was that character when I first started reading this book. She was self-absorbed, pretentious, vindictive, cruel, manipulative, whiny, and downright mean at times. The perfect definition of a snotty brat. There were many times when I wanted to strangle her or scream at her for being so ridiculous and obnoxious, petty, and just so unreasonable! Ugh.

But let’s not just pile on her. The other half of the equation is Gwinny (I cannot spell her real name for shizz). She makes up the other voice of perspective in this novel and let me tell you, she’s not that pleasant either. She’s spiteful, vindictive, ruthless, and quite vicious. She has her own set of morals and will do anything and everything to protect her family. There is no regret from her over actions that she made over things she has caused and feels fully justified in taking them.

These are two unpleasant characters but they all have parallel character arcs where they grow and learn about the other. Cecily begins to understand her position and place in Caernavon and the struggles that the people around her go through. She doesn’t develop a moral compass of superiority but rather a practical and pragmatic stance to issues that are deep and complicated. Gwinny, who is rough both in manner and speech, learns to appreciate and understand some of the things that Cecily does.

I enjoyed watched these girls come to a grudging tolerance of each other, even though they still despise each other full heartedly. With the unfolding background and history of both characters you begin to understand why each of them react and do things the way they do. It’s quite interesting that the more Gwinny interacts with the English, the better her speech becomes (rough and stumbling in the building to more adept and controlled, someone who has better confidence and command in their acquired language).

I know nothing about this portion of history so it was fun to learn along with Cecily as well. It gives me a greater appreciation for the struggles and hardships people had to grow through during difficult periods of history, and for the dual perspective from both sides of the equation. I’m not entirely sure if everything is accurate but it felt that way to me. Cecily, maybe, has a more modern flair to her speech that may not be congruent with the times but it worked for the story.

For some readers, this type of novel may not be for them. The Wicked and the Just is an entirely character driven novel in the sense that there is no clear, driving plot force behind the narrative, nor are there great momentous gains in scenes that show where things are headed. Rather, this is a more smaller look at a portion of history and these characters who are in it.

I say this is a great novel with an excellent craft of characters, history, and all that is contained within. A departure from the more prevalent and popular genres in young adult but a necessary one to bring about more variety and selection I’ll say.

Read it!

Grade | B+/A-

City of a Thousand Dolls by Miriam Forster

Release Date | February 5, 2013

Where to Buy | amazon, barnes and noble, book depository

Premise | An exotic treat set in an entirely original, fantastical world brimming with deadly mystery, forbidden romance, and heart-stopping adventure.

Nisha was abandoned at the gates of the City of a Thousand Dolls when she was just a child. Now sixteen, she lives on the grounds of the isolated estate, where orphan girls apprentice as musicians, healers, courtesans, and, if the rumors are true, assassins. Nisha makes her way as Matron’s assistant, her closest companions the mysterious cats that trail her shadow. Only when she begins a forbidden flirtation with the city’s handsome young courier does she let herself imagine a life outside the walls. Until one by one, girls around her start to die.

Before she becomes the next victim, Nisha decides to uncover the secrets that surround the girls’ deaths. But by getting involved, Nisha jeopardizes not only her own future in the City of a Thousand Dolls—but her own life.

Summary from Goodreads

Review | I think the driving force behind this novel was the mystery behind the killer of the girls. The other elements of the story – world building, characterization, character relationships, romance – don’t really add too much of an engaging factor to the book.

I really liked Nisha’s determination to figure out who the killer was, even if some of her hasty conclusions were wrong or misguided. I loved that she always wanted to prove the innocence of someone even when the facts were screaming otherwise. I loved her interactions with her peers, teachers, and other individuals around her.

The writing and pacing of this book was swift, smooth, and easy to read. It was very easy to roll through the chapters in one sitting. The author manages to decently bring about suspense, tension, and a satisfying climax, although there were areas where the excitement dipped from time to time. The world building seemed like an amalgamation of all different sorts of Asian and Indian cultures. While it was interesting and refreshing to read how she combined them all together, they didn’t really have any cohesion and seemed just like a fancy dressing instead of a fully thought out world.

The romance, though, left me dry. I did not feel the connection or build up or even the deep intimacy and connection she had with either of her suitors. One seemed more superficial and shallow, the other just came out of nowhere. Which tied into the overly clean, cheerful, and happy ending.

A nice, fun read to pass the time but nothing ground breaking or amazing.

Grade | B

Sketchy by Olivia Samms

Release Date | April 30, 2013

Where to Buy | amazon, barnes and noble, book depository

Premise | The first book in a series about 17 year old Bea Washington, an edgy, charismatic outsider and recovering addict, who discovers that with her new-found sobriety, she has a disturbing new skill, an ability to see, and draw, people's thoughts. Alarmingly, these visions are only getting stronger and increasing in frequency. As another girl in school is raped and left for dead, Bea must come to terms with her talent, learn to face her own truth, and try to help identify and stop the killer before he strikes again.

Summary from Goodreads

Review | Here’s a long overdue review. I’m so sorry for putting if off this long. I’m gonna get in and get out really fast for this. Short and to the point, maybe.

Things I liked:

o1. Bea’s ability.

- I thought her drawing out the truth from people was really neat, new, and rather original. Her manic thoughts as this need overcomes her and as she goes through this process is fascinating to read and the number one hook to this book. I think this is what will make people keep reading onwards in the narrative.

o2. Dealing with darker themes.

- Things such as alcohol addiction, drugs, teenage pregnancy, rape, murder, are all included in here. But I thought the focus on how Bea and her family deals with her alcohol and drug addiction was strong. Bea’s constant struggle to deal with her desire to have something that’s so bad for and her parents’ constant worry, anger, desperation, and fear are all palpable, emotional, and realistic.

o3. The fast and quick pace.

- Reading through this book is a breeze. The chapters are short, actively further the plot without too much filler, and are usually packed with an interesting tidbit of information, action scene, or character/emotional development either with others or their own self-growth. It helps that the actual length of this book is short as well.

o4. The attempt at diversity.

- I appreciated that the author tried for diversity with having a mixed main character and a best friend who is gay. He does come off a being a token character but I’m happy that she at least gave him a halfway sort of life in the context of the story with his own personality. Down sides are that these are pretty much the only characters in this world that get much showtime.

Things I didn’t like:

o1. The heavy emphasis on the “dark” themes.

- Okay, sure I commend the book for tackling some difficult subjects but, yet, at the same time I feel it was quite overdone. So much of the darker aspects of the story: drug dealing, addiction, murder, rape, sex, pregnancy, etc felt overdone and forced. Like the author was trying hard to make the book more distinct and edgy from other books that the end result felt more forced than anything.
- Yeah, sure, I do not doubt the fact that these issues do occur in real life but in such a short novel, there was just too much of it. Girls doing crack in the school bus while in middle school, having their own drug dealers and what not, and using sexual advances to get what they want just did not work cohesively with the story. It was very distracting to the core plot. Not to mention the whole tone that this story is written is probably better suited for a character who is in college versus senior year in high school.
- Also, the constant use of foul, crude, and crass language bothered me quite a bit at times. It felt more there for shock and reaction and not very natural in the context of conversation.

o2. Trope-y elements.

- Okay, I’m tired of the “perfect, beautiful, but bitchy” popular girl as the ones who get the shit end of the stick in books. Could we do away with this overly used method to use as a marker of distinguishment (is that even a word?) between our normal, average, but yet somehow special main characters? I do not like the comparison it creates and creates a subtle antagonistic and competitive viewpoint in both the readers and characters. We do not need to continue this portrayal.
- The female-hate. Bea is an angry person, I get it, but it wouldn’t hurt to help her foster positive relationships with other females of her age. I don’t know why it’s so popular nowadays to shun friendships of her own gender and focus mainly on the other.

o3. The unconvincing romance.

- For the majority of the book, Bea has no real romantic interests pursuing her, (okay there was that one guy but he’s a bad seed which is made very obvious) and all of a sudden she has one. I’m sorry but the ending hints of the pairing for the next book is just not gonna do it for me. Sure he was very nice, patient, and supportive of her but really. There isn’t many scenes of them together to establish much of a connection or personality. Not too mention the many other OBVIOUS variables that aren’t even alluded to (age gap, imbalanced positions of status and power, his previous background relationship that have a constant and pressing effect on any relationship he has in the present and future).

Okay maybe this wasn’t so short of a review but these are my thoughts. Some very good ideas and concepts in here that I think could’ve been developed from a different angle for better execution but this is a decent enough effort. I quite love Bea’s ability though, I think it’s really neat. There are some good scenes later on that kept me glued to the pages.

Very late but better late than never.

I want to thank Goodreads’s First Reads program for sending me the book. I would never have heard of or read this book without them.

Grade | B/B-

Mind the Gap (Volume 1: Intimate Strangers) by Jim McCann

Release Date | October 17, 2012

Where to Buy | amazon, barnes and noble, book depository

Premise | Elle Peterssen is young, wealthy, and beautiful - and there is a reason someone tried to kill her. Only, Elle doesn't remember any of this.

Mind the Gap, the new series by the Eisner Award-winning writer JIM McCANN (Return of the Dapper Men), is a mystery with a paranormal twist.

Elle, in a spirit form detached from her comatose body, must not only unravel the mystery of her attacker's identity and motive but her entire life as well.

Who can she trust, in both this word and in the gap she exists in that lies between life and death? Filled with twists and turns, Elle's life isn't the only one turned upside down by the attack on her life.

Deceit, secrets, and hidden agendas are everywhere in a story where everyone is a suspect, and no one is innocent.

Summary from Goodreads

Review | Wow, it’s been a really, really long time since I’ve reviewed a graphic novel which is strange since I’ve been on a graphic novel kick lately.

Mind the Gap has some great artistry. Nice use of colors, well drawn characters that are unique and distinctive from each other, and nice expression of emotion and atmosphere. Elle’s quest, confusion, and desire to regain control of her body and delving deep into her conscious as well as others was I thought the highlight of this story. The way both her external friends and her internal quest to solve and discover the mystery behind her condition and attack and the darker ministrations behind it.

There are a lot of characters that are introduced and those that you need to keep track of and I found myself getting confused trying to remember who was who, who was connected with who, and how people affected the narrative. Also, there are a lot of jump scenes from one character to another into many different situations that threw me out of the flow of the story.

However, even despite this, there were a large number of questions I had and not really any real clue who or what is the real nemesis of this story. Mind the Gap did have an intriguing beginning and I was very engrossed in the story.

Nice introduction to the series. I would pick up and read more. Recommend for someone who’s looking outside of the usual superhero or fantasy genres in the graphic novel category.

Grade | B/B+

Adaptation by Malinda Lo

Release Date | September 18, 2012

Where to Buy | amazon, barnes and noble, book depository

Premise | Reese can’t remember anything from the time between the accident and the day she woke up almost a month later. She only knows one thing: She’s different now.

Across North America, flocks of birds hurl themselves into airplanes, causing at least a dozen to crash. Thousands of people die. Fearing terrorism, the United States government grounds all flights, and millions of travelers are stranded.

Reese and her debate team partner and longtime crush David are in Arizona when it happens. Eve-ryone knows the world will never be the same. On their drive home to San Francisco, along a stretch of empty highway at night in the middle of Nevada, a bird flies into their headlights. The car flips over. When they wake up in a military hospital, the doctor won’t tell them what happened, where they are—or how they’ve been miraculously healed.

Things become even stranger when Reese returns home. San Francisco feels like a different place with police enforcing curfew, hazmat teams collecting dead birds, and a strange presence that seems to be following her. When Reese unexpectedly collides with the beautiful Amber Gray, her search for the truth is forced in an entirely new direction—and threatens to expose a vast global conspiracy that the government has worked for decades to keep secret.

Summary from Goodreads

Review | I finally read this book. I had borrowed it so many times before, read maybe a chapter or so, and then got sidetracked, put it down, or forgot about it and then had to return it. But aha! I’ve finished it! So now here’s my long overdue review.

So, science fiction, eh? A genre jump from the previous fantasy and fairy tale inspired stories from her other series. I have to say I think it was a successful one. I really loved how Lo implemented the science fiction aspects into her story. I thought they were worked in fabulously, building up great amounts of tension and suspense, as our main characters sought to understand what happened to them as well as what was going on in their world. I'm not entirely sure they were plausible, for me, anyway.

And, ooh, the characters. Reese and David are fun. Reese is a smart girl who is able to make her own decisions of what she wants to do and seeks helps from others when she needs it. She knows the limits of her abilities. David is the soft spoken quiet guy but he’s supportive and patient, and best of all, listens.

I loved that Lo had Reese as a bisexual characters as there are so few representations of it in literature, and well done ones too. Although, I’m not too sure Reese’s sudden feelings for Amber was all that organic as it happened much too quickly and Reese hadn’t shown much indication before that was interested in females. However, I loved the sexual tension and chemistry they had. All passion and feeling.

Malinda Lo’s writing has vastly improved from what I read from her before – Ash, was the book I believe. Her characters are lot better developed, her prose has become more polished, and she shows incredible control and skill over her plot and narrative. I especially loved the opening into the book. It sure had a tremendous hook – all action and questions, and craziness. Great stuff. Sure Adaptation had its flaws but what book doesn’t?

While not thoroughly convinced of the story and some mechanisms to get the plot rolling, I still enjoyed it. Have a try if you’re looking for a good LGBTQ book.

Grade | B