The Failing Hours by Sara Ney | I'm... Kind of So-So About It?

The Failing Hours by Sara Ney

How To Date A Douchebag #2
Date Read: Feb 11 to 12, 2018

First Published: 2017

Kindle

New Adult, Romance

Rating:

Re-Readability:

Zeke Daniels isn't just a douchebag; he's an a**hole.

A total and complete jerk, Zeke keeps people at a distance. He has no interest in relationships—most a**holes don’t.

Dating?
Being part of a couple? Nope. Not for him.
He's never given any thought to what he wants in a girlfriend, because he's never had any intention of having one. Shit, he barely has a relationship with his family, and they're related; his own friends don’t even like him.

So why does he keep thinking about Violet DeLuca?
Sweet, quiet Violet—his opposite in every sense of the word.
The light to his dark, even her damn name sounds like rays of sunshine and happiness and shit.
And that pisses him off, too.

So, I'm kind of torn when it comes to this book.

On the one hand; I really did like Zeke and Violet's relationship. I like Zeke's character development and the way he goes from someone who won't let other people like him to someone who people can love and appreciate. I liked how Violet demanded his respect and overcome her fears throughout the novel.

These two were a fun couple to follow, as I truly felt like they made each other better, different as they may be.

That being said. THAT BEING SAID. There were a lot of things I was iffy about.

First of all, I found myself wanting Ney to explore more of the things she set up in this book, same as I did in the first one.

Like the kids. The kids are such a great addition to the story, yet Ney barely uses them at all. They are something clearly added just to allow Violet and Zeke to interact more, and that sucked. Where are the adorable bonding scenes? Where are the small things that make Zeke love his little guy, and the little guy return in kind? They were so few and far between that I barely felt them, and so when the book told me at the end about Kyle and Zeke's relationship, I mostly scratched my head wondering why, again, all those great things apparently happened off page.

Then, I wanted Zeke's "friends" to recognize what is hidden under the surface the way James, an outsider, was able to perceive. I wanted them to realize their mistake about him, and to stop acting like the dude had no soul.

I wanted to hear more of Zeke's and Violet's backgrounds since that was another interesting topic that was barely touched upon, outside of the generic "that's why he/she has issues" bits.

And I wanted to see the outcomes of Zeke's various good deeds, especially Brandon's case.

As you can tell, there is a lot of "want" attached to this book.

An even bigger issue I had is of Ney's definition of friendship because holly hell I feel like Zeke's friends suck. Which is a shame because the biggest sucky of them all is Oz, and I really liked him in book one. Anyways, they pissed me so bad with their bad friendship and the way they somehow shifted the blame solely on Zeke for all of it.

*Mark the spoilers with the mouse to see them!*
**Profane language included because I feel really, really strongly about this rant**

SPOILER

Like, I literally wanted to choke Oz there at the end. There he is, pressing all of Zeke's buttons. Nettling him and doing it in front of someone Zeke doesn't trust. When he KNOWS Zeke. He knows that his defense mechanism is to become all dismissive and callous since we have seen that happen multiple times throughout the book.

And yet. AND YET. Oz does so anyway, and then Zeke does what Zeke always does and Oz has the gall to act surprised? To reprimand Zeke for it and pretend as if he had absolutely nothing to do with the situation? When he has absolutely no right to act disgusted?

All Oz had to do is fucking leave well enough alone. That's it. Those two would have not only started dating for realzies, but they would have reached the L word all on their own in no time, seeing how close Zeke already was to voice that thought.

Like, seriously, give me a break, motherfucker. Learn to treat yo friends better; real friends help each other succeed, not tear each other down and make them fail!

How is this book praising and hailing Oz as this great friend?? His actions are those of a frienemy at best. It's either that, or he doesn't get Zeke at all, in which case start making a real effort you fucker or take your toxic attitude someplace else.

My god!

END SPOILER

Oh, and can I also take a moment to rant about that Coach? Like, why is this person represented as the good role model for these kids? All he says to Zeke is filled with this undercurrent of resenting Zeke's wealth. Well, screw that! The fact someone has money doesn't mean he hasn't experienced hardships, only that his hardships may not have been the same as yours. And Coach knows of Zeke's issues. Knows of them and still acts like that towards him.

His actions themselves are good, as they are forcing Zeke out of his own head, forcing him to help others, and that in turn helps him slowly let go of some of his issues. But the dialogue. MY GOD, THE DIALOGUE. It had my blood boiling in rage and my hands itching to slap him, long before I even gave a damn about Zeke.

Again, it's the whole concept of someone being mean and egging Zeke instead of showing him that he has someone in his corner who cares, and who won't just give up on him.

Am I the only one who felt this way about these things? Did I imagine it? Am I crazy???

I don't really know, and I don't really care. Everyone in this kind of pissed me off is the moral of this segment. 

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews | Relationship Status: It's Complicated!

Me and Early and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
Date Read: Jan 7 to 12, 2018

First Published: 2012

Kindle

Young Adult, Contemporary
Rating:

Re-Readability:

Greg Gaines is the last master of high school espionage, able to disappear at will into any social environment. He has only one friend, Earl, and together they spend their time making movies, their own incomprehensible versions of Coppola and Herzog cult classics.
Until Greg’s mother forces him to rekindle his childhood friendship with Rachel.
Rachel has been diagnosed with leukemia—-cue extreme adolescent awkwardness—-but a parental mandate has been issued and must be obeyed. When Rachel stops treatment, Greg and Earl decide the thing to do is to make a film for her, which turns into the Worst Film Ever Made and becomes a turning point in each of their lives.
And all at once Greg must abandon invisibility and stand in the spotlight.

RELATIONSHIP STATUS: IT'S COMPLICATED 

It really, really is. When I started out Me and Earl and the Dying Girl I genuinely had so much fun with it, and I was absolutely certain I'm going to continue laughing out-loud until the final page and be blown away. Instead, I slowly stopped laughing, until at the very end I was just relieved it was finally over. 

The thing is, this book's biggest strength is also its biggest weakness. At least for me.

The big, loud charm of this book is it's messed up writing style; a mashup of a lot of things, concepts and ideas, in a very authentic manner to what a teenager who is not even very interested in writing a book might do...  which, let's face it, Greg is. It's quirky, unique, and fun. For about the first 50%.

But then, because this is the approach this book takes, it kind of made it a structural mess with no actual plot in sight. For me, who is a plot-driven reader, this made things kind of... difficult. It was hard to invest a lot of time at once in this book's world because I had nothing to anchor myself to. No questions I needed answered or a sense of wondering what are the things to come.

So my first struggle with it was actually reading it instead of just meandering about.

My second struggle was actually enjoying the read once I've decided to get my shit together and properly read it. There is something about actually sitting down and spending two hours straights in Greg's mind that just makes you realize how... this book talks about nothing. And even then, it kind of takes really long to say that it has nothing to say. 

I have read the epilogue, and I still don't know if this book had something to say to me, or if, just as Greg basically tells the reader at the beginning, there is nothing there. So, in big doses, you just kind of start to wonder... why? what's the point of all this?

Not to mention, around the 50% mark, the shine of the concept just... wore off. It totally did. Greg is not a great person. He's not. He's judgmental and weird and interprets life in such a strange way. And while at first, it was delightful, and I laughed at his antics and style, by the end I just didn't enjoy being in his head, no matter the weird side thoughts, script format, bullet points, or whatever new thing he came up with. It just stops being funny.

Now, Me and Earl often resorts to crass jokes and vulgar language. I admit this is not the type of humor I normally enjoy, and after 50% of the novel, I was over it. Completely. Like, I get it. It fits the character that is Greg, and he is the one writing the story. But.. it got annoying. He got annoying. The repetition got annoying; how many times can I read about someone calling themselves stupid, or unable to accept a compliment or filled with the need to fill the silence, before I just kind of want to strangle you so you'd shut up?

Oh, and can we talk about his dumb and stupid jokes and why the hell everyone is laughing at them?? While his narration is often hilarious, the jokes Greg tell out loud baffled me, mostly because they're successful. Like, wtf? I don't know what you Americans find funny, but none of that shit would fly in my high school. I guess I should at least be thankful Greg is self away of this, to a point.

Speaking of which... The character of Greg is really odd. In most cases when people think one thing and do another, it's for the worse. In Greg's case, he thinks terrible things but does really nice things, even if for all the wrong reasons.

But I'm not sure if that's because that's who he is, or because he is a caricature of sorts, same as all the other people in this novel. Every character is defined by maybe one or two traits, and that's basically what that person is for the rest of the novel - Hot, Smart, Sick, Crazy, Goth, etc. And most of it is hecka exaggerated, especially the way teenage boys think and act. I mean, my brother is in that Phase right now. I'm living this shit.

Now, this makes sense. A teenage is writing this story, and sometimes, especially as self-absorbed teens, people aren't really people. They're That or This or Whatever. That being said, I kind of hoped Greg would stop seeing them like that at some point, but that didn't really happen. I guess if it did, then this novel would have something to say and that's a no-no.

Okay. So, basically, even though a lot of my problems make sense in the context of the premise, it wasn't enough for me. Being UNIQUE is not enough to be GOOD. Being INTERESTING is not enough to equate IMPORTANT. And so, even though I wish my reading experience had stayed constantly in the great zone, it didn't.

I needed more; more SUBSTANCE, more PLOT, more of a REASON to the entirety of it. 

And yes, sure. The point is that there is no point, but that's just not the type of story I can connect to. It's entirely on me, but it's also the way things just are. 

Kiss of Crimson by Lara Adrian | Book Review

Kiss of Crimson by Lara Adrian

Midnight Breed #2

First Published: 2007

Library

Adult, Paranormal Romance
Rating:

Re-Readability:

He comes to her more dead than alive, a towering black-clad stranger riddled with bullets and rapidly losing blood. As she struggles to save him, veterinarian Tess Culver is unaware that the man calling himself Dante is no man at all, but one of the Breed, vampire warriors engaged in a desperate battle. In a single erotically charged moment Tess is plunged into his world—a shifting, shadowed place where bands of Rogue vampires stalk the night, cutting a swath of terror.
Haunted by visions of a dark future, Dante lives and fights like there is no tomorrow. Tess is a complication he does not need—but now, with his brethren under attack, he must shield Tess from a growing threat that includes Dante himself. For with one reckless, irresistible kiss, she has become an inextricable part of his underworld realm…and his touch awakens her to hidden gifts, desires, and hungers she never knew she possessed. Bonded by blood, Dante and Tess must work together to thwart deadly enemies, even as they discover a passion that transcends the boundaries of life itself….

A small confession: I usually give a series somewhere around two to three books to impress me, if the series is of the intertwined standalones verity, for the simple reason that one couple/protagonist may not be my favorite, but another might be.

So it's always somewhat of a trial and error process to figure out if it was these set of characters I didn't like, or the authors storytelling (although, sometimes it's fairly obvious).

Kiss of Midnight, the first of the Midnight Breed series, was an underwhelming experience for me, especially considering the hype surrounding this paranormal series. But, this being a series of standalones, I gave it another chance... only to be disappointed again.

It's fair to say I will not be reading another book in the Midnight Breed world.

The one word that pops to my head when I think Kiss of Crimson is "meh". It was an okay story, for the most part. A fast, mindless read to pass time with that I can barely remember now, two years later. But I will give these books that - they are readable. So if you're looking for something that won't demand too much of you... pick them up.

My biggest issue with this book (and the likes of it) is the romance itself, and this being a paranormal romance... it's a pretty big deal. But I never understood Tess and Dante's love. It came about too quickly, with the physical element of it happening too fast for my liking. The startling "you're my life" type of declarations sprang out of nowhere, considering neither could name the other's favorite color to save their lives, not to mention anything more fundamental than that.

I find it really hard to swallow romances where it feels like if you were to ask our two main characters to describe each other, they won't be able to fill up more than two sentences. This isn't love - it could be attraction or infatuation or even in lust, but not in love.

Therefore, I simply didn't believe their love. And that kind of means I didn't believe the story, period.

This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer | Book Review

This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Last Survivors #3

First Published: 2010

Kindle

Young Adult, Dystopia

Rating: 
Re-Readability: 

It’s been a year since a meteor collided with the moon, catastrophically altering the earth’s climate. For Miranda Evans, life as she knew it no longer exists. Her friends and neighbors are dead, the landscape is frozen, and food is increasingly scarce.
The struggle to survive intensifies when Miranda’s father and stepmother arrive with a baby and three strangers in tow. One of the newcomers is Alex Morales, and as Miranda’s complicated feelings for him turn to love, his plans for his future thwart their relationship. Then a devastating tornado hits the town of Howell, and Miranda makes a decision that will change their lives forever.

First and foremost, let me say this - The World We Live In is not a bad novel by any stretch of imagination. But out of the four books in the Last Survivors saga, it's the one for which I have the most complaints. Mostly because it started so good.

Right from the get go, I loved being back in Miranda's mind. It felt like - yes, this is what I was missing in the last book. The thing that makes Miranda so attractive as a character to me is that, while she lives in a post-apocalyptic universe that forced her to grow up too fast... she's still a teenager - she still throws tantrums, she still gets angry for stupid reasons, she still feels jealous and irrational and all those things that come with being a teen. That is so real and captivating to me, because this is a character that started out in a normal world, and you can't un-learn or un-know all these things.

So it was off to a fantastic start, especially since the meeting and the beginning interactions between Miranda and Alex (and Julie) were pleasantly satisfying. I enjoyed the antagonistic relationship that developed between the two, especially because I honestly find the two of them to be such different people with Alex not being the easiest person to fall in love with, so it couldn't possibly have gotten down any other way.

Not to mention, Alex seems intent on making the worst impression possible in this novel. He's highhanded, stubborn, righteous and borderline jerk-ish. Especially now when we don't get any insight into his mind to soften his manner, and Alex is a pretty introverted.

So, yeah. Off to a wonderful start, with all the new characters joining the Evans household being interesting in their own right. So where did things go wrong? Simple - the INSTA LOVE.

Yes, this needed caps lock. God dammit, why did it have to rear it's ugly head in these novels?! And not one case of it... but two? Jeez. I ended up shipping Peter and Laura (Miranda's mother and her boyfriend) in book one ten times more than I ever did Alex and Miranda or Syl and Matt because it was far more based and made more sense than these two relationships ever did!

I understand searching companionship and comfort in such desperate times that you would be attracted to anyone who might give you that and not waste time about it. I get it. In fact, if any novel world could pull off insta love, it would be this one... except it didn't.

These people had no chemistry whatsoever. It was so perplexing to find them together and attracted to one another. That's never a good response to a book couple. But then there is also the element of them claiming they know each other better than anyone... when they really, really don't. I don't mind you starting to date. I could deal with the abrupt and unfathomable change from hating each other to eating each other's faces, for the reasons I mentioned before. But don't pretend you know each other. Don't tell me you're in love, because kissing does not equal love. Not when you failed to show me that in any other scene.

I wanted to ship this couple so very much. I've waited for their romance since I learned books one and two intersect in this way. We don't always get what we want.

And then... the ending happened. It kind of felt like Pfeffer suddenly remembered this was a post-apocalyptic, unstable, unfair world, and some bad shit had to go down and people had to die. So she went through all the natural disasters to find one she hadn't used and sicced it on our characters.

Now to clarify... I don't resent this happening. I'm okay with the meaningless deaths because the whole point of this novel, judging by the title, is "the world we live in". And... that's the kind of world they live in. It just kind of came out of nowhere, giving me whiplash. And I kind of, sort of, resent who she chose to kill. I don't want any of them dead, but a few are crueler than the other... and she sure chose the cruelest one.

Christmas From Hell by R.L. Mathewson | Book Review

Christmas From Hell by R.L. Mathewson

Neighbor from Hell #7

First Published: 2015

Kindle

Adult, Contemporary Romance

Rating: 

Re-Readability: 

Duncan Bradford is used to putting other people first even the annoying little jinx that lives next door, but when the unexpected happens and he starts to see her in a whole new light, he decides that it's time that he acts more like a Bradford and takes what he wants.

By the end of The Game Plan, I was actually really interested in Duncan Bradford, the Bradford to drop anything and uproot himself to take care of his injured brother. This was so sweet and unexpected, especially since The Game Plan doesn't feature Duncan all that often, that I was immediately ready for his book.

Luckily, it was out.

Annnnnnnnnnnd... it was utterly forgettable.

I remember... I remember not being impressed. I remember.... I remember not liking Duncan all that much (oh, man! Really?? I was so looking forward to this!). I remember... she was accident prone? And he was mostly over her shit? Oh, and she baked! I remember that! And... Er... Er....

DID I REALLY READ THIS JUST TWO MONTHS AGO?? What is going on? Where did everything go? I just wrote three reviews about the rest of the series, even books I read after this one, and I can't recall almost anything from this one? Jesus. Maybe I just imagined I read this? Goodreads says I did, and so does Kindle, but maybe there're all wrong.

There is no way this book, about a character I was so looking forward, ended up being so mediocre my brain disposed of the information when I closed it. No way.

.... Right?

Technically, this is not really a review, but no one can convince me a book being this forgettable doesn't say a lot about the book in question, and its quality. No one. I honestly debated about the rating for this one a lot because apparently I gave this one four stars initially (or so Goodreads said), but then I looked at it after reading the eighth novel and I was certain I had meant to give it three, and now it feels like even three might be half a star too much. idk.

Double Dare by R.L. Mathewson | Book Review

Double Dare by R.L. Mathewson

Neighbor from Hell #6

First Published: 2015

Kindle

Adult, Contemporary Romance

Rating: 

Re-Readability: 

Marybeth still couldn’t believe that she’d survived this long with a friend like Darrin, but somehow she’d managed to beat the odds and not give in to temptation and smother him with a pillow while he slept.
Of course some days were more difficult than others…
For twenty years he’s been biding his time, waiting for the right moment to make his move and now that it was here…
He couldn’t seem to stop screwing up.

Oh no. This was my least favorite NFH book thus far.

One of the main things I love about the NFH series is how much damn fun it is. Every book is hilarious, with physical comedy, witty back-and- forths, and most importantly... almost no angst. All books need to have their "dramatic moments", but they tend to end quickly and efficiently in this series. Just like I love them to.

But no, not in this one.

This is the only  NFH novel where the main duo is already a closeted couple at the beginning of the novel... and herein lies it's problem, I think. Normally, Mathewson does such a fantastic job illustrating to us how two people move from contemplating to murder one another to passionately in love in a way that is absolutely delightful.

But in Double Dare, we have two people who are already in love... but aren't together properly. Because... reasons *ceue in drama. An endless stream of drama.*

While Mathewson had a plausible reason for why this couple is not together, she just didn't pull it off all that well. Instead of understanding the characters' plight, I was mostly annoyed with Merybeth's bullshit and wishing she'd cut it off by at least a half.

Maybe if Darrin and Merybeth stopped changing their minds every five seconds, maybe if they'd decide to be together and just be together, maybe if every moment of happiness wasn't followed by we can't be together...

Maybe then this novel would've been as enjoyable as the rest of the installments in the series. But it wasn't, so.... 

Book Review: Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

The Twilight Saga #3

First Published: 2007

Paperback

Young Adult, Fantasy

Rating:

"BELLA?"
Edward's soft voice came from behind me. I turned to see him spring lightly up the porch steps, his hair windblown from running. He pulled me into his arms at once, just like he had in the parking lot, and kissed me again.
This kiss frightened me. There was too much tension, too strong an edge to the way his lips crushed mine - like he was afraid we had only so much time left to us.
--
As Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob - knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella has one more decision to make: life or death. But which is which?
Readers captivated by Twilight and New Moon will eagerly devour Eclipse, the much-anticipated third book in Stephenie Meyer's riveting vampire love saga.

Edward's back, Bella is still dependent on others but in a less pathetic manner and all is well with the world again! Well, except.... we still have that annoying love triangle. 

Eclipse was a lot better than New Moon plot-wise, no contest, but that doesn't mean I didn't wish Jacob was erased from the equation. At the very least on the love front. I detest love-triangles. 90% of the time, they ruin my enjoyment of the romance in a book.

And in Eclipse it's especially grating, because Twilight started off as basically the ultimate love story between Edward and Bella. I was behind these two as a couple 100% in book one. But now, how do you expect me to believe they share a pure and deep love if Bella herself doesn't seem so sure of that? In fact, she is so unsure she falls for another guy!

Speaking of Bells, I hoped this book would redeem her to me. It doesn't. For a girl who gave up living when her boyfriend left she is very... fickle. Also, Eclipse emphasizes Bella's most defining feature - she is useless. In the first book, I admired her courage despite this. By the third book, I'm mostly exasperated that her only course of action is sacrifice.

Moving on to Edward. He's better than he was in New Moon, granted, but at this point I feel like I love him more out of loyalty than anything else. He's just so apathetic about this whole thing. His excuse is that he brought it on himself - which, yes, he did - but that doesn't mean you need to appear as if you don't care!

Despite Eclipse being one of my least favorite of the series, it contains one scene that never fails to give me such strong feels. I shall call it the Rejection Scene. Feel free to ask in the comment for explanation, but the bottom line is that it gets me in every way, and I just think that's magical. Even if it's hella painful.

Aside for this scene, my favorite parts of this novel were Rose and Jasper's background. Here are two characters that were always on the sideline, but they get the spotlight for a while and it's cool and it's awesome and it makes you love them so much more and understand them. Especially in the context of the next book ;)

Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter | Book Review

Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter

Heist Society #2
First Published: 2011
Hardcover
Young Adult, Contemporary
Rating:

"You're a smart girl, Katarina--too smart to take stupid chances. Better thieves than you have gone after that blasted stone, and they have paid"
Uncle Eddie stopped, and Kat could have sworn she saw his hands shake. His lips were a thin hard line when he whispered, "Great thieves have paid dearly."
Kat's voice was different when she said, "I know."
"We do not steal the Cleopatra, Katarina. It is..." Eddie trailed off, struggling for words.
"Cursed," Kat offered.
Eddie turned to her. He shock his head. "Forbidden."

So, if you read my review of Heist Society, you probably didn't expect me to pick up book two. I didn't think I'd do that, either. But then, while looking through my local bookstore, I found a hardcover copy of Uncommon Criminals and I just... thought it was so damned pretty. #Shallow

I was hoping Uncommon Criminals might actually live to the potential of the awesome idea behind these books, but while it was a better read than the first, it was by no mean anything incredible.

Maybe Carter's writing is just not for me - a lot of people praise this book as an exciting and fast story. To me, the book was the complete opposite - it was a fast read, sure, but the content of the book felt slow and somewhat anticlimactic.

I did like Kat a whole lot more in this book. While she's always been likable, she's also been a flat character. In this installment, she's added more depth and felt a lot more rounded. She still lacked a past, but it wasn't as intolerable as in Heist Society.

Alongside Kat, Hale and Gabrielle get an upgrade in the depth department as well. Unfortunately, Simon and the brothers are left as the one dimensional decoration they were in Heist Society which sucks because I really like these characters. Far more than I like Gabrielle.

As for the romance - it was still such a small, undeveloped and unsatisfying part of the plot, but I am proud to say I'm Team Hale, and luckily (if I'm reading things correctly) he's also endgame, so yay for me! Though, I don't think my curiosity in that aspect is enough to make me read on with this series.

One thing that really bothered me and drove me nuts were the heists themselves. Lots of parts were just left out and made no sense at all! Like, the Interpol. For god's sake, how did they make all these things explode? Or the doves and the casino. Maybe those are actually robot doves and that's why they did exactly what they wanted them to.

I felt like Carter thought of all those interesting ideas for the heists, but had no idea how to explain them... so she didn't, believing the reader would just suck it up despite it. It may not bother everyone, but to me this was a major issue.

Maybe book three will be better. Maybe not. I'll probably never find out.

Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck | Book Review

Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck

The Tiger's Saga #1
First Published: 2011
Paperback
Young Adult, Fantasy
Rating:

Passion. Fate. Loyalty.
Would you risk it all to change your destiny?
The last thing Kelsey Hayes thought she'd be doing this summer was trying to break a 300-years-old Indian curse. With a mysterious white tiger named Ren. Halfway around the world.
But that's exactly what happens.

Face-to-face with dark forces, spell-binding magic, and mystical world where nothing is what it seems, Kelsey risks everything to piece together an ancient prophecy that could break the curse forever.

Believe it or not - this is the much shortened version of this review... 

Can you shout MEH loud enough? 

I was immediately snared by Tiger's Curse gorgeous cover. Learning it was about shape-shifting tigers and Indian culture? William Blake's The Tiger as an opening poem??? Sounded like a shoe-in for me. So much so, that I bought all three books in series at once (it was before the final or maybe-not-final one came out).

If there was one thing this book made me feel, and often, is exasperated. Frustrated. Angry. Occasionally, it would also incite a more positive range of emotions, like a bit of tingling here and there, laughter, and nerves, so it really wasn't all bad.

We'll start with the good: Right of the bat, the most fascinating thing about this book is the culture it presents. The book takes a refreshing turn to the tried and well used plot line of "girl finds herself a chosen one in the middle of a magical world and goes on a dangerous adventure with a gorgeous magical boy" by showcasing Indian mythology.

Everything from the description of the clothes, the weapons, the gods and the culture was delightful to read of. Enough so that I googled quite a bit of them, so I could picture them correctly in my head.

It was hands down the best thing about this whole book, though I did later learn that many of the "facts", mythology and culture presented in these books are not quite accurate.

The girl in question is Kelsey, whom I liked enough... at first. There was nothing overly special about her, but I did find her funny, nice and smart. But then she got annoying. Like, over-thinking, pushing the guy away by being obnoxious towards him for no reason annoying. Despite everyone reassuring her about her worries.

To me, Kelsey kind of redeemed herself towards the end. I expected to hate her decision (which I knew in advance because I had myself spoiled by the sequel's synopsis), but found myself feeling like it was handled correctly, because it felt like the right choice for Kelsey in the place where she was at the end of the book.

The guy she's pushing away and being occasionally a jerk towards? His name is Ren. He was pretty swoony, I admit. He's an adorable tiger, and a sweet and gentlemany man. He speaks in an old fashioned way and isn't afraid to say anything. Mostly, he says things no real boys of our times will say--or rather be willing to say.

And I loved how he wasn't afraid to tell Kelsey he loved her.  

Obviously the main romance of the story is between these two characters. I felt like it started really well - it was both sweet and cute, depending on whether they were tiger and "owner" or man and woman. I was pleasantly surprised at how long it took to develop considering the type of book this is (though I would still have liked for more time to pass), and how Houck structured everything to make the illusion more time had passed--and how she made Kelsey admit they were rushing ahead.

However, once Kelsey's worrying and moaning started, I was feeling a little meh about it all. We'll have to see where it develops to. 

Always alongside Kelsey and Ren is Mr. Kadam, who is the older mentor for our main characters. Every bit of information we get in this book comes from this guy. He shares some amazing stories from the Indian culture, which as I said before was my favorite part of the story.

And did I mention that he cooks, reads, knows how to fight, and ages really well? He just may be the perfect man!

The final cast member we're introduced to is Kishan, Ren's estranged brother. He was in the book for a short while, but you could already tell he was very different from his sibling. His attraction towards Kelsey was a bit jarring though, considering they've known each other for a week. I couldn't help but wonder if he was interested just because Ren was, trying to re-create his former "success" against his brother.

And of course, one also has to mention the none-existing villain Lokesh whom we see 3 times during this entire 500 pages long book. None of which are actual appearances, but more like visions and flashbacks. It's hard to be afraid of someone who thought a good curse would be to turn his enemies to tigers--with a grace period, no less. 

I mean, he clearly hasn't read the evil-villain handbook. First lesson on it is kill your enemies if you capture them. But if you're looking for more flair, turning them into deadly animals that can bite your throat off is not a valid option! Turn them into harmless bunnies if you must turn them into anything - that way you could torture them with eternal humiliation and they couldn't really hurt you. 

Can you tell I'm a little touchy about this whole thing?

Another highly disappointing thing was the action. It took a looong time to get to it, and when we did there were a ton of exciting problems - with solutions that didn't deliver. Everything was resolved much too easily, with the first idea always being the correct one (even if it was extremely silly). So either it was too easy, or Kelsey was made much too smart. 

Speaking of this, I have to mention the writing and the editing.

The editing, at the very least in my edition (Hodder), was god-awful. I'm not one to usually notice these type of thing, but Kelsey's thoughts were sometimes said in past-tense, sometimes in present. Words jumped lines in some places, and in other's paragraphs continued for pages without break. And the freakin' fonts. My god, curly handwriting is pretty and all--but some of it was completely unreadable to me! 

Even without the faulty editing, I did not enjoy the writing style of this book. At parts Houck's details helped weave these magical, beautiful pictures that took my breath away, at others I simply drowned in the description, and had to read the same paragraph a couple of times or give up all together. 

I felt like Houck lacked the balance between creating an image in our head and trying to make us see an exact replica of what she saw, down to how the freakin' faucet looks like. I really don't care about that damn faucet. 

And the dialogues were sometimes... odd. It was wooden and unnatural at times (especially Kelsey's), and had the Dora-The-Explorer effect every time someone said a "big word" in another language. People don't do that in real life. Usually, when foreigners move to their native tongue, it's because they can't figure out the counterpart in English. So naturally, they aren't going to translate for the convenient of your readers. Be authentic, or don't do it at all. 

Forever, Jack by Natasha Boyd | Book Review

Forever, Jack by Natasha Boyd
Eversea #2
First Published: 2013
Kindle
Adult, Contemporary Romance
Rating:

Keri Ann Butler's life changed on the night she met movie star, Jack Eversea. She thought she knew a Jack that was very different to the man adored by fans the world over. In the wake of his betrayal and abandonment, Keri Ann has had to pick up and move forward with the life she was supposed to live and has put off far too long.
Suddenly Jack is back, and his explanations for why he left seem more and more plausible, and his declarations more seductive. But being Jack's latest tabloid accessory isn't on Keri Ann's career agenda, no matter how much she is attracted to him. And how can she can ever trust him again?
Jack knows he let the only 'real' thing that ever happened to him slip through his fingers. And his hands have been tied to try and stop it. Until Now.
Jack is now fighting to save his relationship with Keri Ann, even as his crazy life threatens to tear them apart. Again. The question is, can he convince her she can have it all? And have him? Forever?

Yay, I finally completed this doulogy! You'd think, it being just two short books, that I could've done that ages ago. Alas, I like to keep you on my toes so I didn't.

Confession time, here's what I got: I didn't remember much of the first book going into this one. I thought about re-reading it for a moment or two but then decided... nah. So I was a little fuzzy on the details, but this book did a good job bridging that gap. Everything was very clear so even someone who read the first book two years ago could understand.

My thoughts on Forever, Jack? Unnecessary. It's not that it was bad - but did you really need to split the novels into two for this? You could've had one great standalone instead! And don't let the 300+ page count fool you. These books feel short.

Forever, Jack deals with the aftermath of Jack leaving Keri Ann and how they come back together. I think maybe 30% of the book is a flashback to what Jack did in those months they were separated and why he didn't just come back to Keri Ann.

The rest was them repeating and rehashing the same weak conflict over and over again. If Keri Ann didn't pretend to be over it or determined to succeed in their relationship despite it, it would've been less annoying but the way she kept going back and forth pissed me off. It's like, this book could've ended 150 pages ago if you'd stop.

It just didn't have enough sustenance, you know?

That's not to say I didn't enjoy seeing this sweet couple find their happily-ever-after and being cute af while doing so. 'Cause... I really did.

Love Irresistibly by Julie James | Book Review

Love Irresistibly by Julie James

FBI/US Attorney #4
First Published: 2013
Paperback
Adult, Contemporary
Rating:

HE’S USED TO GETTING WHAT HE WANTS…
A former football star and one of Chicago’s top prosecutors, Assistant U.S. Attorney Cade Morgan will do anything to nail a corrupt state senator, which means he needs Brooke Parker’s help. As general counsel for a restaurant company, she can get a bug to the senator’s table at one of her five-star restaurants so the FBI can eavesdrop on him. All Cade has to do is convince Brooke to cooperate—and he’s not afraid to use a little charm, or the power of his office, to do just that.
AND WHAT HE WANTS IS HER.A savvy businesswoman, Brooke knows she needs to play ball with the U.S. Attorney’s office—even if it means working with Cade. No doubt there’s a sizzling attraction beneath all their sarcastic quips, but Brooke is determined to keep things casual. Cade agrees—until a surprising turn of events throws his life into turmoil, and he realizes that he wants more than just a good time from the one woman with whom he could fall terrifyingly, irresistibly in love ...

Let's start by saying this: Julie James is one of my favorite contemporary writers. She is a master at sophisticated yet funny conversations, of strong characters and great romances. She makes the ideal reality, and she makes you believe it's possible to have it all.

While Love Irresistibly is no exception to the rule, it is also my least favorite James novel to date.

The characters were as strong as ever - Cade is a cocky guy. Like, really. He has every confidence in his ability to get whatever he wants, and the idea someone will say 'no' to him never crosses his mind. And despite this, he wasn't obnoxious. In fact... I loved him! 

I will say that a big part of my loving him was due to the fact we lived inside his head for half the novel. If all we saw of him was what he says outwardly, I might have been singing a different tune. 

Brooke is trademark Julie James - she is strong, she is smart, and she inspires awe wherever she goes. Companies will literally fight to have her, as she is such a dedicated, serious and hard to beat businesswoman.

And while I adored the hate-to-love relationship between these two, the romance was definitely lacking to me. When these two confessed their feelings, all I could think about was how they weren't in love yet. I felt like yes, they were heading there, but they still had a way to go.

Then there was the... emphasis on the physical. I loved their dates, but there weren't many of those. instead, there was a lot of sex due to the 'no strings attached' deal they tried. Not necessarily a bad thing, but I felt like it wasn't balanced. I felt like they didn't get to know each other. 

The second issue I had with this book was the lack of solid frame plot. Up to this point, every book in the series had some form of overall plot-line moving along with the love story. That kept things interesting and added some action and tension. Note the "up to this point" part. In Love Irresistibly there was no such thing, and you feel it.

Not to close this review on a bad tone, I'll mention a favorite character - Zach, Cade's brother, is such an adorably awesome and awesomely adorable kid. His story arc was the best of all the book, to me. Not to mention seeing old characters! It was so much fun to catch up and learn who's engaged, who's married and who's having pretty little children. Kyaaa! 

The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket | Book Review

The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket

A Series of Unfortunate Events #1
First Published: 1999
Kindle
Middle Grade, Adventure
Rating:

Dear Reader,
I'm sorry to say that the book you are holding in your hands is extremely unpleasant. It tells an unhappy tale about three very unlucky children. Even though they are charming and clever, the Baudelaire siblings lead lives filled with misery and woe. From the very first page of this book when the children are at the beach and receive terrible news, continuing on through the entire story, disaster lurks at their heels. One might say they are magnets for misfortune.
In this short book alone, the three youngsters encounter a greedy and repulsive villain, itchy clothing, a disastrous fire, a plot to steal their fortune, and cold porridge for breakfast.
It is my sad duty to write down these unpleasant tales, but there is nothing stopping you from putting this book down at once and reading something happy, if you prefer that sort of thing.
With all due respect,
Lemony Snicket

This book has been on my tbr for ages. Unfortunately, this is a series that never made it to the tiny country of Israel, so I had never heard of it prior to my arrival on the internet book community in 2012. And being of a somewhat older audience than this book normally carters to, it took another two years for me to hear of it.

In all honesty, it's probably that Netflix series that truly made me interested, and that fake(?) trailer which just looked fantastically creepy. Hence, when it was on sale on amazon, I decided to give this series a shot.

Let's start by saying that this is a book I'd give my younger bookworm niece to read in a heartbeat. I can definitely understand why it captured so many hearts and minds. Why it's so well loved.

But at the same time, I also feel like I probably missed the train with this one. Because yes, it felt young to me. I don't like using this sentence, but it's the truth so what can I do.

Firstly, I was a bit taken aback by the tendency Lemony has to explain the "complicated" words he's using, much like a teacher and less like a narrator.This is something that would merit younger children the ages of the characters, as their vocabulary is bound to expend reading words like rickety and standoffish and having something fun to connect them to.

Then, there was the actual plot. Count Olaf (let them go! let them go! can't stay in that house anymore...) is an exaggerated accumulation of every stereotype imaginable that has to do with evil men... every awful thing Count Olaf can be, he is.

It was simply too much. Count Olaf can be an evil man and still keep his apartment and himself clean. He can be a bad man without drinking none stop and having empty wine bottles everywhere. He can be a bad man without having just one bed for three children. Treating them like servants, threatening them, going after their inheritance, etc... that's enough. 

Violet, Klaus and Sunny (okay, maybe not Sunny) were less of one-note characters, but they didn't jump out of the pages to me. I didn't feel them.

And than, what is the point in making your young children smart if you're going to go and have Klaus do that? For some reason, this aggravated me beyond belief. It's like, I wanted Lemony to give Klaus more credit than that.

Will this be a great read for my younger brother? again, yes.

Will I recommend my mother give it a shot? No. Because it'll be nothing more than cute to her.

Anime Review: Shinkyoku Soukai Polyphonica Crimson S | Generic But Watchable

Shinkyoku Soukai Polyphonica Crimson S
12 out 12 Episodes, completed

Aired: Apr 5, 2009 to Jun 21, 2009
Prequel to Shinkyoku Soukai Polyphonica

Drama, Fantasy, Music

Rating:

Shinkyoku Soukai Polyphonica Crimson S (yes, that is a mouthful!) opens with two unknown characters fighting. A little orphan boy is crying. His tears transition with the dropping blood of the winged woman, illustrating a connection. The boy starts to sing to make himself feel better, attracting the spirit. She starts talking to him.

And this is where it gets UBER CREEPY. This overly sexualized adult woman says she wants to keep the boy all to herself. Then she leans in for (what appears to be) a kiss, but gets interpreted.

Fast forward twelve years, and that boy is now studying in an academy famous for it's Dantists program. A Dantist is a specialist who attracts spirits with his music, and can use them to help him do all sort of stuff.

However, Phoron is not so good at being a Dantist. For some reason, his music doesn't transition with the spirits at all, despite his early childhood success. Remembering the song that brought the spirit to him to begin with, he sings it again (in his childhood, baby, girly voice to boot. That sounded very strange coming out of a teenager who has a very pleasant male voice when he speaks).

And thus, a spirit wakes up. Creating a bit of havoc, and with beautiful animation (one of the only beautifully animated moments in this series, which in on a whole pretty average to ugly in it's animation) a girl bursts from the raving spirit.

And who that girl is? The spirit he met at the beginning! Only... she now looks younger. I'm assuming that's done so it won't look so creepy between them, though that train has sailed on the first few minutes!

And thus, starts the adventures of Corticarte and Phoron. And yes, the names are hella odd in this series.

How did I do with this summary? You like? 

One of the only truly beautiful animation scenes. Couldn't find a gif, sorry! :(

For me, this show is probably between two and a half stars to three. On My Anime List I gave it a score of six which translates to "fine". My emotions about this series switched from exasperated annoyance, to mild amusement, to general meh-ness, to slight interest. In that order, actually.

If I were honest, I had no intention to watch this. I thought I was watching one of the shows on my "currently watching" list from three-four years ago which I'm trying desperately to clean up. But turns out, I was originally watching season one which chronologically comes after this one #canIbeanymorestupid

I don't think I will return to the sequel after watching this. I can tell, looking back, why I probably started with the first season. It's because of the music and the singing. I have this thing with musical anime. I kind of love them. And maybe the first season isn't an assembly of cliches like this show was, but in this one you could tick off the list with your fingers:

☑ A hero who doesn't want to fight, but will because the bad guys cross a line and they're "the only ones I don't want to lose to" - check

☑ Two to three girls in love with the main character at once even though he's kind of useless and oblivious - check

☑ One of them is a sickly girl - check

☑ One of them is an out-going honest girl - check

☑ The mysterious authority figure (headmaster in this case) - check

☑ The bad guys explain themselves to the good guys - check

Etc. And even the execution of the many tropes and cliches this show uses was generic to a fault. At least try to spice things up! Maybe the hero is unapologetic about being kind of not wanting to fight instead of saying sorry every two minutes. How 'bout that?

On the other hand, that didn't mean it wasn't fun to watch. I enjoyed rolling my eyes at the show. Enjoyded being like "AHH SO RIDICULOUS" when they were being super cliched. Enjoyed laughing at the "listen to your heart" and friendship is fabulous and don't give up and all that stuff. Enjoyed sniggering and tsking my tongue at it.

It that super cruel? yes.

Will it mellow it a bit if I say I also enjoyed it 'cause it was cute and from episode seven or so it really picks up on the action? No? hmm... figures, really. I am a horrible person.

Side note: the one-man orchestra looks ridiculous. Like an oversized butterfly, but not in a good way. At least not worn by our characters. 

Book Review: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
The Mortal Instruments #1
First Published: 2007
Paperback
Young Adult, Fantasy
Rating:

When Clary heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder. Much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered in odd markings. This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons--and keeping the odd werewolves and vampires in line. It's also her first meeting with gorgeous, golden haired Jace. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in an ordinary mundane like Clary? And how did she suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know...

Okay, believe or not City of Bones was the first ever review I've published on a blog, so you've got to admit, it's long over-do for a makeover!

My initial reaction to City of Bones was "it's alright". Yes, not the most enthusiastic response, but not the worst one, either. As far as books go, I didn't have too much to complain about, but at the same time... It was nothing unheard of, and that says something considering that at the time, I have read a very limited amount of books. So I didn't have too much to compare to, and still it felt oh-so-familiar.

And it wasn't memorable, either. I had to force myself through a second reading of the book because, despite owning all the books in the first trilogy at that point, I just didn't read them. And when I finally decided enough was enough, I couldn't remember almost a single thing of all that had happened. It just didn't stick to me in any way, shape or form.

Our main character is Clary, and as far as main characters go - she's okay. I wasn't in love with her or anything, and she pissed me off many times (I mean, she would say mean things to people just so they'd be as miserable as she is..) but I didn't hate her. And yes, that seems like a pretty low standard to reach, but it's the best way I can put it.

Then there's Jace, the love interest. I was surprised to like this character, because I expected a huge douche, and he... wasn't. I mean, yes, he's a bad-boy ladies man, but he wasn't the kind that made me think Clary was an inconceivable idiot to like him (and I think that more often than you'd imagine in YA).

The supporting cast surrounding these characters was colorful, relatively interesting, and likable... most of the time. You may recognize the names Izzy, Alec, Simon and Luke among those. In fact, I liked Alec and his story arc so much that it was the only reason I considered giving the second trilogy a go (but I decided against that, at the end).

Now comes the romance. Clare did wisely by spreading the plot in such a way that makes it appear as if more time has passed than actually does, because otherwise, we might notice that this is pretty insta love. But we don't, so go Clare.

And, I'll be honest, I thought Clary and Jace were good together. 

But then came the twist at the end. To put it mildly, I hated it. It was just so unnecessary in my opinion (though well done)

SPOILER FOR THE FIRST THREE BOOKS Not to mention, it was painfully obvious this twist was a lie. I didn't need to read books two and three to know it was bogus, even though Clare did her best to build a misdirection with little "clues" designed to make us think they really were related. END SPOILER

The final thing that has made my reading experience kind of meh, and continued on with all the Cassandra Clare books I've read is the writing style. I don't like it. #ThereISaidIt.