Quick Reviews: The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab & A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan

Quite obviously, these reviews aren't mini, but they're not quite my usual length either. And, I promise you, both of them are very quick reads - hence the title. I hope you enjoy! :)

Title: The Near Witch

Author: Victoria Schwab

Rating: DNF/2 Stars

You should know, right off the bat, that I am not a patient person. It's not one of my better traits, which is why I make such a conscious effort to be patient, to give every book an equal chance, to really try and connect with the characters. Yet, although the overwhelming majority of readers have loved this book, including some of my most trusted reviewers whose opinions nearly always match up with mine, I was unable to bring myself to actually finish The Near Witch. As Victoria Schwab's debut, it certainly succeeds in getting across its most important point - that Victoria Schwab can write. Schwab can string together words in a manner that can only be described as beautiful, but as far as characters, plot, or even romance goes? Unfortunately, Schwab couldn't even keep my attention for that long.

From the first page itself, The Near Witch is two things. (1) It is boring. Its plot drags on, giving us extraneous detail when we don't need it, revealing to us long and drawn-out conversation that is absolutely unnecessary and does nothing to further the plot. As such, it is very easy to let your mind wander for more than just a little bit. (2) It is shockingly unoriginal. The Near Witch is more of a fairy tale and less of a fantasy novel, but it is a long and drawn-out fairy tale. One which has been told so many times before.

Any seasoned reader of fantasy will tell you that the typical tale starts out in a secluded village (Check!), with a protagonist who is more of a tomboy than the traditional wife she is meant to be (Check!), and everything really only starts with the arrival of a mysterious stranger (Check!). At this point, a few things can happen. Either the girl will somehow wind up traveling away from her village with her stranger and, down the road, they have adventures and fall in love, all while saving their kingdom. Or, the stranger is unaccepted in the village, but the girl somehow meets him and falls in love with him anyway (Check!).

Now, all we need to add to our story is a mystery, a tale of a not-forgotten witch, and a missing child to spice everything up. As a lover of all things fantasy, this traditional set-up didn't turn me off. In fact, some of my favorite novels have followed this same pattern, but what makes them shine while The Near Witch will collect dust in my attic is the fact that their characters were compelling. Lexi, the protagonist of The Near Witch is headstrong and fierce, admirable traits for sure, but I never really felt any type of connection with her. If the plot itself had been a little more engaging, I suspect I may have warmed up to Lexi, but with such a slow plot-line, I couldn't bring myself to really care all that much.

Ultimately, I have to admit that it was the slow pace that made me put this down far before I'd reached the end. In all honesty, the story of The Near Witch could be condensed into a novella and have more success as, really, it is just a simple fairy tale. Schwab's debut is not, in my eyes, a full-blown fantasy novel and it lacks the plot structure to become one. Nevertheless, I have to warn you all to take this review with a grain of salt. Schwab's debut seems to have been a favorite of many readers and I suspect, as always, this is just another case of me being a black sheep. Although I fully intend to read Schwab's The Archived, perhaps I'll go into it with fewer expectations now. Either way, I can only hope Schwab's sophomore novel is far stronger than her debut could hope to be.

Title: A Long, Long Sleep 

Author: Anna Sheehan

Rating: 2 Stars/DNF

Well...this was a disappointment. A Long, Long Sleep is a well-known novel, acclaimed by nearly every single one of my most trusted reviewers. Clearly, there is something wrong with me. Although Sheehan's debut has an original premises with a futuristic twist on the fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty, I unfortunately can't claim to be impressed. At all.

At first, it's difficult not to be enamored with this novel. It all starts with Rose waking up after six decades only to find that her parents and boyfriend have died, along with virtually everyone she knows, because of a great plague. Rose, who was "stassed" or kept alive in a chamber, must now face the futuristic realm she finds herself in, all while getting accustomed to the world of politics and intrigue she has simultaneously been thrown in.

While I loved the idea behind A Long, Long Sleep, I found its execution to be poor. Rose, for one, is a heroine I didn't feel much for. On one hand, I appreciate that she's physically weak from her ordeal and mentally confused, but she fails to make any attempts to improve her lifestyle. Furthermore, she seems fixated both on her first love, Xavier, and her new crush, Bren, who really isn't all that great as a hunk. In fact, the only secondary characters I liked were Otto, an alien, and, ironically enough, the villain who wants to prevent Rose from owning the large corporation her parents built when she comes of age.

A Long, Long Sleep also falls flat in the world-building department. Thankfully, it is present, but since it's told in large chunks, it disrupts the flow of the story and can drag. Moreover, the corporate political path that this book seems to take in the beginning is utterly abandoned in favor of a typical high-school love story. Even more unfortunate is the fact that there is virtually no difference between the futuristic society Rose wakes up in and the one she went to sleep in. I appreciate that Sheehan took pains to distinguish modern phrases, but either than a few technology shifts, not much has happened in six decades.

Granted, I abandoned this book in an interested spot, directly half-way through the narration. Yet, I think it says a lot about a novel that I had no qualms setting it down right as it explained a major plot twist. Even more than a lackluster plot line and execution, this novel failed to make me establish any connections with its cast. All in all, A Long, Long Sleep is just another one of those hyped up novels. Perhaps if I had gone into it without expecting something much greater, I would have been more satisfied. As it stands, I don't plan to re-visit this novel - or its author - again.

ARC Review: The S-Word by Chelsea Pitcher

Title: The S-Word

Author: Chelsea Pitcher

Rating: 2 Stars

Release Date: May 7th, 2013

As you can probably guess from the fact that I started The S-Word a little over an hour ago, I skimmed through this novel. Even I can't read a three-hundred page novel so quickly. Now, having finished this debut, all I can think is that it would have been far more suited to the hands of a more experienced writer. For a debut novel, The S-Word lacks finesse. I cannot pinpoint exactly what it is, but something about the writing style in this didn't work for me. Although it is evident that the vision that Pitcher had for her first piece is brilliant, its ultimate execution sadly isn't.

The S-Word opens up with the suicide of Lizzy. Angie and Lizzy have been best friends for years, but when Angie catches Lizzy with her boyfriend on the night of prom, she ceases to speak to her and, consequently, the entire school labels her as a slut. Now, even with her death, her memory refuses to fade. A mysterious individual writes "SCHOOL SLUT" on the lockers, all in Lizzy's looping scrawl, and what's more, they slip pages from her diary into the lockers of students who Lizzy knew well. Angie, filled with guilt at the role she played in her best friends subsequent death, sets out to find who exactly is writing on lockers and reading Lizzy's diary. Along the way, though, she may find a truth more shocking than everything else.

In terms of plot, The S-Word is excellent. As a mystery novel, it reads very well, flowing at a solid pace and revealing clues slowly, but masterfully. While I had many ideas, the ultimate revelation was still a slight shock and, on that front, Pitcher proved to be a strong author. Yet, what forced me to skim this novel was, quite simply, the writing style. First and foremost, Angie is a protagonist who lacks emotion. Although her best friend has just committed suicide and betrayed her with her boyfriend, Angie never exhibits any outward anger, grief, or trauma. Instead of her narration reading like that of a friend who is mourning her childhood companion, it reads more like a mystery than anything else, which took away from the overall impact of this story.

Moreover, the dialogue veered on the border of highly unrealistic at times. When Angie interviews her classmate, either her responses or theirs often made me question the soundness of the phrasing. For some reason, it simply didn't flow, proving to be rather choppy. Even Lizzy's diary entries, which are scattered between every few chapters, read more like the thoughts of a middle school student than a high school girl gearing for college. All in all, it was simply so tough to grasp this story because of the distance first placed by the narrator and later the unrealistic dialogue that marred the situations throughout this book.

Yet, even more than that, I was sad to find that the ultimate message of this book, although important in thought, was never properly conveyed. Granted, Pitcher did have a fabulous idea for her debut, one that could have changed the thought-processes of many readers, but as a whole, her book fell short of that much-needed impact. You see, despite focusing on the injustice of branding girls as a slut, especially when the boy involved gets away without even one form of bullying, The S-Word never felt as if it preached to a universal audience of girls. Prior to Lizzy's betrayal, she had always been known as a goody-two-shoes type of girl who had no interest in boys or sex. Thus, when Angie defends her friend, she continually emphasizes the fact that Lizzy was a good girl and, as such, didn't deserve the label of a slut.

In this manner, Pitcher makes us feel sympathy for Lizzy instead of immediately hating her for her actions as so many of her classmates did, but isn't this simply a double standard? What about the girls who get labeled sluts every day and aren't a carbon copy of Mandy Moore from A Walk to Remember? What about those girls who are just normal, flawed beings with their fair share of "enemies" in high school? Do they deserve to be labeled a slut, then? No, of course not. Chelsea Pitcher manages to get into the mindset of this fictional school and these fictional characters, but her messages about slut-shaming are restricted to her novel and aren't nearly as universal as I hoped.

Nevertheless, I must admit that The S-Word is a novel with very good intentions. It set out to show readers that we are quick to judge and label, especially in a world that continually objectifies women. Although we live in societies where women are given their basic freedoms - voting, abortion rights, independence - they are still subject to so much more than their ancestors never were. While The S-Word didn't work to impact me in any way, I certainly hope that other readers will find it to be the thought-provoking novel I hoped it would be. Even if it lacks a lot, idea certainly isn't one of them. (But, then again, isn't the point of a novel to execute a good idea well? *sigh*)

Mini-Reviews: Arclight by Josin L. McQuein (ARC) & Burn Bright by Marianne de Pierres

Title: Arclight

Author: Josin L. McQuein

Rating: DNF/2 Stars

Release Date: April 23rd, 2013 

Aesthetically pleasing and well-written, Arclight is not a bad book. McQuein's debut - for this releases before her other novel set to release this year as well - is, in fact, a rather interesting tale that promises to be loved, appreciated, and well-received by lovers of dystopian. As a fan of this genre myself, I expected to love Arclight. Unfortunately, having tried - and failed - to read through the entirety of this novel, it is time for me to admit that Arclight and I are simply not suited for one another. In other words, I fear I have to resort to a rather typical break-up cliche: it's not you, it's me.

Arclight takes place in a world, a futuristic one, where creatures known as the Fade prowl in the dark. As such, humanity is safe only in the light, cowering from the Fade who are bound to kill them. Only Marina is known to have survived a Fade attack and even her memory is sketchy. When our novel begins, the Fade are attacking once again, eager for the girl who escaped them, but afraid of her as well. In the midst of this is Tobin, whose father died protecting Marina from the Fade, along with many other adults. Tobin, however, takes it upon himself to protect Marina and before long, a strange relationship is struck between the two, all while they must struggle to save themselves and protect their societies.

Quite simply put, Arclight is not quite as original as it seems. If anything, the society in McQuein's novel is eerily similar to that of the one in Enclave by Ann Aguirre. You have Fade who are dragging people away? OH, those sound an awful lot like vampires now, don't they? You have humans, battling for survival and fighting off these Fade? OH, don't you mean humans battling off vampires? Essentially, the Fade can very easily be equated with vampires, which renders this novel as unique as a blade of grass. Which is not a lot. Yet, perhaps this could have been overlooked if the characters were interesting, but Marina, our main character, completely lacks personality. Not only is her narration dull if there isn't any dialogue to take up space, but she is very one-dimensional and detached from the reader. Furthermore, the world-building takes up the span of one chapter towards the beginning and proceeds to info-dump like there's no tomorrow. And, to make things worse, there is apparently a love triangle in this. While I have heard it isn't all that bad, I, for one, am not sticking around to find out. Especially when one of the love interests has already lost my interest.

Arclight is the type of novel I would have persevered through just last year, only to pass it along as being "meh." With my busy schedule this year, though, and a severe lack of time to read, I cannot afford to waste it on something I know I will dislike. I do encourage every lover of dystopian to give this one a shot, though. If, like me, you don't feel much attachment within the first ten chapters, at least you didn't waste too much time. Chances are, though, that most readers will love this tale. After all, in a genre overrun by re-used ideas, most people are used to this by now and far more tolerant of this than I am. Meanwhile, I'll be off searching for the next novel I can genuinely stamp the title "unique" upon.

Title: Burn Bright (Night Creatures, #1) 

Author: Marianne de Pierres

Rating: DNF/2 Stars

I feel like I've reached that stage in my life where I need to see a neurologist. Clearly, there is something wrong with my brain because I could have sworn before cracking the spine of this one that I would love it. And, honestly, this is happening a lot. I pick up a book with a great premise - one that I love - and that book happens to be one that my most trusted friends have also loved. I start the book and BAM! my brain just shuts off, refuses to connect with the characters, and my attention wanders. I keep thinking about the other books I could be reading with my time. I keep waiting for the book to pick up its pace. I keep waiting, that is, until I decide to abandon the book altogether. 

Burn Bright has been one of my most sought-after and eagerly-looking-forward-to books for the past year. As an Aussie fantasy debut, there's little that can go wrong with it and, frankly, it lived up to my expectations of it. From the start, Burn Bright is unusual, different, and compelling. Retra, our heroine, is embarking to Ixion, a land of partying and perpetual night, to find her brother. Even from page one, Retra is the type of protagonist I love; strong, courageous, but vulnerable too. As someone who has lived her life in a strict regime of rules, breaking them is painful, but her love for her brother forces her to travel to Ixion. 

Ixion, however, is as strange as you can imagine. Nudity, drinking, sex, and drugs are all encouraged, with the backdrop of night. Yet, there are dark secrets in this town as well with people being dragged off once they became too old for the carefree lifestyle that Ixion provides, not to mention other sinister characters. Now, despite the unrealistic atmosphere this book takes on, I really did love it. Ixion reminds me a lot of Shyness (from Leanne Hall's This is Shyness), only of a more crazier variety. And I can deal with crazy, especially if it means an honest portrayal of desire and character growth. 

Yet, for all its good qualities, Burn Bright is slow. I finished a quarter of the book before Retra finally reaches Ixion - after a very boring boat ride, mind you - and despite her will to find her brother, Retra repeatedly refuses to attempt to fit in with the strange Ixion lifestyle. Which is fine. But, even though I never found Retra to be irritating, I never formed a connection with her either until, after a short time, I simply could not care. Even more than Retra, though, I was unable to warm-up to her quest for her brother or the security she felt with certain friends in Ixion. All in all, I think I needed a better understanding of these characters. You see, throwing a bunch of unique personalities in a strange realm probably works for a lot of readers, but I desperately need some bond between myself and the characters for me to feel invested in their adventures. And sadly, that was missing. At the end of the day, this is simply a clear-cut case of it's-not-you-it's-me. It looks like Marianne de Pierres as I will be going our separate ways after all; she, to more successful writing endeavors, and me to the neurologist I promised I'd see.

Mini-Reviews: A Straight Line to My Heart & First Grave to the Right

Title: A Straight Line to My Heart 

Author: Bill Condon 

Rating: 4 Stars

While I wish A Straight Line to My Heart was a little longer, it was perfect in its own way and utterly adorable. Seriously, don't let it's simplistic cover fool you - it's a novel that is deep in its subtlety, beautiful in its originality, and heart-wrenching in its happiness. I'm glad I took the time to savor this quick read - not to mention underline half the phrases in it! - and I know this is one I'll be thrusting upon others because it is just that good. 

Although a small book, A Straight Line to My Heart packs a punch. It is a story of people; of reality; of life. It doesn't have too much of a plot, revolving around Tiffany working as a journalist intern over the summer and her relationship with her adoptive brother Bull, adoptive father Reggie, and best friend Kayla. Yet, despite the fact that it charts the events of a typical summer holiday, it is an unassuming little tale of growing up. 

What I love the most about A Straight Line to My Heart is that it's such an intelligent novel. I couldn't help but go highlighter-crazy with phrases that made me both laugh out loud and mull over them for minutes. Tiffany's voice is fresh and realistic, wise and amusing, making you instantly fall in love with her tale. Even better, though, is the fact that so much of her life is focused on family, despite the fact that Tiffany isn't related by blood to those she considers to be her own. Each one of these characters truly come alive on the page; their problems and worries, dreams and aspirations, heart-aches and joint pains burying themselves deep inside you. Condon, proving to live up to the ideal that Australian authors really are better than everyone else out there, ensures that despite their likability, his characters remain realistic...authentic, really, to both their role in Tiffany's life and their role as humans too. 

I just want to say for a minute that Condon's writing is different from most I've come across. It is a quiet, almost hidden kind of prose, one that is slow and soothing, lullaby-like but engaging. It is extremely thoughtful and combined with his writing style, the ordinary events of these extraordinary characters become momentous journeys. Whether it be the growing together and apart of the friendship, the meets-cute of the romance, or just the tender affection felt between family, each of these seems so much more special and realized in this tale. A Straight Line to My Heart is truly a tale I can't say much about because more than anything else, I feel so much for it. It is genuine, heart-breaking, and compelling and even if you're the most cold-hearted person in the world, this book will melt even your heart. 

Title: First Grave to the Right (Charley Davidson, #1) 

Author: Darynda Jones 

Rating: 2 Stars/DNF

Usually, when I wind up disliking a book the masses have loved, I am the last person to be surprised. I do, after all, have a penchance for being the black sheep; a tendency, if you will, to rarely give out high ratings. With First Grave on the Right, though, I don't think anyone is more surprised than I am. Unfortunately, this novel is a clear cut case of 'it's not you, it's me.' 

Quite honestly, I am still struggling to come to terms with the fact that I did not enjoy this book, or as much of this book as I read. Jones has written a hilarious, engaging, and perfectly fun paranormal romance and, against all odds, all I found myself doing was finding fault with it. I suppose, technically speaking though, this book is flawless. Charley Davidson, the protagonist of our tale, is intelligent, brave, and witty. With every word that flies out of her mouth, you can't help but love her and, to top that all off, she's the Grim Reaper, responsible for convincing ghosts to leave the waking world and pass through her into the light. Add to that mix a sexy guy who gives Charley erotic dreams and who may or may not be a ghost and we have on our hands a perfect novel. 

Or so it would seem. In reality, I found that the famed humor of this series got old - quickly. Sure, Charley is snarky and her dialogue will ensure you don't fall asleep, but the conversation lacks depth. In fact, for a Private Investigator, Charley does less investigating and more ogling. Not only does she seemingly have facts handed to her because she can talk to ghosts, but she has no problem walking around talking to thin air and looking like a maniac. Granted, she doesn't do this in public all the time, but it seemed odd to me that only three-four people knew of her gift when she flaunted it everywhere like a madwoman. It simply screamed unrealistic and for some reason, I was unable to move on past that, imagining Charley talking to the air while other people stood staring at her in a room. Hmm... 

Even more than that, though, is the fact that the romance in this novel is seriously...odd? It seems as if there's a bit of a love triangle at first with Charley utterly intent on finding the guy of her dreams, Reyes, while her co-worker is bent on dating her. Nevertheless, it's obvious from the beginning that there is only one man for Charley, but I never felt invested in this aspect of the story at all. For one, Reyes and Charley have only met once and that was years ago when Charley helped fend off a man who was beating him, only to have Reyes threaten her with rape if she didn't leave him soon afterward. Of course, Reyes was only looking out for his younger sister and his actions can be forgiven - I guess - but either than seeing him as a figment of Charley's dreams, a mist that followed her and make her knees weak, there didn't seem to be much to him. 

Ultimately, though, this novel lost my interest, turned me off with its constant humor, and I wasn't exactly the biggest fan of Charley or the writing style, especially the manner in which the murder mystery in this case was tackled. A story of three lawyers all dying on the same night is fascinating, but throw in a ghost who discusses the hotness of Charley's co-workers with her and all seriousness is lost. I guess you need to really love humor and especially urban fantasy-lite to be a fan of this series and I guess I'm just one of those few people who doesn't. Regardless, I'd encourage readers who plan to read Darynda Jones to give this series a try. With such a huge fan base of lovers, there's clearly something wrong with me. 

Reviewer's Note: Is it bothering anyone else that the pairing of my mini-reviews is completely random? Actually, there are no similarities whatsoever with A Straight Line to My Heart and First Grave on the Right. Sorry! I need to work on pairing my mini-reviews better...

Review: Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices, #3) by Cassandra Clare

Title: Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices, #3)

Author: Cassandra Clare

Rating: 2 Stars

For some reason, it is always easy to write a review for a book you dislike. When you have to write a review for a book you love, the words don't come because too much of it is feeling and less of it is tangible though. For a novel you dislike, though, the snark just flows without thought. Unfortunately, this doesn't apply for a book that gutted you, leaving you bitter and disappointed in the end. Just like novels that you hold dear to your heart, stories that upset you leave behind more emotion than what can be expressed with words. As such, I hope you will forgive me for this review. I fear it may ramble, it may deviate from the topic at hand, and it may leave many fans of this series shaking their heads at me. Sorry.

I suppose the best place to start at is the beginning. Shortly after finishing Clockwork Prince and giving it 5 Stars, I more-or-less made a decision to not pick up any more of Cassandra Clare's novels after Clockwork Princess. I had read - and loved - the first three books in her Mortal Instruments Series, but after CoG, I refused to continue because I loved the ending of CoG too much and, frankly, could not take the drama. After CP, I began to realize that the majority of Clare's future works were all similar to her previous ones and I was quite convinced that she didn't have too much more to tempt me as a reader. Yet, I was ecstatic for the release of CP2.

Like every other fan out there, I theorized and pored over both CA and CP until I was certain that the ending could go only one possible way. Until I was sure it had to play out either like this or like that with no leeway in the middle because, surely, anything else would ruin the series. I suppose then, in some ways, I have only myself to blame for the crushing physical pain I felt after finishing this book. Clockwork Princess disappointed me in the worst of ways. Although it contained Clare's tell-tale wit and humor, her classic writing style that flowed beautifully, and her usual depth of character, it failed to charm me.

Objectively speaking, CP2 does everything a good finale should do. It ties up the loose ends alluded to in the previous two novels perfectly, it leaves us without any lingering questions or doubts, and the romantic entanglements are all cleared up. Nevertheless, after the half-way mark of this book, something happened and slowly - very slowly - everything began to fall apart. Although I had cracked open the spine of CP2 and was enjoying it, my mind began to drift after awhile. While everyone else was clamoring about their emotional upheaval, I was reading, calm and cool as a cucumber.

After the half-way mark of this book, it began to both get better and worse. What I loved about CP2 was the fact that it shifted to the third-person perspectives of other characters. Although Gabriel, Gideon, Cecily, Charlotte, Sophie, and Henry had always been important characters, they never got their own spotlight to shine in - until now. All of their individual story arcs came together beautifully and CP2 surprised me by giving me a strange amount of emotional attachment to the Lightwood brothers. In fact, if it wasn't for the perfect balance of depth and action that was present within these secondary characters, I suspect CP2 would only garner one star from me.

Ultimately, what really went wrong were the characters themselves. It felt as if, all of a sudden, they had all just gone mad. I found myself flipping back to check that I hadn't accidentally pre-ordered some strange new version of Alice in Wonderland where Mad Hatters reigned supreme and was, in fact, reading CP2. Will, Tessa, and Jem are characters we have been with for the past three years now. We, the readers, know them inside and out just as well as Clare herself probably does. We remember their words, their actions, their anguish, their pain. Thus, to have them disregard much of what makes them uniquely them - for them to brush aside certain personality traits and perform actions that they would have normally never performed - was shocking.

Clockwork Princess disappointed me because its main characters behaved out of character. If you don't believe me, then just re-read Clockwork Prince and make a list of things that Will, Jem, and Tessa would never do to each other. Actually, just make that list after reading half of this novel. After that, you can proceed to watch as they do all of those actions, which essentially disregarded their respect for each other as well as mine for them. Without giving away spoilers, it is difficult to elaborate on this point any further, but just know that the main characters took decisions in this book that they would have never taken because of honor, respect, and pride. For me, the fact that they made those decisions was surprising more than anything else and, from there on out, the rest of this novel, particularly the ending, seemed too unrealistic for me to wrap my mind around and fathom.

Veering away from the love triangle temporarily, I have to admit that I was expecting a little more of a mind-blowing revelation from Clare. Yet, that being said, the ultimate explanations, although not wholly surprising to me, were still satisfactory and the final showdown, despite being one I wouldn't hesitate to label as "lame", was still excellently written. In all things concerned with plot, CP2 does not disappoint. We find out just who Tessa is, what her abilities are, how she came to be, all the manner in which we find out is all very cleverly revealed throughout the course of the novel.

As such, the only real complaint I had with this book seems to be the love triangle. For me, the unrealistic actions of the main characters in turn made this love triangle turn out to the way it did. I have no qualms about who ended up with who, but the very fact that it was unrealistic, that the epilogue raised more questions than it answered, that I found myself doubting all the traits I'd pegged on these selfless friends...all that just made me bitter and upset. I will admit, though, that CP2 brings to light the depth of the bond between Tessa, Will, and Jem and, in some instances, this was handled very well and with emotion. For the most part, though, I can't say I was satisfied at all.

Maybe I'm a cynic, so I'd warn you all to take my review with a grain of salt. A few. Nearly all of my most trusted friends have loved this and I am thrilled for them - I wish the same on every other reader who opens this book. I hope CP2 is the type of action-packed and emotional ending you all hope it is because, to be frank, disappointment is a terrible feeling. Although I'm done with this trilogy - and with Cassandra Clare, too, I presume, unless she writes something set out of this universe - the joy and love of reading is one I am not finished with. CP2 leaves me feeling as if I should avoid all love triangles - which I will - and all trilogies - which I might - for as long as I live, but I cannot disregard that these characters will stay with me, the way I remember them best, from CA and CP.

Review: The City's Son by Tom Pollock

Title: The City's Son (The Skyscraper Throne, #1)

Author: Tom Pollock 

Rating: 2 Stars/DNF

You need to know one thing before you delve into this review: I am making a conscious effort to not continue books I don't feel much for. Ever since I joined GoodReads last year, I've felt incredible guilty about DNFing novels, but on every account, I've either finished a bad book and given it a bad rating or finished a good book that just didn't work for me and given it an indifferent rating. Either way, by reading just over half the novel, I am able to discern whether the book is worth my time or not and usually, it isn't. Thus, I told myself this year that it really is okay to put down books unfinished and use that time to read another book, one that I will preferably love. Well, with The City's Son, this is the situation. Pollock's debut is a good novel, certainly, but it just isn't one for me and the flaws I found within it were too egregious for me to ignore and enjoy this story.

The City's Son, being a YA Urban Fantasy read, seems like something right up my alley - and it is. Where this novel falls flat, though, is in a lot of small aspects that, when combined, totally lost my attention. First and foremost, the story is told from the dual perspectives of Fil and Beth. Beth is a graffiti artist, a normal girl like any of us, only tougher for the death of her mother and subsequent grief of her father has made her fend for herself. Fil, on the other hand, is the son of the goddess of the London streets where this story takes place. From the very beginning itself, Pollock thoroughly immerses the reader in the world he has created - only, without much of a rope to hold on to, leaving them flailing about in the dark, drowning waters.

You see, Fil's perspective is littered full of strange names and weird remarks which begin to make a little more sense as the story wears on, but is initially extremely confusing. Furthermore, the manner in which his story arc crosses with that of Beth's is rather unbelievable. Beth, who has been betrayed by her best friend who ratted her out and now suspended from her school, has her life saved by Fil and then proceeds to join him on his quest to defeat the Crane King, the powerful lord trying to kill him. What I found strange about this was the fact that Beth never stopped to question or wonder why a Wraith, a mystical creature, was attacking her and she accepted the reality of Fil's magical life with ease. In addition, beyond a few initial doubts about Beth, Fil quickly takes her on as a partner, despite the fact that she is a liability to him.

Thus, the set-up of this story itself is very strange and was difficult for me to grasp. Over and above that, though, I found the dialogue to be awkward and the writing wasn't all that remarkable either. I will give Pollock credit for a rich and imaginative world, but with such little foundation of world-building - or simply world-building that emerges too late - I was unable to enjoy his unique take on London. Nevertheless, there are redeeming characteristics. For one, I just adored Beth's best friend, Pen. Pen is a Muslim and is constantly picked on by her maths teacher (not because of her nationality though - the true reason is far worse), which is why Beth is constantly sticking up for her. We are witness to a few scenes from Pen's PoV and these I simply loved! Pen is a strong, resilient character who has been through a lot in life. She looks up to Beth and tries her best to be just as powerful as Beth is, although she lacks the exterior aura. Unlike Beth, whose method of coping is to ignore them and shove them to the back of her mind where they fail to interfere with her adventures, Pen is much more damaged and nuanced.

Although I do really like Beth, I didn't find that she brought anything wholly new to the realm of kick-ass heroines. Fil, in my eyes, was forgettable as well. In addition to Pen, though, we see a few scenes told from Beth's father and his guilt, remorse, and worry for his daughter was very moving. After the death of his wife, Beth's father became a mere shell of himself and although he tried to be there for Beth, he simply couldn't. It is clear, though, that he cares very much for his daughter and is extremely proud of her artistic accomplishments. I loved how his story arc, Pen's story arc, Fil's story arc, and Beth's all came together, making for a very intriguing plot.

So, really, The City's Son has a lot going for it. Unfortunately, I didn't feel much for its two main characters and the world-building was truly lost on me, making this the type of book I kept feeling as if I needed to go back and re-read, just because I was so confused. Nevertheless, Pollock's debut has a lot to offer for fans of UF, so I'd urge readers to check it out - despite my low rating.

Mini-Reviews: The Nightmare Affair and Perfect Scoundrels

Title: The Nightmare Affair

Author: Mindee Arnett

Rating: 2 Stars/DNF 

Release Date: March 5th, 2013

From first glance, Arnett's debut seems to have a lot going for it. An eye-catching cover? Check. Gorgeous title fonts and imagery? Check. A fascinating new idea? Check. Unfortunately, however, The Nightmare Affair is - no pun intended - a nightmare to read. While it starts off promising enough with a unique premises, it soon deteriorates into nothing more than a stereotypical paranormal mystery, riddled with a Hogwarts-eque boarding school and topped off with silly, unrealistic dialogue and characterization.

The Nightmare Affair starts out well enough, grabbing the reader in from the first chapter itself as we are introduced to our protagonist, Dusty, and her nighttime duty of gracing humans with nightmares. On this particular night, she happens to be in the home of Eli, an extremely good-looking guy from her former high school. Usually, kneeling over a hot, shirtless guy while he sleeps to give him a nightmare wouldn't be a problem, but tonight, everything goes wrong. For one, Eli's nightmare takes place on the grounds of Dusty's current school, a place for those with paranormal powers - such as werewolves, faeries, and nightmares - to hone their powers and, also, a place that Eli should know nothing about. Yet, to make matters worse, when Eli wakes up, Dusty's  magic refuses to work on him and the girl they've both seen dead in his nightmare is found to be murdered just hours later.

Needless to say, with such an engrossing beginning, I had high hopes for this one. Yet, to my immense disappointment, Chapter 1 is as good as it gets. Dusty is whisked away, back to her boarding school and from there, everything just gets worse. One of my biggest issues with this debut is the dialogue. It is obvious that Mindee Arnett doesn't really know - or understand - teenagers. Not only are the conversations in this story riddled with cliches, but the interactions with adults seemed too stereotypical and unreal to truly seem plausible. Dusty's mother, Moira, is cast in an utterly ridiculous light, failing to provide a foundation for a strong mother-daughter bond and Dusty's rivals in her school are just as predictable as your run-of-the-mill blonde cheerleader, from their expressions to the next words that come out of their mouth.

If all this wasn't bad enough, the romance set-up between Eli and Dusty is obvious - and far too boring - from the very beginning. As characters, Eli and Dusty bring nothing new to what we've already seen done time-and-time again and as a reader who went into this book looking for originality, I came across only the same old bland story lines, characters, and settings. From what I've heard from my trusted friends, it turns out that Arnett's debut has a love triangle to top this all off, one that seems wholly unnecessary since even I can already tell you who Dusty will chose, despite not having met the second guy yet.

Honestly, this book is just too simplistic, poorly executed, and unoriginal to be worth my time. I gave it nearly a hundred pages before giving up and simply have to arrive at the conclusion that it is not for me. I know plenty of readers who have found to be a fun and enjoyable piece, but I am unfortunately not one of them. If you don't mind a rather typical, but entertaining, paranormal mystery, The Nightmare Affair will most likely be your cup of tea, but if, like me, you were drawn to this novel because of its potential uniqueness in an overdone genre, look elsewhere.

Title: Perfect Scoundrels (Heist Society, #3) 

Author: Ally Carter

Rating: 4 Stars

Obviously, Ally Carter and I need to have a chat. A long one. Preferably ending with her releasing her books all in the summer so I don't waste my day reading instead of studying for my tests or doing my physics homework, all which I have to do now at around 10 PM. Still, I have to admit, this was worth it.

Perfect Scoundrels is hands down the best HS novel so far and I hope they just continue to get better from her on out. Unlike the last two novels which focus solely on heists, Perfect Scoundrels is about stealing back Hale. Nope, he hasn't been kidnapped, but ever since the death of his grandmother, he hasn't been the same. Now, Kat has to do everything in her power to make it okay and bring back the Hale she knows, even if it means finding his grandmother's real will and taking on a criminal who may just be as clever as she is.

What makes Perfect Scoundrels such a phenomenal novel is the mere fact that Carter has written three-dimensional characters. Finally. While her previous novels were fun, engaging, and compelling, Perfect Scoundrels blows them all away by exposing the more vulnerable side of Hale, showing us the deep ravine that actually separates the worlds that Hale and Kat live in, and ultimately forging stronger relationships. We get to see a different side of Hale, but also of Kat, especially since family plays a huge role in this book. Not just the family you're born into, but the family of friends you decide to trust and who remain loyal to you, no matter what.

For me, though, Perfect Scoundrels came alive because of all the raw emotion in it. Carter still retains her classic style of writing, fast-paced plot lines, intelligent con plans, and she throws in a fair share of heists too, but there's so much more of everything in this novel. It is more, more than what we've come to expect from Carter and in the best possible way. I can now only keep my fingers crossed that this series will continue to improve and its characters will retain the depth we've been lucky enough to glimpse in this installment.

ARC Mini-Review: The Cadet of Tildor by Alex Lidell

Title: The Cadet of Tildor 

Author: Alex Lidell

Rating: DNF/2 Stars

I suppose, in many ways, I didn't give The Cadet of Tildor much of a chance. I painstakingly read through the first quarter of this book before giving into my desire to skim the pages until I was nearly half-way through the novel and began to realize I was well and truly wasting my time. The Cadet of Tildor is not a bad novel, but it just wasn't one for me. As a high fantasy junkie who has grown up reading Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Tamora Pierce, Kristin Cashore, and Megan Whalen Turner, Alex Lidell falls seriously short of other fantasy writers of this age.

The Cadet of Tildor starts out strongly enough, introducing us to a fierce and strong-willed protagonist, Renee. While I instantly admired her for standing up to her father and willing to follow her dreams of completing her training as a Cadet, despite the fact that she was up against stronger men, I was unable to feel much of a connection with her as the novel wore on. From the onset, her friends were flat and two-dimensional and the revered trainer seemed to lack personality as well. Or, perhaps, they didn't lack personality and it was just the fact that they were so like every other fantasy character out there that I was unimpressed. The Cadet of Tildor is excruciatingly unoriginal and, upon skipping to the end, I can already inform you that its last line is the exact same last line from Turner's King of Attolia, only without a complex situation and three novels to back it up.

In addition to my lack of feeling for the characters, I simply felt very underwhelmed. Nothing much happens during the beginning and neither are the characters or world set up in a manner I found to be interesting. In fact, I virtually have no grasp of this world or its politics whatsoever. Ultimately, Lidell's debut is a disappointment for me simply because I go into fantasy expecting more from it and this one just didn't live up. Unlike the contemporary genre, which often lets me down and I've come to accept as a hit-or-miss genre for me, fantasy usually never fails to amaze me, but the recent revival of YA Fantasy certainly has.

For newcomers into fantasy or those of you who are unfamiliar with the works of Megan Whalen Turner or Tamora Pierce, The Cadet of Tildor is likely to take your breath away. It is extremely well-written and the words flow smoothly from the page, proving that Lidell can, indeed, write. Yet, when compared to other fantasy works, it falls short of a masterpiece by far. Of course, the novel may drastically improve, but as I already feel nothing for the characters, I sincerely doubt I'll enjoy this one too much more.

Review: Legend by Marie Lu

Title: Legend 

Author: Marie Lu 

Rating: 2 Stars/DNF

Legend is one of those books that simply demands to be read, not so much because of its original premises, intriguing characters, or fast-paced plot, but rather because everyone seems to have such a varied opinion about it. I always make it a point to read the reviews of my most trusted reviewers - those whose opinions are similar to my own - but when it came to this book, the ratings ranged from amazement, to indifference, to like, to hate. Thus, I knew I had to read this and give it a shot for myself to see what the hype really is all about. Well, if you're anything like me and if you've read your fair share of dystopians, I can tell you now thatLegend offers nothing new to this over-wrought genre and, frankly speaking, you aren't missing much if you skip it. If, however, you're nothing like me (or you're just wondering why I couldn't finish one of your favorite books), you might as well stick around. I doubt it'll be a long haul anyway.

See, the thing about Legend is that it is exactly like every other post-apocalyptic novel out there. We have our utopian-like society, we have two vastly different characters, we have the slow uncovering of betrayal, that all is not as perfect as it seems. Very, very typical. Now, it isn't that I have an aversion to typical plots - because everyone knows I read more than just a few dystopian series - but the qualities that I needed to make this novel interesting, engaging, and something worth reading were simply lacking. Well, that and I suspect I'm growing tired of this genre...is there really anything new left to explore?

One of the first things that stands out about Legend is the unique formatting of the book itself. It is told from the dual narration of June, a prodigy in her society, and Day, a thief who is accused of murdering June's brother. As such, you can imagine that June sets out to find and kill him. Well, another unique aspect of this formatting is that Day's perspective is told in gold lettering while June's is in regular black. At first, I was a little annoyed by this - the gold is, I warn you, hard on the eyes. As the story progressed though, I found myself relying on the font to help me distinguish who was speaking. Yes, the two perspectives in this are really thatinterchangeable. Not only are June and Day similar individuals, both being extremely smart, calculating, and tough, but their thoughts mirror each other almost exactly. So, really, Legend is about one character named Jay or Dune whose thoughts are shown in two different colors. =.=

In addition to the utter lack of characterization, the world-building in this novel was nothing new and I was unable to form much of a connection with the characters. Day, to some extent, is an easier person to get to know, merely because he has feeling. June, however, is distant from everyone but her older brother, who, once dead, makes her just plain unfeeling. So, really, can you blame me for not wanting to continue this? Unoriginal plot lines, characters that lacked distinct personalities, and an attachment that failed to occur. By the time I passed the half-way point of this story, I was done. I can't even say that Marie Lu is a good writer because, really, her writing was nothing special either.Legend is a tiny bit better than Article 5, but not a whole lot much. In fact, Enclave, another DNF for me, is far better, so maybe check that out instead? Or, you know, just give this a shot, because even if it's not for you, it's a quick read and you won't feel as if you wasted your time. At least, not too much.

ARC Review: The Mad Scientist's Daughter by Cassandra Rose Clarke

Title: The Mad Scientist's Daughter

Author: Cassandra Rose Clarke

Rating: 2 Stars

Release Date: January 29th, 2013

Looking back, I think I can acknowledge that The Mad Scientist's Daughter is more of a tragic love story than anything else. Although it's been marketed as sci-fi, focusing on robots and a dystopian future that seems eerily similar to something our own children may experience, at the core, it is all romance and not much else. Let me clarify - all dramatic and angst-riddenromance. Unfortunately, I didn't even feel much for this main romance since I was too preoccupied coming up with ways to murder the main character, Cat. I feel like an anomaly, simply because everyone seems to have at least liked this story, if not loved it, but I was literally crying tears of happiness as I neared the end. I suppose, though, that at the end of the day, some books aren't for everyone and this one just wasn't for me. 

I will say, however, that Clarke has some of the worst synopsis writers ever. Seriously, the synopsis for The Assassin's Curse gave away the entire plot and the synopsis for this one gives away too little. Ultimately, however, the novel is about, as its title suggests, Cat, the daughter of famed scientist Daniel Novak. When Dr. Novak brings Finn, a robot who looks and seems human in every way, to their home when Cat is only five, her entire life is changed. At first, their relationship is one of tender friendship. Cat is tutored by Finn, but as she grows, so do her feelings for him. Nevertheless, the fact remains that Finn isn't human, he's only a robot, so he can't possibly feel anything for her too...can he?

I found the premises of this novel to be fascinating and was quickly drawn into the story of Cat as her life unfolds, from childhood to adolescence to adulthood. Yet, as I finished the first part of this novel, for it is split into three parts, I couldn't help but lose my former enthusiasm for the story. For one, the novel justdrags. It covers nearly half of the total lifespan that Cat lives and as such, it is a long book, one with lots of extraneous details and under-developed secondary characters that it is impossible to feel much for because of their fleeting presence, giving way to more than a little skipping.

More important, however, Cat is an unlikable character like no other; unlikable to the point where she's quite literally a badperson, not someone who is good and has their flaws. As Cat grows and continues to deny her feelings for Finn, treating him as a robot while seeing him as a man, she uses him in more ways than one; uses him as an object, never bothering to care for his feelings and exploiting him for her own gain, despite her care for him. Later, in an effort to escape her attachment to him, she uses other men in her life, for instance her rich husband whose love she never returns. It's all just one disaster after another; death followed by a loveless marriage followed by more sorrow.

If all that desolation wasn't enough to turn me away, I never felt as if Cat was truly redeemed by the end - I still hated her with a passion. Now, books, as John Green would say, are not in the business of creating likable characters, which I totally understand, but I do believe that they are in the business of creating bonds with a reader and that was sadly missing. Of all the characters in this tale, the only one I came to feel for was Finn; sweet, kind Finn who seemed to be utterly manipulated by everyone in his life, from Cat's kind father to Cat, who loved him, herself. Furthermore, more than a lack of emotion or feeling when it came to this book, there were so many aspects of Cat's life that we found out about, but that played no larger role overall; I guess that the plot outline was generally very sloppy for this, introducing elements that were completely unnecessary and leaving me detached even from the story itself.

Yet, even more than the characters and my dislike of the romance, this book sorely disappointed me with all its wasted potential. At times, the novel would veer towards political debates on the humanity of these robots, whether or not they should have been granted rights, etc., but none of this was further explored. Furthermore, Cat never undergoes any doubt or lingering qualms before entering into a relationship - or whatever you want to call it - with Finn. Of course, she realizes that it isn't normal or evenright to be in love with a computer, but she doesn't seem to care or worry. In fact, the only character who ever calls out Cat on her relationship with Finn is her mother, who is conveniently killed off in the first third of the novel.

While The Mad Scientist's Daughter was not a book for me, I'm sure it will move many other readers. I'm not one for angsty romances that remind me of the majority of adult romances that I so painstakingly avoid and especially not with hints of politics and sci-fi thrown in thrown in for the sake of it; I'm especially not one to condone heroines who use men in a twisted love triangle fashion, giving the type of love that is seen as practically obsessive for they are a mere shell of themselves without their loved one. I cannot deny that Clarke is a phenomenal writer and her versatility has definitely shown through in her quick - and successful - venture into adult novels. Still, I think I'll just stick with her YA books - God knows I can't wait for The Pirate's Wish to release!

Thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot/Strange Chemistry for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

Review: Enshadowed by Kelly Creagh

Title: Enshadowed (Nevermore, #2) 

Author: Kelly Creagh

Rating: 2 Stars

Enshadowed is a disaster; pure, terrifying, earth-shattering literary disaster, hurling your way at velocities too fast to imagine. Ever since I finished Nevermore, I've been dutifully stalking Kelly Creagh's website for any mention of a sequel; a release date, a cover, a summary. Thus, on August 28th when I finally heldEnshadowed in my hands, I was breathless, shaking, and oh-so-very excited. Well, talk about a slap back into reality because it took me nearly five months to read Enshadowed. Yes, you read that right - five months.

If you look up "frustrating" "slow" "dull" "meaningless" or just "Middle Book Syndrome" in the dictionary, this will be the book cover next to those words. In the future, if I ever say a novel suffered from MBS, slap me and direct me to this review, because there is not even one book in the world that suffers from it as much as this one does. Not. One. What I'm trying to say here is that nothing happens in Enshadowed. Absolutely. Nothing.

Creagh's sophomore novel picks up directly where her debut left off, which is possibly its first flaw. You see, this series is not meant to be a trilogy - there isn't enough material for that. Instead, it's really just a duo, but Creagh has a talent for writing long, beautiful and languid phrases, rich with description and detail - so much so that it takes up this entire novel. For 70% of the story we are treated to Isobel as she sees visions, wanders through life shell-shocked from the events of the past Halloween and grieves Varen. In the last 30%, we are treated to a sudden shift into action, into what we think is answers but we learn is just a solid dose of confusion. In fact, I can't even summon up enough emotion to feel irritated by yet another cliffhanger ending - I think I'm just too happy I finally finished this.

You see, the problem with Enshadowed is that there is too muchof the wrong thing and too little of the right thing. Over half of this novel is dedicated to character development, gradually building Isobel's relationship with her parents and charting its changes as Varen's disappearance is prolonged. Out of all the people in the world, I am most probably one of the strongest supporters for character development, but character development without plot is a tragic flaw. Isobel simply pushes aside her parents well-wishes, she does exactly what she wants and makes no effort to conceal her new sense of insanity from those around her. If I could have, I would gone in and just strangled Isobel. Not only was she extremely disappointing as a character, butnothing happened! If Enshadowed had started out from Isobel reaching Baltimore, as she vowed in the end of Nevermore, and giving us flashbacks, building up the familial relationships that Creagh so obviously found important, perhaps then this would have been a better novel. Perhaps.

If all of that didn't sound bad enough - no plot, frustrating characters, too much character development, confusing visions that did nothing for the story - then it all just gets worse with Isobel constantly moping. Nevermore perfectly captured the tense, tender, and enriching relationship that Isobel and Varen shared, but Enshadowed reduces that into an Isabella-Swan-eque pining. I kid you not. Sure, perhaps Isobel isn't running out to dive from cliffs to see visions of Varen, but she's not doing anything a whole lot safer either.

Now, looking back, I can fully admit that the only reason this novel is getting two stars and not one - or zero - is because of Gwen, Isobel's best friend, Danny, Isobel's brother, and Isobel's parents herself. Considering that character development ruined this story, at least those characters shone and I enjoyed some parts of this tale, particularly Isobel's relationship with her parents, brother, and friend. While I do firmly believe that this could have all been condensed, at least into a novella if not just a final installment, at least Enshadowed has strong characters and beautiful writing to offer it some type of absolution.

I will, without a doubt, be reading the last novel. It is, after all, the last book; the one with all the answers that I wish this one had; the one where something will actually happen and not just drag on like a filler. Nevertheless, I won't be making the same mistake twice. I won't be checking Creagh's website anytime soon, I won't be pre-ordering the last novel, and I will keep my expectations so ridiculously low that there is no possible way I can be disappointed. If you haven't read Enshadowed yet, take my advice and skip to Chapter 25. Everything that is worth knowing about this book happens in the last ten chapters and if you want to know everything else, just go back and start from the beginning; it's too much of an effort to read this all the way through. Trust me, I know - I did, after all, struggle with this for five months.

DNF Review: Enclave by Ann Aguirre

Title: Enclave (Razorland, #1) 

Author: Ann Aguirre

Rating: DNF/2 Stars

In Deuce’s world, people earn the right to a name only if they survive their first fifteen years. By that point, each unnamed ‘brat’ has trained into one of three groups–Breeders, Builders, or Hunters, identifiable by the number of scars they bear on their arms. Deuce has wanted to be a Huntress for as long as she can remember. As a Huntress, her purpose is clear—to brave the dangerous tunnels outside the enclave and bring back meat to feed the group while evading ferocious monsters known as Freaks. She’s worked toward this goal her whole life, and nothing’s going to stop her, not even a beautiful, brooding Hunter named Fade. When the mysterious boy becomes her partner, Deuce’s troubles are just beginning. Down below, deviation from the rules is punished swiftly and harshly, and Fade doesn’t like following orders. At first Deuce thinks he’s crazy, but as death stalks their sanctuary, and it becomes clear the elders don’t always know best, Deuce wonders if Fade might be telling the truth. Her partner confuses her; she’s never known a boy like him before, as prone to touching her gently as using his knives with feral grace. As Deuce’s perception shifts, so does the balance in the constant battle for survival. The mindless Freaks, once considered a threat only due to their sheer numbers, show signs of cunning and strategy… but the elders refuse to heed any warnings. Despite imminent disaster, the enclave puts their faith in strictures and sacrifice instead. No matter how she tries, Deuce cannot stem the dark tide that carries her far from the only world she’s ever known. 

Enclave is amongst the few dystopian novels that has actually received a level amount of praise from practically everyone. As far as I know, there are no “haters” of Enclave, although there are those that feel simply ambivalent towards the novel, and as such, I went into it fully expecting to love it. Much to my disappointment, however, not only did I not fall in love with this novel, I couldn’t even bring myself to finish it. I was less than hundred pages from the end when I came to sudden realization that I simply did not care. Thus, this book is sadly joining my pile of DNF novels.

In theory, Enclave is a book I should have loved. We have a kick-ass heroine, an enigmatic young hero/romantic interest, and a unique dystopian world.  Yet, everything was simply lacking in some manner or the other. What struck me first about the story was its lack of world-building. I’ve already mentioned that Aguirre has imagined a fantastic new realm, only we don’t know all that much about it. Of course, we are given details of the inner workings of this utopian society and are introduced to the “Freaks,” or zombies, but we are left completely in the dark as to the origins of this world. It isn’t a huge qualm as far as world-building qualms go and while our protagonist herself didn’t know the answer, a few theories as to how the Freaks came to exist or the manner in which the utopian society was formed would have been enriching to say the least.

Nevertheless, my true qualm took place in the shape of our protagonist, Deuce. Deuce is kick-ass, sweet when it comes to young love, fierce when it comes to fighting, and loyal when it comes to her job, but that’s all she is. Either than a couple of adjectives – strong, brave, kind – Deuce isn’t made up of much. In my eyes, she never had any real substance and I was unable to understand or connect with her as there wasn’t a person there to understand in the first place. It’s difficult to put into words, but more than just a lack of connection with Deuce, I couldn’t care for her or see her perspective on certain issues. Furthermore, this extended into her romance as well, making it all just fall flat for me.

Yet, the last straw in this novel was the love triangle. I thankfully didn’t make it to the point where this issue became an obvious forefront, but from skimming through other reviews, I can tell that it’s distasteful at best. Not only does it continue on in the sequel (turn-off much?), but it also centers on a former rapist. (I have no right to judge in this instance, however, since I haven’t seen how Aguirre deals with this issue and it CAN be dealt with very effectively, as can be seen with Melina Marchetta’s Lumatere Chronicles.)

Nevertheless, with any mention of a love triangle, I am usually running in the opposite direction and that, combined with the lackluster romance already present and my lack of feeling for the characters or their world simply resulted in a novel I couldn’t bring myself to continue. Yet, I haven’t quite given up on Ann Aguirre. I hope to read (and love!) her adult Sirantha Jax Series soon for as an author, Aguirre’s writing leaves little to be desired. Unfortunately, I simply seem to be the black sheep when it comes to this novel and, considering I’ve read too many dystopians, utopians, and zombie-related novels lately, I’m just hard to impress. 

Series Review: FBI/US Attorney Romance Series by Julie James

I've been on a small huge contemporary binge lately. I usually steer away from this genre, but when I'm in the mood for it, I devour it like no tomorrow. Thus, as you can see, you're getting a flood of romance/contemporary novels in the upcoming weeks even though Valentine's Day is FAR away. I really don't know how to review romances, so any/all feedback would be great! :) 

Title: Someone Like You (FBI/US Attorney, #1) 
Author: Julie James 
Rating: 4.5 Stars

Of all the hotel rooms rented by all the adulterous politicians in Chicago, female Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron Lynde had to choose the one next to 1308, where some hot-and-heavy lovemaking ends in bloodshed. And of all the FBI agents in Illinois, it had to be Special Agent Jack Pallas who gets assigned to this high-profile homicide. The same Jack Pallas who still blames Cameron for a botched crackdown three years ago—and nearly ruining his career. Work with Cameron Lynde? Are they kidding? Maybe, Jack thinks, this is some kind of welcome-back prank after his stint away from Chicago. But it’s no joke: the pair is going to have to put their rocky past behind them and focus on the case at hand. That is, if they can cut back on the razor-sharp jibes—and smother the flame of their sizzling-hot sexual tension…

Julie James is easily one of the most well-known authors of chick-flick/contemporary novels, so when I went into Something About You, I was expecting a ton of laughs, a good romance, and had just a tiny seed of doubt in my mind, wondering whether the novel would live up to all the hype. Well, it did. Goodness, did Something About You deliver! 

I think what makes this novel such a hit, at least with me, is the joint collaboration of a steamy, sweet, and compelling romance along with an intriguing murder mystery. When we are first introduced to Cameron, the lawyer who is the protagonist of our tale, it's impossible not to fall in love with her endearing voice. Not only is she hilarious, snarky, and full of sass, but her close friendships define her and she truly came alive as the novel progressed. 

Yet, while Cameron was a heroine I loved, I couldn't help but fall for Jack - hard. I don't know why, but there's something about a rugged guy with just the perfect amount of stubble that is irresistable. Now, not all guys can pull it off, but the Jack in my mind definitely can! ;) Jack is an interested character, one whose past has been tough and molded him into a solitary individual, yet one who is deeply caring beneath that taciturn exterior. Jack and Cameron have a past that neither of them is particularly fond of, but the undercurrent of chemistry and tension between them is undeniable. I adored their witty banter and their slow road to romance was excellently written. For something that starts out as a purely physical attraction, it definitely turns into something infinitely deeper which I loved. Nevertheless, Something Like You isn't a perfect novel. It has its cliche moments, but most disappointingly, the murderer is revealed to us at around 25%. While this method worked perfectly in Libba Bray's The Diviners, I would have liked a little more of "the guessing game" before the reader found out about the murderer. Overall though, this tactic definitely worked well into the plot and the collaboration of the mystery and romance was seamlessly woven. With just one novel, Julie James has definitely earned a fan in me and if her other books are anything like this one, I can admit that the hype surrounding her novels is truly well-deserved. 

Title: A Lot Like Love (FBI/US Attorney, #2)

Author: Julie James

Rating: 2 Stars

The FBI wants her cooperation. As the daughter of a billionaire and the owner of the city's top wine store, Jordan Rhodes is invited to the most exclusive parties in Chicago. But there's only one party the FBI wants to crash: the charity fundraiser of a famous restaurateur, who also happens to launder money for the mob. In exchange for her brother's release from prison, Jordan is going to be there—with a date supplied by the Bureau. Agent McCall just wants her. As the top undercover agent in Chicago, Nick McCall has one rule: never get personal. This "date" with Jordan Rhodes is merely an assignment— one they're both determined to pull off even if they can't be together for five minutes before the sarcasm and sparks begin to fly. But when Nick's investigation is compromised, he and Jordan have no choice but to pretend they're a couple, and what starts out as a simple assignment begins to feel a lot like something more.

You’d think that after reading and loving one Julie James novel, I’d enjoy the other just as much, but unfortunately, that simply wasn’t the case. A Lot Like Love follows a different storyline from Someone Like You, one just as intriguing, mysterious, and crime-filled, but unfortunately, its characters fell flat for  me.

It is evident, even from my second Julie James novel, that the woman follows a formulaic plan – one that evidently works. We have Nick, our standard rugged, handsome, and utterly sexy FBI agent who is both dangerous and appealing at the same time. We have Jordan, a rich, beautiful, and utterly captivating woman who is sassy and becomes easily riled by Nick. Thus, we have our basic set-up for any Julie James love story. Yet, somehow, I wasn’t won over by this magical formula this time. With Someone Like You, not only was the romance a slow-burner, but it was one where the personalities of the characters were so easily distinguishable. I felt as if I knew Cameron and Jack intimately as people before I knew them as a couple but somehow, that simply wasn’t the case in this scenario. I felt as if I barely knew Nick or Jordan, let alone why they were constantly at each other throats. Furthermore, the chemistry in this one seemed to sizzle and fade away for me. 

Ultimately, I think I may be a black sheep for this novel. Julie James is still an author I am pining to read more of as I adored Someone Like You, but it seems as if my enjoyment of her novels is dependant on her character development – as it is with most books I read. Thus, I will hopefully have more success with her romantic novels outside of the FBI Series. Nevertheless, A Lot Like Love, was certainly fun and had the perfect series of elements to make a romantic novel sure to make women swoon everywhere – I just wasn’t one of them. 

Title: About That Night (FBI/US Attorney, #3)

Author: Julie James

Rating: 3.5 Stars 

Though Rylann Pierce tried to fight the sparks she felt for billionaire heir Kyle Rhodes the night they met, their sizzling chemistry was undeniable. But after being stood up on their first date, Rylann never expected to see him again. So when she finds herself face to face with Kyle in a courthouse nine years later, she’s stunned. More troubling to the beautiful Assistant U.S. Attorney is that she’s still wildly attracted to him. Just released from prison, Kyle Rhodes isn’t thrilled to be the star witness in a high-profile criminal case — but when Rylann comes knocking at his door, he finds she may be the one lawyer he can’t say no to. Still as gorgeous and sharp-tongued as ever, she lays down the law: she doesn’t mix business with pleasure. But Kyle won’t give up on something he wants — and what he wants is the one woman he’s never forgotten...

After my disappointments with A Lot Like Love, I took a break from James’ FBI/Attorney Series and tackled both of Julie James’ stand-alone romances. In all honesty, I feel really bad for this book and its characters – it isn’t easy to follow-up a couple like J.D. and Payton from Practice Makes Perfect, my previous Julie James read, so really, I would have probably enjoyed this book a lot more if I hadn’t read it after what is, in my opinion at least, James’ best work. Yet, About The Night reminded me again of why I love the steamy lawyer/criminal/FBI agent pairings that James usually writes about, at least in this particular series, and in my eyes, it was a definite improvement from the last installment.

About That Night is really, at the core of it, the most cliché of all James’ romances. Or second-most cliché after The Sexiest Man Alive. Either way, it has a fairly predictable plot and after the initial court meetings in the beginning of the novel, our protagonists, Kyle and Rylann, have little to do with law. If anything, About That Night focuses more on their own journey, both in trying to convince themselves that they don’t want to have an emotional relationship with one another as they wind up having just that. Sound familiar? It is, but yet, it’s a formula that never fails to work.

Furthermore, I loved these two. Not only was their chemistry sizzling, but their banter and slow understanding of each other through conversation warmed my heart. I’m a sucker for those “I-Met-You-Years-Ago” romances and About That Night definitely delivered. While I was disappointed that its plot wasn’t as involved in mystery as I would have liked, James has an addictive writing style that is impossible to not enjoy. If you’re looking for something light, fun, cute, page-turning, and steamy, Julie James is one go-to author you can’t miss out on! ;)