Review Comparison: The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

Review Comparison is a feature where I pull out the pros and cons of the book mentioned in my review and other bloggers' reviews.

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The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children. If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company. There are no strangers in the town of Near.

These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life. But when an actual stranger--a boy who seems to fade like smoke--appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true.

The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion. As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi's need to know-- about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy.

Part fairy tale, part love story, Victoria Schwab's debut novel is entirely original yet achingly familiar: a song you heard long ago, a whisper carried by the wind, and a dream you won't soon forget.

Click for my original review:

The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

The following bloggers kindly allowed me to include their reviews in this feature:

Read Me Bookmark Me Love Me: 5 of 5
Musings of a YA Reader: 4.5 of 5
Mindful Musings: 4 of 5 
Alison Can Read: 4 of 5
One Librarian's Book Reviews: 4 of 5
A Girl, Books and Other Things: 3 of 5
Bookworm1858: 2.5 of 5
Logan E. Turner: 2 of 5
Dreaming Dreams No Mortal Ever Dared
Everything To Do With Books 
Rainy Day Ramblings
Pica Reads
A Backwards Story
YA? Why Not?


Please click on the links to read their full reviews!

~Conclusions~

Reviewers were almost unanimous in their positive assessment of the writing, though some did not like it. Commentary on the writing style dominated most reviews.

Readers were also divided on the pacing, with some finding it too slow and difficult to get into and others stating they were sucked in immediately.

Main character Lexi was generally well liked, as were the supporting characters. Readers were again divided on the romance, though most liked the male lead.

~Writing, Pacing and Setting~

Writing:

• "...a creepy, Gothic setting with a dystopian-esque feel..." (Mindful Musings)
• "...my skin crawled from the creepiness of the descriptions." (A Backwards Story)
• "I loved the atmosphere of this fairy-tale story." (One Librarian's Book Reviews)

• "...[the writing] didn't strike me as anything special." (Bookworm1858)
• "...not a very plot-driven book...very atmospheric..." (Bookworm1858)

• "...beautifully written..." (Mindful Musings)
• "...an incredible writer. Her way with words is amazing." (Pica Reads)
• "...beautiful, full of stunning descriptions that make readers feel as thought they're actually there." (A Backwards Story)
• "...lyrical..." (Musings of A YA Reader)
• "The story is beautifully written and captivating." (YA? Why Not?)
• "The writing is absolutely beautiful, so evocative without being overly flowery." (A Girl, Books and Other Things)
• "...an elegant way of writing that I found beautiful and hypnotic." (Logan E. Turner)
• "Schwab's writing is dripping with detail, painting clear images in your mind, but without getting bogged down." (Logan E. Turner)
• "...beautiful, lyrical-literary quality...I was transported...the prose never overshadowed the story." (Alison Can Read)
• "...absolutely amazing and poetic writing style." (Everything To Do With Books)
• "...gorgeous...spellbinding and mesmerizing...honestly some of the most breathtaking and beautiful writing I have encountered." (Rainy Day Ramblings)
• "The writing was so beautiful and poetic...vivid descriptions...eerie and chilling tone." (Read Me, Bookmark Me, Love Me)

Pacing

• "...I didn't feel anything but boredom..." (Bookworm1858)
• "...the first 50 pages or so were slow to me." (Dreaming Dreams No Mortal Ever Dared)
• "...I did have [trouble] sticking to the story for long periods of time...I really had to push myself for a while." (A Girl, Books and Other Things)
• "...the story moved a bit slow for my tastes...the stakes never felt high enough for me to care about the outcome...I felt like I was fighting reading inertia, and that the more I read, the less I could actually continue to consume." (Logan E. Turner)
• "The story is somewhat slow and drags a little toward the end." (Rainy Day Ramblings)

• "The story was slow, but consistently held my attention." (Alison Can Read)
• "While not a fast-paced thriller, there is plenty of adventure...." (YA? Why Not?)
• "The pacing was steady--never brisk, but not slow either--with creeping tension building as the story progressed. The very beginning was a touch slow for me, but I was fully invested as soon as the children started disappearing." (Small Review)

• "...it kept me turning pages late into the night, and when I finally turned the lights out, I was kind of tempted to hide under the covers." (Mindful Musings)
• "From the first page, I was sucked into the gorgeous writing that creates each scene...intense" (One Librarian's Book Reviews)
• "...enthralling, drawing me in immediately and keeping me mesmerized until the very last page." (Read Me, Bookmark Me, Love Me)
• "Tightly plotted to slowly ratchet up the tension." (Musings of A YA Reader)
• "...builds at a steady pace, pulling readers in until it's impossible to put the book down." (A Backwards Story)
• "It starts off at a steady pace that kept me interested but then things started getting really intense and suspenseful and I was completely sucked into the story until the very last page." (Everything To Do With Books)
• "...sucked me in so completely...I couldn't put it down once I reached the climax..." (Pica Reads)
• "Tension is high with fear of the unknown, making the book impossible to put down." (Read Me, Bookmark Me, Love Me)

General

• "...creates her own folklore in a way that feels realistic...." (A Backwards Story)
• "...exquisite...with a fairytale-like quality." (Musings of A YA Reader)
• "...has a fairy tale quality..." (YA? Why Not?)
• "...the entire book feels like a fairy tale retelling." (Pica Reads)
• "It read like the fairytales of old." (Alison Can Read)
• "...an enchanting book that reads like an old fairy tale." (Rainy Day Ramblings)

• "...an amazing work of literary art." (Rainy Day Ramblings)
• "...left me breathless." (Read Me, Bookmark Me, Love Me)
• "...stoked my imagination, held my attention, and then left me with the satisfied sigh of a story well-told and neatly ended." (Small Review)
• "...a well-crafted, unique, and beautiful tale...[but] it fell a bit flat." (Logan E. Turner)

~Characters~

General:

• "I didn't feel any connection to the characters, to the plot, to the setting." (Bookworm1858)
• "I had a difficult time connecting with the characters...the atmosphere was so rich and so alive that I actually think it took away from the characters for me." (Small Review)

• "...all just so vivid in my mind's eye." (Musings of A YA Reader)

• "The interaction between the main character, Lexi, and her family was great." (Mindful Musings)
• "...I loved that [Lexi] had strong feelings about her younger sister..." (Bookworm1858)
• "...Wren - who made me smile from the start, she's such a well-written, adorable child." (A Girl, Books and Other Things)
• "Lexi's mom, she didn't play a big part in the book, but she was another favorite of mine." (Dreaming Dreams No Mortal Ever Dared)
• "I liked that Schwab took the time to develop the character of Lexi's mother." (Mindful Musings)

Lexi

• "Lexi is an admirable character, I guess. But she's so nondescript and typical of a YA heroine." (Bookworm1858)
• "Lexi's protective instinct didn't ring quite as true for me. I thought she was just nosy and curious." (Logan E. Turner)

• "So many times in YA books the girls of the story come off as weak, not Lexi, no way..." (Dreaming Dreams No Mortal Ever Dared)
• "I respected Lexi a lot as a character for not simply doing what she was told." (Mindful Musings)
• "I loved Lexi's character. She felt so real, with her own strengths and flaws...She seemed so rational...refreshing to read from her perspective." (Pica Reads)
• "I loved Lexi. She is persistent and brave...extremely well developed." (Alison Can Read)
• "I liked Lexi...she was the kind of person who always tried to do what was right and I admired that in her." (Everything To Do With Books)
• "I admired her strength and tenacity." (Rainy Day Ramblings)
• "Lexi is a brilliant protagonist as she is courageous, intelligent and not afraid to stand up for what she believes in and wants." (Read Me, Bookmark Me, Love Me)

~Romance~

• "I'd get caught up into Cole's windstorm any ole day!" (Dreaming Dreams No Mortal Ever Dared)
• "I absolutely adored Cole, he was mysterious and just really likable." (Everything To Do With Books)
• "I loved Cole without even knowing why." (Pica Reads)
• "Their romance was subtle yet sweet. I liked Cole very much...It's hard to put into words exactly what I liked about him. It was more of a feeling than anything else." (Alison Can Read)

• "I never fell in love with Cole, or even believed that Lexi truly had..." (Logan E. Turner)
• "I liked him as a character, but I didn't *love* him as a romantic interest...Since I didn't swoon for Cole, I found the romance distracting from the main mystery" (Small Review)
• "[Cole] remains in part, a mystery." (Rainy Day Ramblings)

• "...boy is it a good love story. It was developed perfectly at just the right pace, it made sense and wasn't instantaneous, the emotions between the two were realistic and the conflicts they faced were heart-wrenching..." (Read Me, Bookmark Me, Love Me)
• "...I actually liked Cole...but I felt that [the romance] fell victim to the stereotypical YA paranormal romance syndrome...developed a bit too quickly for my taste..." (Mindful Musings)
• "[Lexi] and Cole fell in love very quickly, much too fast for me to believe it was real." (One Librarian's Book Reviews)
• "The only thing I didn't like about The Near Witch was the romance...it seemed to come out of the blue and felt unbelievable to me." (Musings of A YA Reader)
• "...it bothered me that [Lexi] got so swept up in the new boy in town. I felt they had no chemistry." (Logan E. Turner)

~Ending~

• "The ending was pretty good, but what I didn't like was after all the build-up and the excellent story telling, it just kind of fell flat for me." (One Librarian's Book Reviews)
• "The ending felt a little abrupt...it leaves a few unanswered questions." (Rainy Day Ramblings)
• "..ended so perfectly and satisfyingly, the climax and conclusion executed very well. There were no abrupt endings, no empty feelings of incompleteness." (Read Me, Bookmark Me, Love Me)

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Cover Review: Daughter of the Forest

Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier

A little while ago I wrote a Spotlight List called Fantasy Authors I Should Have Read about fantastic fantasy authors I somehow (shamefully!) managed to have missed out on reading. This list included Juliet Marillier and many wonderful commenters raved about her book Daughter of the Forest. And I totally trust you. So much so, that I went and bought a copy when I saw it for sale.

But, of course, I still haven't read it! I wonder if part of that has to do with the fact that I kind of hate the cover. I'm sorry, but it's true! I've since read and loved Wildwood Dancing, so I'm pretty confident that I'll love Daughter of the Forest, but THAT COVER. Nope, I just don't like it.

You can click on all of these pictures to make them larger so you can get the full impact.

First, here it is in all it's glory:

I'm feeling a whole lotta meh. It's all washed out and faded looking. I'm totally superficial and I like shiny, bright new things. The colors on this cover make it look old and boring. I can almost smell that musty old book smell (which I hate, sorry), but this is an almost new and entirely musty-odor-free book.

I'm sorry to say, but the colors aren't the only thing working against it. Let's break it down and analyze all the pieces.

Swirly header/footer things:

These are good. I don't think you can ever really go wrong with swirly things on covers. They're just pretty. The colors here could use a boost of, well, color, but the swirlyness of it all still manages to score it some points. Yay for that.

Title treatment:

Things could be worse here. But they could also be a lot better. There are barely any swirls, which is an automatic point reduction. The D hardly counts. The rest of the font is just plain old whatever and while it doesn't score negative points, it isn't gaining any points either.

But what the heck is that F??? That's just a little too ye olde castle for my tastes. We're not in the 1980s anymore. Plus, it doesn't match....anything. This brings the title treatment to an overall NEGATIVE point score.

The swans:

Ok, so the colors are still pretty bleh here, but swans get automatic points because they're graceful and beautiful and next to ponies and unicorns they are practically the number one animal embodiment of princessy wonderfulness.

(Or, you know, magically cursed princes. Which is what that swan probably is, seeing how this is a Six Swans retelling). 

The girl:

Are you kidding me??? This is worth about a million negative points right here. I've said I can be superficial, right? Well, I am. This girl isn't ugly, but she sure isn't gorgeous either. And that hair! Honey, get yourself some frizz-controlling shampoo!

Oh, they don't have that in this world? You know what they do have? Magic. And if I had magic, you'd better believe I'd be using some of it on my own frizzy hair. 

And that "dress"! Sure we may be inundated with beautiful dresses on covers, and fine, maybe they are becoming a little trite. But you know what? They're pretty, and pretty trumps trite every time.

But does this girl have a pretty dress? Noooo, she has a sack. An ugly, drab, sack of a dress with unflattering folds and a weird shoulder covering thing. Fail.

(I don't care if she's focused on weaving painful nettle sweaters to save her brothers' swan-sucked souls. Can't she weave while wearing silk???)

So, what do you think about this cover?
Do you like it? Dislike it? 
Does it make you want to read the book, or are you totally superficial like me? 

(and, I know, I know, the book is much better than this awful cover would imply. Don't worry, I'm still going to read it. Someday.)

 

Interested in covers?
Be sure to check out another Cover Crazy post by Gina from My Precious.    Click here for more of my cover reviews!

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Book Review: Allegiance by Cayla Kluver

Allegiance by Cayla Kluver
Series: #2 in the Legacy series
Release Date: February 28, 2012
Publisher: HarlequinTeen
Pages: 512
Received: ARC from publisher, via NetGalley
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Yes, this is a sequel. I tried to avoid major spoilers and hide anything that might be spoilery, but you WILL get some spoilers for the first book. 

Want to read my review of Legacy instead?

Summary

From Goodreads:

Only I saw Narian for who he truly was: a young man with courage and an independent mind, and made to pay for what was outside his control. He couldn't help his past any more than he could help the way those intense, deep-blue eyes pierced me and held me captive.

An eighteen-year-old queen in love with the enemy as their countries pass the point of no return...

Bound to a man she cannot love, Queen Alera of Hytanica must forget Narian, the young man who holds her heart. For Narian is destined to conquer Hytanica at the behest of his master, the powerful magic-user known as the Overlord. Alera doesn't truly believe Narian will fight against Hytanica-until Cokyrian troops attack with Narian commanding the charge.

Faced with the greatest betrayal a heart can know, Alera must set aside personal feelings and lead her kingdom through its darkest time. And when all hope, will and courage seem lost, she must find strength and remember that even the blackest night must have a dawn....

Review

Did the writing improve?

Um, no.

The writing is pretty much exactly the same as the first book. Lots of useless information and sentences that say in twenty words what could easily have been said in ten. This frustrates me and I sigh about it an awful lot, but it's clearly not a dealbreaker for me since I keep reading these books. If you managed the writing in the first book, then you'll manage the writing in Allegiance.

Will I get to see a lot of Steldor?

YES! Sorry ladies, but if you're Team Narian, be prepared for a distinct LACK of Narian. He doesn't even appear in any significant role until the final showdown. But don't lose hope, your boy wins in the end. *grumble* (Read that spoiler if you want to know which guy wins the love triangle).

I loved it! (You may remember my hatred with the power of 1000 suns for Narian? Yeah, I didn't miss him very much). I am 100% Team Steldor and my appreciation for him only grew after Allegiance with everything he went through. He showed real maturity, putting his duty ahead of his personal wants and emotions. And oh my lord does that man have patience. I can't even count how many times I wanted to reach into the book and hug him and offer to be his queen instead of Alera.

Does London pull a disappearing act again?

London is always off doing something covert (and, really, don't his stealthy secret missions account for at least a quarter of his hotness?), but don't worry, he still gets a ton of page time.

When reading Legacy, I was really curious about London's mysterious past. Thankfully Cayla Kluver finally dished in Allegiance and I got all the dirty details. Rarely do Big Reveals like that meet my expectations, but I have to say this one satisfied me.

Do I have to suffer through long stretches of boredom?

Allegiance can be roughly divided into two parts. The first part is very similar in tone, style, and pacing to that of Legacy. The pacing was pretty slow and not much happened in terms of action. Mostly Alera pined for Narian, cursed Steldor, and tried to exercise her new role as queen with petulant attempts at independence. Blah, blah, blah, basically.

The funny thing is that I actually wasn't bored and I never considered DNF-ing. I would even go so far as saying I zipped through it. While it's true that not much actually happens and Alera continues to annoy me, the side characters are all wonderful.

Of course I also liked all the focus on Steldor. Not only that, but Cannan (Steldor's father) becomes a much more involved character and yet another contender for my heart.

The second part is where the action really picks up. I'm talking WAR. Yes!! I was positively giddy with this turn of events (even though it was all stupid Alera's stupid fault). Cayla Kluver did a fantastic job really driving home the bleakness and utter devastation of the war. She made me cry and rage and wail in despair that NO THAT CANNOT HAPPEN PLEASE NO!

She also took things in a direction I never expected and don't think I've ever seen an author take. That scored her major originality points. Seriously, I loved it.

The only thing that brought down all of this awesome was the fact that Alera was narrating. Now, this isn't ALL because I dislike Alera. The fact is, in her world women don't really do anything. At all.

So while all of the male characters (and my gosh, there was practically a harem of hot male characters getting all sexy and gorgeous with this whole war-torn-brothers-in-arms thing), I was stuck in Alera's useless head ineptly heating up porridge and feeling empowered because she hacked off her hair. She also sleeps a lot.

Whoop-de-do. I could have been in a battle! *STOMPS FOOT* I was SERIOUSLY gypped.

So what's up with the lower star rating?

Ugh, Alera.

Everything else I could give a pass, but Alera makes my stars shrivel up and die. I want to offer her a sleepover party invitation just so I can then snatch it back and dance around like a tiny little meanie gleefully crowing "SIKE! None for you! Hehe! None for you!"

She's just...she's dumber than a box of rocks, to put it mildly. And so totally childish. If she were the queen of my kingdom, I think I'd puke with fear. Every single bad thing that happens to her kingdom is the direct result of some utter piece of stupidity brought to them courtesy of Alera. And, of course, she doesn't see it AT ALL. She gets haughty and blames everyone else.

And did I mention she's selfish? Oh my word. While Steldor shoves aside almost every personal desire he harbors that may in some way conflict with his ability to properly run his kingdom, Alera does the complete opposite. All she ever thinks about is what SHE wants and how everyone should worship and obey HER and how she'd better get HER way or she'll do something even dumber than before.

Plus, the girl's priorities are all kinds of messed up. We're in the middle of WAR, tons of her countrymen dead, more dying, lots of very bad things happening, and what does she focus on? Whether or not Narian still loves her. Dude, REALLY??

Bottom line

If it weren't for Alera, I would Special Shelf this book. Cayla Kluver may take a while to tell her story, but what a story it is! That surprise twist in the latter half was fantastic. And the men. Oh my oh my, I can't even count how many attractive men there are in this book. That alone makes me want to read the final book.

About that third book. When I finished Allegiance I wasn't sure I wanted to continue on with the series. It ended really well and I couldn't imagine what would happen in the third book except a super annoying romance between Alera and Narian. *barf*

But then Cindy told me there was a prologue for book 3 included at the end of Allegiance and, after reading that prologue, I can't wait for book three! I'm even holding out a teeny tiny bit of hope that some of the guys will get a shot at narrating! (*please please please*)

Explanation of rating system: Star Rating Key 

Do you have any questions about Allegiance that I haven't addressed? 

Feel free to ask in the comments!

Add it to Goodreads

Buy it on Amazon

Have you read this book? What do you think about the characters? Who is your most hated book character ever?

If you've read Legacy, what do you hope happens in Allegiance?

Looking for another book like this? 

You might like: 

Click on the covers to go to my reviews.

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In My Mailbox (34)

In My Mailbox is a meme started by Kristi at The Story Siren with some inspiration from Alea of Pop Culture Junkie where we get to post about the books we receive each week through publishers/authors, our own purchases, contests won, and libraries.

This mailbox is for the past three weeks. 

Click here to see my previous mailboxes.  

For Review

The Classroom

by Robin Mellom

Release Date: June 19, 2012
Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Goodreads Page

I loved Robin Mellom's YA debut Ditched enough to auto-read whatever she writes next, and that appears to be a MG comedy! I'm really looking forward to reading more of Robin's humor. Even better, The Classroom stars a boy narrator!

There's also a "proud neurotic, in a color-coding sort of way," which, as a proud color-coding neurotic myself, pretty much seals the deal for me. 

Requested and received via NetGalley.

The Mapmaker and the Ghost

by Sarvenaz Tash

Release Date: April 24, 2012
Publisher: Walker Childrens
Pages: 256
Goodreads Page

I totally shouldn't have requested it (I have a...*cough*...somewhat lengthy review list), but I've been pining over this MG book for SO long!

Ever since my elementary school project on Lewis and Clark (which I ROCKED), I've had a soft spot for the exploring duo. Add in ghosts, maps, and a quest and is it any wonder I crossed my No More Requests line?

Requested and received via NetGalley.

Ordinary Magic

by Caitlen Rubino-Bradway

Release Date: May 8, 2012
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Pages: 256
Goodreads Page

I loved the "magic doesn't affect her" spell in The Wide-Awake Princess, so my ears perked up as soon as I saw that main character Abby is similarly unaffected by enchantments.

Also, some people whose opinions I value have had convincingly positive reactions so far, so I'm game. This is another MG book.

Requested and received via NetGalley.

Code Name Verity

by Elizabeth Wein

Release Date: May 15, 2012
Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children
Pages: 327
Goodreads Page

I was pretty resistant to this book for a while. Why? I don't know. It just felt...ok, I'll admit my complete and utter shallowness and say out loud that my brain went "Meh" as soon as I realized this was a book about the bonds of friendship between two women.

Where's the swoon in that?!

Also, I'm kinda WWII-ed out. I'm totally into historical fiction...right up until around the 1920s, and then my yawns start kicking in (which makes little sense since I'm all over historical NON-fiction about 1920s+).

BUT, have you seen the early reviews coming in about this book?! Holy moly they make it sound like Something Special, and I don't want to miss out on that.   

Requested and received via NetGalley.

Bourne
(River of Time 3.1)

by Lisa T. Bergren

Release Date: February 27, 2012
Publisher: Bergren Creative Group
Goodreads Page

Do I need to explain further? Let's just say there's a spot on the Special Shelf already reserved and I'd bet big bucks that it'll be filled by this hot little number.

Received from the author for obsessive fangirlling (er, that is, "for review")

The Academie

by Susanne Dunlap

Release Date: February 28, 2012
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Pages: 320
Goodreads Page

I'm not really one for bosom-oogling, but isn't that cover pretty? Susanne Dunlap's covers never fail to make me want to read her books. So why haven't I read one yet? I don't know. I'll remedy that soon, I promise.

What better place to start than with a boarding school book starring the daughters of two major historical players: Monroe--yay! and Napoleon--boo hiss! (Hey, I have a 19th century British Royal Navy history buff for a fiance. I can't be caught supporting Boney!)

Requested and received via NetGalley.

Monument 14

by Emmy Laybourne

Release Date: June 5, 2012
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Pages: 294
Goodreads Page

This sounds like The Breakfast Club meets the end of the world!

I love books like this! The idea of being trapped in a superstore and having to defend my fort and fight for survival is sort of a fantasy of mine (in that I don't actually want this to happen but it's really cool to imagine sort of way).

But...eh, these books almost always wimp out and become unrealistically tame. So I have to remind myself to stay cautious and don't get too excited. (Like that ever works.)

Requested and received via NetGalley.

The Book of Blood and Shadow

by Robin Wasserman

Release Date: April 10, 2012
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Pages: 432
Goodreads Page

Ok, I started this and then I DNF-ed about halfway through (and I'll explain why in a few weeks). But Leanna from Daisy Chain Book Reviews liked it a lot, so you might want to check out her review before taking my DNF too seriously.

Requested and received via NetGalley.

Monstrous Beauty

by Elizabeth Fama

Release Date: September 4, 2012
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Pages: 295
Goodreads Page

I like my mermaid stories to be uplifting and fun with sparkles and singing crabs, but Monstrous Beauty doesn't look very light-hearted, does it? It looks more like the luring sailors to their deaths via crashing waves and jagged rocks kind of mermaid tale. So why did I request it from NetGalley?

BECAUSE IT'S GOTHIC FICTION! Or at least it sure sounds like it fits the genre. A generational curse, strange deaths, family secrets, unraveling historical mysteries, romance, oh my!

The House of Velvet and Glass

by Katherine Howe

Release Date: April 10, 2012
Publisher: Hyperion
Pages: 432
Goodreads Page

This one is from Shelf Awareness. I snagged an ARC of this author's first book, but I still haven't read it and I think it's actually at my mother's house. This second book looks equally interesting with it's Gothic-mysteries-meets-the-Titanic plot.

I'm pretty sure this is an adult book.

Scary School

by Derek the Ghost

Release Date: June 21, 2011
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 237
Goodreads Page

I was pitched a review request by the author and after reading the blurb, I couldn't say no. It sounds like a sweet MG paranormal with a good dose of humor. The illustrations are an added bonus.

Bought

Graceling

by Kristin Cashore

Release Date: October 1, 2008
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Pages: 471
Goodreads Page

This book has the distinction of being the first book I bought in Austin! (or, more accurately, Round Rock). I finished the book I brought with me, and while I had loaded up my computer with a bunch of galleys, I wanted an actual physical book to read when I wasn't sitting in my hotel room.

I went to The Book Spot, which is awesome (she has dogs in there!) and restrained myself (mostly) in the face of a TON of tempting books. I ended up picking Graceling because 1) It was on sale!, 2) I've been meaning to read it for forever, and 3) It was long and a standalone so I figured it would hold me for a while and wouldn't leave me ripping out my hair to find out what would happen next. Mission accomplished on all counts and review to come.

Search for Senna
Inside the Illusion

by K. A. Applegate

Series: Everworld
Release Date: 1999-2001
Publisher: Scholastic
Goodreads Page

I am so desperately in love with this series! I own most of the books, but I was missing three and they are out of print so I was sort of despairing about ever getting a complete set. The Book Spot gets my eternal gratitude for carrying two of the three books I was missing! Yay! Bonus: They're in pristine condition.

The Last Battle of the Icemark

by Stuart Hill

Series: The Icemark Chronicles
Release Date: July 7, 2008
Publisher: Chicken House
Pages: 519
Goodreads Page

I read the first book (hmm...still haven't gotten around to posting that review. Sorry! Will do, erm, sometime), and I liked it well enough to pick up this book (third in the series) when I saw it on sale for fifty cents. Mine is missing the dust jacket, but given that cover, I'm not too broken up about it.

Gifted

Betraying Season

by Marissa Doyle

Release Date: September 29, 2009
Publisher: Henry Holt
Pages: 330
Goodreads Page

RUBY!!! Thank you for this surprise! (Unless, was this not a surprise and I am just totally forgetful??)

The first book in the series (Bewitching Season) is one of my favorites, and though I've heard the sequel isn't as good, I kinda don't care so long as I can stare at that pretty cover. Plus, I have to prep for the third book, which I'm super excited about!

What did you get this week? Are you interested in reading any of these books? What did you think of them if you've read them already?

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Book Review: Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters by Meredith Zeitlin

Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters
Release Date: March 1, 2012
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
Pages: 288
Received: ARC from publisher
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Summary

From Goodreads:

Kelsey Finkelstein is fourteen and FRUSTRATED. Every time she tries to live up to her awesome potential, her plans are foiled – by her impossible parents, her annoying little sister, and life in general. But with her first day of high school coming up, Kelsey is positive that things are going to change. Enlisting the help of her three best friends — sweet and quiet Em, theatrical Cass, and wild JoJo — Kelsey gets ready to rebrand herself and make the kind of mark she knows is her destiny.

Things start out great - her arch-nemesis has moved across the country, giving Kelsey the perfect opportunity to stand out on the soccer team and finally catch the eye of her long-time crush. But soon enough, an evil junior’s thirst for revenge, a mysterious photographer, and a series of other catastrophes make it clear that just because KELSEY has a plan for greatness… it doesn’t mean the rest of the world is in on it.

Review

Sleepover party!

Reading Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters was like meeting up with a BFF after a year-long separation and reconnecting again at a marathon sleepover party. Kelsey's voice was so real that it felt like I was listening to a friend chat about her freshman year experiences.

Because of this chatty writing style, everything went down super easy and my reading never really dragged. This was good, because otherwise the episodic nature of the plot might have felt a little slow (and you know my LOW tolerance for slooooow plots).

There isn't really any kind of major climax or story arc to keep the plot moving forward. Instead, Kelsey's voice--which is a perfect blend of "real teen" and "hilarious running commentary"--was the main hook for me that kept me turning the pages.

I'm issuing the "Don't Read in Public" warning due to excessive laughter

Even though Major Events weren't really happening, there was still a lot going on. This is a Normal Teen Issues kind of book, so think things like awkward first kisses and having to play a really embarrassing part in the school play (to EPIC results).

Kelsey started out the book with high hopes for her freshman year, but none of them panned out quite how she planned. Mostly it was one disaster after another, and while part of me totally sympathized with her teen plights (I've so been there *groan*), the rest of me was laughing hysterically--and very much out loud--at her misfortunes.

It wasn't even like there were a few really funny scenes. It was more like a bunch of big laugh out loud scenes peppered between lots of chuckling throughout the whole book because pretty much everything Kelsey says is funny.

Kelsey is more than just a funny voice

I started out thinking the book was pretty good, but also pretty surface level. Kelsey seemed like a mouthpiece for funny comments, but she didn't seem to have much depth to her. But, this changed the more I read. I found myself liking Kelsey more and more as her personality became more distinct.

I admired Kelsey's attempts to distinguish herself during her freshman year, but even more, I admired her tenacity and "roll with the punches" attitude when her plans started to go awry.

Kelsey easily could have gotten mired in "whiny teen" (which would have been totally annoying) but instead she rose to the occasion with an understandable groan and a good dose of humor. I even found myself channeling Kelsey's attitude when things in my own life didn't go quite as planned.

Bottom line

Not only does Kelsey have a permanent invite to my sleepover party, but any book Meredith Zeitlin writes next is going on my auto-read list (meaning, I don't care what the blurb says, I'm reading that sucker).

I am also ordering a copy of Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters for my library where I will place it in the hands of every teen girl who enters the building.

Explanation of rating system: Star Rating Key 

Do you have any questions about Freshman Year and Other Unnatural Disasters that I haven't addressed? 
Feel free to ask in the comments!

Still not convinced? Check out Meredith's interview!
(Mentions of Patrick Verona and Jace Wayland inside)

Add it on Goodreads!
Buy it from your preferred bookseller!

Looking for another book like this? 

You might like: 

Click on the covers to go to my reviews.

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Author Interview: Meredith Zeitlin

Please Welcome Meredith Zeitlin!

Meredith Zeitlin debuted this month with her beyond hilarious book Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters. If you're ever in need of a good laugh, seriously, read this book. It's filled with all of those awful teen situations that are totally familiar and make me cringe (awkward kisses! embarrassing everything!), but it also made me get sort of nostalgic about my own teen years.

Meredith was kind enough to stop by today to dish about cute snarky guys and the best school play scene ever, among other very important topics. 

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Q: Which one of your characters would you most want to kiss?

A: Oh, definitely Ben. He's so snarky and sure of himself... and he has those twinkly dark eyes...

Q: Which one of your characters do you most want to slap or give a verbal tongue lashing to?

A: There are a few contenders, but I think Julie Nelson is the winner. She's always nasty for no good reason and could use a major takedown. (I'd also wax her scary eyebrows while I was at it – which would be both very nice of me and satisfying at the same time.)

Q: If you were transported into your book, which scene would you most want to reenact?

A: I'd have to pick the final performance of the school play, but I'd want to be an audience member so I could watch and enjoy (insert evil laughter here). I certainly wouldn't want to be one of the actors!

Q: Which one of your character’s brains would you want to pick the most?

A: These are hard questions! I think... Lexi's. She's the kind of girl I desperately wanted to be when I was fourteen (and still do, sometimes) and never was. It'd be interesting to see what really goes on in her head - what it feels like to be perfect (or have everyone think you are, anyway).

Q: Which scene do you think will surprise readers the most?

A: Hmmm... maybe the Halloween party? Or the Foreign Scarves concert... Kelsey ends up getting some big surprises in those scenes, and hopefully readers will be imagining themselves in her shoes.

Q: What is one piece of advice you would give your main character?

A: Not to take things so seriously, because it's all gonna work out okay. Well... sort of.

Readers should add FRESHMAN YEAR & OTHER UNNATURAL DISASTERS to their To Be Read list if they like...

Books about:
     Embarrassing families, high school hijinks, soccer seasons, theatre geekdom, first kisses, prom nightmares, changing friendships, evil upperclassmen, NYC, funny misadventures

Books/movies like:
     Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging, Pretty In Pink, The Princess Diaries, anything Judy Blume

Main characters like:
     Angela Chase (My So-Called Life), Georgia Nicholson, Margaret Simon, Clary Fray, Samantha Baker (16 Candles)

Romantic leads like:
     Patrick Verona (10 Things I Hate About You), Jace Wayland

About Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters:

Kelsey Finkelstein is fourteen and FRUSTRATED. Every time she tries to live up to her awesome potential, her plans are foiled – by her impossible parents, her annoying little sister, and life in general. But with her first day of high school coming up, Kelsey is positive that things are going to change. Enlisting the help of her three best friends — sweet and quiet Em, theatrical Cass, and wild JoJo — Kelsey gets ready to rebrand herself and make the kind of mark she knows is her destiny.

Things start out great - her arch-nemesis has moved across the country, giving Kelsey the perfect opportunity to stand out on the soccer team and finally catch the eye of her long-time crush. But soon enough, an evil junior’s thirst for revenge, a mysterious photographer, and a series of other catastrophes make it clear that just because KELSEY has a plan for greatness… it doesn’t mean the rest of the world is in on it.

Kelsey’s hilarious commentary throughout her disastrous freshman year will have you laughing out loud—while being thankful that you’re not in her shoes, of course…

Author bio:

Meredith Zeitlin is a writer and voiceover artist who lives in Brooklyn with two adorable feline roommates. She also writes a column for Ladygunn Magazine, changes her hair color every few months, and has many fancy pairs of spectacles.

In case you're wondering whether any of Kelsey's experiences are based on Meredith's own, the answer is NO WAY. When she was fourteen, Meredith looked and behaved perfectly at all times, was never in a single embarrassing situation, and always rode to school on her very own unicorn.

Thank you so much for stopping by, Meredith!

Meredith is so spot on with the Patrick Verona (10 Things I Hate About You) and Jace Wayland comparisons! 

As for all of Meredith's other responses, it's like she's reading my mind! I totally want to pick Lexi's brain (I love her!), wax Julie's eyebrows (ugh, hate her!), and kiss Ben (so swoony!). And that school play? Funniest. Scene. EVER. I had to put my book down for a minute just so I could sit an laugh at the mental image Meredith created.

Have you read Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters?
How would you answer these questions?
(Remember, no spoilers please!)

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Small News: I'm back!

I missed you all so much!
*hugs*

Now that I'm back, I can spill the beans on where I've been.

I was driving from New York to Austin, Texas and signing a lease on a new apartment! So, if you're anywhere near the Austin area (I'll be north west of the city) and want to grab a cup of coffee (or ice cream, chocolate, cookies--I'm flexible!) and talk books, please shoot me an email!

I'll be spending the next month and a half packing up the rest of my stuff (erm, mostly more books) and then I'll be road tripping it back to Texas in late April. I have posts scheduled and I'll be around commenting here and on your blogs, though probably not as often as I'd like.

Thank you so, so much for all of your comments and emails while I was away! I really thought I would have better internet access while I was away, but sadly I did not. I have over 5,000 emails waiting in my inbox! I'm slowly but surely making my way through all of them (so if I haven't responded yet, I'm totally not ignoring you! I promise!)

My Google Reader is also extremely scary right now, so I'm taking my tried and true approach to stress and doing the Google Reader equivalent to sticking my fingers in my ears and saying lalalalala I can't hear you! (Which is to say, I'm marking everything as "read.")

So if you have written an unbelievably fantastic post, bit of news, cover reveal, etc. that I absolutely cannot miss out on reading, please feel free to link to it in the comments! (Like, um, I hear J.K. Rowling is writing another book?! See what I miss out on when I go away!?)

Also, the review comparison for The Near Witch will post later this month (I intended to post it while I was road tripping, but I was foiled again by that pesky lack of internet) and I've bumped the review comparison for The Goddess Test to April. I hope that doesn't inconvenience anyone who submitted their review!

I'll try to get together some pictures and gush a little about my very first real live road trip (um, SO different from the books!), but I first need to unpack my bags and tackle those 5,000+ emails...


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