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. 

Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller | Oy Matey, Come Board My Ship!

Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller

Daughter of the Pirate King #1
Date Read: Jan 27 to 20, 2018

First Published: 2017

Hardcover

Young Adult, Fantasy

Rating:

Re-Readability:

There will be plenty of time for me to beat him soundly once I’ve gotten what I came for.
Sent on a mission to retrieve an ancient hidden map—the key to a legendary treasure trove—seventeen-year-old pirate captain Alosa deliberately allows herself to be captured by her enemies, giving her the perfect opportunity to search their ship.
More than a match for the ruthless pirate crew, Alosa has only one thing standing between her and the map: her captor, the unexpectedly clever and unfairly attractive first mate, Riden. But not to worry, for Alosa has a few tricks up her sleeve, and no lone pirate can stop the Daughter of the Pirate King.

DAUGHTER OF THE PIRATE KING is a really fun ride that had a lot of things I really like, and a few I really didn't.

First of all, I really enjoyed our spunky heroine Alosa. A fierce, brutal pirate with a heart, she's sarcastic, violent, petty and a whole lot of fun. Her abilities are rivaled by her pride only, her red hair matching perfectly with her feisty persona.

You will watch her kill men without a blink of an eye, but you will also watch her worry for her friends and struggle with her growing attachment to one of her handsome captures, Riden.

Riden is smart, keen-eyed and strong. Out of all the pirates in this book, he fits that title the least. Most of all because he's got a heart, and he doesn't like seeing people hurt, yet he is forced into that position due to his unwavering loyalty to his brother. On occasion, he can be a smug SOB. Which, not gonna lie, I really loved.

And this two banter. A lot. They clash wits and words and verbally fight for the upper hand, with most battles ending in a draw. And as far as YA couples go, these two are definitely hot together. There are some scenes in this one that may make you want to fan yourself a little bit! Be that as it may be... this is kind of slow burn. I may have said "YA couples" but these two aren't that... yet. I'm fully trusting Levenseller to set sail to my ship unquestionably in the follow-up, which I will be reading this March!

Another character I am hoping to see more fleshed out in the sequel is actually Draxen. Those of us who pre-ordered DAUGHTER OF THE SIREN QUEEN got a special bonus chapter from Riden's POV, and I loved the humanity we got to see in this character in that one, on top of the obvious love he has for his brother in DAUGHTER OF THE PIRATE KING. So.... what would win - that love or the darkness? Here's to hoping we get to find out!

Now, the things that I didn't quite enjoy about this one...

First of all, directly from the synopsis: "Sent on a mission to retrieve an ancient hidden map--the key to a legendary treasure trove". Yeah, don't expect much of that. I mean, yeah, that's the setup. But there is very little actual searching or information about this treasure trove. I kind of wanted to experience a lot more of it with Alosa, as opposed to being mostly told about it. Like, this would have been so helpful to show us how capable she is, as well as illustrating her mounting panic and desperation as she fails to find it.

Then, there were moments where the book intentionally dumbed Alosa down in order to keep tension, or simply to have a plot for the next book. And... I am not a big fan of that. At all. Ever.

*Mark the next parts with the cursor if you want to read the spoilers! Warning: it's a major rant so read only if you like those (I know I do lol)*

SPOILER For example, the book expects me to believe Alosa didn't figure out Theris was actually Vordan once on that island. When I, a mere reader who has never experienced a Pirate's life called it from a mile away. And I'm not talking about reading hints in the story. I'm talking about good old-fashioned logic.

She is the daughter of the pirate king. She has lived all her life under his thumb. She knows he would never defer to a simple spy--so why does she think "Vordan", a pirate lord like her father, would? Why doesn't it raise her suspicions? Then, there are moments when she discusses with herself the strangeness of things; how "Vordan" didn't want to experience her abilities for himself for some reason. That, coupled with the earlier point, should have definitely tipped her off. But it didn't. THEN one of his men actually slips up and starts to call him "captain". AND SHE STILL DOESN'T REALIZE THE TRUTH.

That made my blood boil. ALOSA, freakin' daughter of the pirate king, would know when someone is talking to their captain. She would read all of the signs. She would see the way they listen to everything Theris says carefully, never dismissing him. She would fucking figure it out.

But she doesn't, because the reveal is not half as shocking otherwise (even though it's so obvious there is no reveal...), or something of that sorts. So instead, she is just dumb. Great. END SPOILER

Now, if that's not enough to get your blood boiling, there is one thing that Alosa is made to do by the author in that sequence that made me furious. Seeing red, blowing steam, sheeting mad. It was so upsetting because it was so out of character. Because it threw out everything that is smart and logical and in line with who Alosa was up to that point. All because the author put herself it a pinch and had to solve it for the next book to exist.

It wasn't a result of our plot, but a direct response to what the plot of the next book needed to be. I FUCKING HATED THAT.

And it wasn't even well done. It was just so incredibly sloppy and dumb and I am still getting upset just thinking about it.

SPOILER So let me paint you a picture: 

Alosa has just been freed from her cage with the help of Riden and goes after her captures, full Siren on. She tells herself how she doesn't feel remorse for their inability to protect themselves because that's what they would have done to her and Riden. Then... she stops, with Theris--AKA Vordan--and his two men still alive. She stops so she can go search the body of a freaking dead man. A dead man who would still be lying there after she has killed the other three. For God's sake, he is not going to go anywhere! With the other three dead, there will be no one alerted to her and Riden's escape. She will literally have all the time in the world to search "Vordan", and take Riden to safety.

No, she stops for one reason only. She stops because she can't just kill Theris in book one because there will be no sequel and the story is not half done. She stops for plot reasons. Badly set up plot reasons. That PISSED ME OFF SO BAD.

And, again, Alosa, fucking daughter of the pirate king, would not make this type of mistake. END SPOILER

I hate that. I hate when authors decide to overlook logic and character personalities in order to set up the sequel. There are so many other, better ways Levenseller could have handled that. A million and a half reasons for Alosa to stop, or for that character not to be there in that moment.

But no.

That one moment was enough to knock at least half a star from this novel. And I hate when that happens to me with good books.

Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills | First 5 Star of the Year!

Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills
Date Read: Jan 6, 2018

First Published: 2017

Signed Owlcrate Hardcover

Young Adult, Contemporary
Rating:

Re-Readability:

A contemporary novel about a girl whose high school production of A Midsummer Night's Dream leads her to new friends—and maybe even new love.
The day of the last party of the summer, Claudia overhears a conversation she wasn't supposed to. Now on the wrong side of one of the meanest girls in school, Claudia doesn't know what to expect when the two are paired up to write a paper—let alone when they're both forced to try out for the school production of A Midsummer Night's Dream.
But mandatory participation has its upsides—namely, an unexpected friendship, a boy band obsession, and a guy with the best dimpled smile Claudia's ever seen. As Claudia's world starts to expand, she finds that maybe there are some things worth sticking her neck out for.

Some books fall into your lap from nowhere, and you just kind of quietly thank whatever superior being you believe in for being so kind to you. This is one of those books. I didn't hear about it before, I didn't plan to read it, it wasn't anywhere on my radar. And then my Owlcrate box brought it to my doorstep, and I cracked it open. And my foolish heart was moved.

This book was simply adorable.

And I'm not talking in like an "aww, this is cute" kind of way. Oh no. I'm talking the kind of adorable that makes you stay up until freakin' 5 a.m. in the morning to finish the novel because you are so entirely captivated by these lovely people the wonderful relationships they are forming that you can't tell them goodbye. The type of adorable that keeps making you want more.

Yeah, that kind.

And it all starts with Claudia. She is just a normal girl who goes to a not so normal all-girls high school, even though she would have much preferred to go the public school with her best friend Zoe. While Claudia certainly doesn't suffer in her school (and I can't express how much I loved the fact these rich girls are not made into the cliched mean girls), she doesn't exactly make any strong friendships either. Instead, she spends her time playing an MMORPG together with Zoe, her older brother Alex and her older sister Julia and her husband Mark who live in Indianapolis.

Everything begins to shift when Claudia witnesses the breakup between her school's long-lasting couple Paige and Iris. It's that break-up that makes Iris chilly to Claudia when they are forced to work together on a project and causes the two to do horribly in it. As a result, the two are strongly encouraged to participate in the school's joint play with the all-boys' school.

That play changes everything.

It's there where Claudia gets the chance to get to know Gideon Prewitt. Hellooooo, book boyfriend! Gideon is the most popular guy on the boys' side. Everybody knows him, and everybody likes him. Even Claudia. He's goofy, handsome, awkward, loyal, and everybody calls him the prince. And this prince is instantly smitten with Claudia and her wicked sense of sarcasm (which is, really, when everything boils down to it, the best sense to have).

This guy. THIS GUY!

This is how you write a book boyfriend; sweet, genuine, well-meaning, silly, funny, and just head over heels for the girl in the cutest of ways. He lights up when he sees Claudia. He keeps wanting to spend time with her. He flirts and he jokes and he matches her wit and sarcasm. He is interested in the things she is interested in, and he notices the smallest of things about her. Gideon Prewitt, quite frankly, makes my foolish heart flutter.

But wait, Gideon and Claudia aren't the only amazing relationship in this novel. The second one is the friendships that bloom between Claudia and Ice Queen Iris. To say it starts off on the wrong foot is to... underestimate and oversimplify things. Iris is mean, cold and unaffected. Everything Claudia is not. But while Claudia hates fighting and usually chooses to avoid altercations, don't mistake her for a doormat or a coward. Oh, no, Claudia gives as good as she gets. She snaps back, she fights back, and she throws some truths at Iris.

I guess Iris finds that somewhat charming, or at the very least refreshing, because she starts to... thaw. It starts when she coerces Claudia to do another paper with her, this time actually exchanging numbers and even meeting up to do the project. Then it evolves into sharing hobbies. Then it ends up in girl talk and boy talk and all kinds of talk, and suddenly - they're friends, and no one can deny that, least of all the two girls involved.

I honestly thought this was extremely endearing. Iris is not the kind of girl you become friends with at once, and Mills does an incredible job showing Claudia slowly, and often unintentionally by just being Claudia, chipping away the armor of steel around Iris and reaching her heart. In a lot of ways, Claudia is a far stronger force in Iris's life than the-love-of-her-life Paige, because, while Paige makes Iris want to be better, it's Claudia who shows her that she can be, and how.

She's the one who defends her even when she doesn't always give her a good reason to, she's the one to point out they're friends, or that Iris is doing exactly what she thinks she is incapable of. She's the one who calls Iris out on her bullshit but also makes her act differently. She is the one to push her in the right direction. She's the one to make Iris not just her friend--but a part of a group of friends. All things Paige couldn't do, probably because Paige is the most important person to Iris, and therefore far more difficult to share, and also far more difficult to "lose" to.

Okay, I've rambled enough. Suffice to say, I adored this relationship. I adored the progression of it. I adored how Mills nailed the process and the feelings.

Speaking of feelings... this book has a. lot. of. them. It's not in the "normal" tear-jerker way, if you know what I mean. This book doesn't set up to get you to tear up. But it does such a phenomenal job putting you in Claudia's head and fusing yourself to her while you're reading that when she feels insecure, and small, and underappreciates herself so colossally and so matter of factly, you get there anyway. You want to smother her in a hug, and you want her to see she's wrong, while you simultaneously feel small and insecure yourself. It's honestly a wonder. I can count on one hand the number of heroines who have made me feel like this, and all of them were as unexpected as Claudia.

Now, aside for these three characters, the book doesn't lack for awesome people. You've got Zoe, Claudia's best friend, who is just... a great friend, even if she does stumble a little bit there. You have Noah, Gideon's best friend who I simply adored (I vote this bromance for president!). You have Alex and Julia, Claudia's siblings, who are just... all around #goals. The relationship between them is so good even when things get rocky and I adored every second of it!

I would honestly read an entire novel made up just of these characters living life, going on dates, hanging out, talking to each other. No angst or overall arc necessary. Just.. spending some more time with these guys. Is that too much to ask for?

Pillowtalk by Cassie Mae | ARC Review

Pillowtalk by Cassie Mae

First Published: 2017

I received an arc from NetgGlley in exchange for my honest review! 

Adult, Romance
Rating:

Re-Readability:

In this heartfelt romance from the author of the All About Love series, two people who thought they’d given up on passion turn to each other for emotional support—and maybe something a little more physical.
Kennedy Walters has had a tough year. Now she’s come to the lakeside town of Lyra Valley to finally say goodbye to the memory of her first love. But while she’s staying at his sister’s B&B, Kennedy is shocked to find herself undeniably drawn to a handsome local heartthrob—especially since she isn’t sure if she’s ready to move on.
Aaron Sheppard returned to Lyra Valley because he was fed up with the big city and everything it didn’t have to offer—like the beautiful, down-to-earth girl staying at the B&B. Aaron’s enjoying a little flirtation until he realizes that she’s Kennedy Walters, the girl who was dating his best friend. But after a power outage strands them together, Aaron and Kennedy wind up sharing some intimate conversation. And over the course of a night that neither will ever forget, they learn just how compatible they could be—if only they knew how to let go and fall into each other’s arms.

If you're looking for a simply sweet romantic story about love and loss and love again, this one is for you. Cassie Mae is a master at crafting lovely love stories that can warm your heart and make you smile, without having to relay on drama to carry the story along.

In this one, she delves into the realities of prematurely losing a loved one and coming to terms with the fact that you are allowed to feel joy and love again. That moving on does not mean forgetting, nor does it negates the love you felt for that person.

And she shows this dilemma, this inner conflict very well through both our heroine and our hero.

Sweet, gentle Kennedy has just lost Jared a year ago, but his death feels as fresh today as it felt the day he passed and the silence that accompanies her whenever she attempts to talk to him a stark reminder of her loneliness.

Quiet, thoughtful Aaron has lost Jared years before his actual passing, but his pain--and guilt-- is just as strong as Kennedy's, if not stronger. His fallout with Jared and his inability to breach the gap before his passing haunts him. Their lost friendship and the lost chances were heartbreaking to read off.

These two people, haunted by the same person, meet at his hometown and in a course of a week come together, find solace and a sense of peace within each other. But they shouldn't, should they? Not with Jared's ghost hanging around them.

Cassie Mae does a really good job in making you forget these people only know each other for a week because she spends so much time letting us sink into their conversations and their meet ups. She deftly crafts this relationship, this falling in love, through conversations and looks and smiles, that make you feel as if it has been much longer. When the characters themselves wonder at the short while they've known each other, I was shocked to realize it hadn't been months.

That being said, I didn't connect to this one as much as I normally do with Mae's stories, because of my personal belief system and by no fault of this novel, because I truly believe this novel will connect to and move many a heart.

But while I definitely bought Aaron and Kennedy's romance, I didn't buy quite as easily their healing process. I felt like these people have hurt for so long, and their love for Jared was so alive, that their actual healing came much too fast for me. On a personal level, this is something I don't believe. I think it's a much longer process, and I always struggle with love being shown as this magic cure.

But this is, again, such a personal matter, and I highly recommend reading this novel or any other novel by Mae (Reasons I Fell For the Funny Fat Friend and Doing It For Love my current faves) to experience the joy her writings can bring.