Review: Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Title: Unearthly (Unearthly, #1) 

Author: Cynthia Hand 

Rating: 2.5 Stars

I just want to let you all know that while I'm writing this, I am also building a fort. Yes, a fort to protect me from all the boulders and bombs that will most likely be thrown my way for highly disliking this novel. It doesn't matter that my fort is made of pillows or that it contains highly flammable books inside it - the point is, I have a fort. Thus, I hope you won't attack me since...well...I have a fort!

Part 1: In Which I "Get It"

I get it. I seriously do. I get why there is so much hype surrounding this novel. I get why you all love it. I really do. Unearthly released during a time when angel novels such as Hush, Hush, Hades, and Fallen were making waves - not all good - in the book community. Thus, in comparison with those novels, Unearthly is truly a masterpiece. But, in my opinion, it's a masterpiece in the same way that Twilight is a masterpiece when compared to Fifty Shades of Grey or Beautiful Disaster. It's much better than the norm, but it isn't that good at the same time.

More about that later - back to why I "get it." First and foremost, Unearthly provides a new and unique take on angel lore. Not only is it a story that doesn't feature a teenage girl falling in love with a fallen angel, it is also a story that doesn't feature insta-love or a true love triangle. Yippee! Clara, the protagonist of our story, is one-fourth of an angel herself. In Hand's novel, angels are given a divine purpose in life that they must fulfill. As they grow into teenagers, they begin to get glimpses or visions of their purpose and must accordingly go about completing them. Thus, when Clara is given a vision of saving a handsome teenage boy from a fire, she and her family take off from California to Wyoming where she meets Christian, the boy of her dreams (literally!).

Now, let me discuss the reasons why this novel really is quite good. First and foremost, I loved Clara's relationship with her mother, who is a half-angel. While I found it to be a little too perfect at some points, it was still nice to see her mother be such an active part of her life. Furthermore, I found that Clara's apprehensions about moving, her difficulty fitting into the social scheme at her new school, and her confusion over whether or not she is meant to get closer to Christian all handled quite realistically. In addition to Christian though, we have Tucker Avery - the annoying twin brother of Clara's best friend, Wendy. Tucker and Clara's relationship took a forefront in the second-half of the novel and I enjoyed how it was never rushed and it grew through conversation and the two spending time with each other.

So, really, there's a lot to love about this book: (1) Original/Unique/New take on angel lore (2) No Missing Parent Syndrome (3) Quite realistic emotions (4) One heart-warming romance that grows through conversation. So, you might ask, what went wrong?

Part 2: In Which I Don't Fall for the Hype

You see, despite having some excellent and interesting points, Unearthly was actually a massive disappointment. I believe that this is primarily due to the order in which I read my angel books --> (1) Hush, Hush (2) Daughter of Smoke and Bone (3) Angelfall (4) Shadows (5) Unearthly <-- Do you see a problem here? No? Well, let me tell you. I read this novel after reading Angelfall and Daughter of Smoke and Bone, two of the best angel novels written. Thus, I didn't have massively low expectations for my next angel novel. Combined with the glowing ratings and hype surrounding this story, I was really expecting something great. I feel as if whenever I go into a story expecting to hate it, I love it, and whenever I go into a novel expecting to love it, I usually hate it. I had a similar experience with this one.

While Unearthly had an original premises which I found fascinating, it was extremely boring for more than half the story. It was like any other contemporary romance with Clara attending high school, fainting when she saw Mr. I-am-SO-hot-Christian, and attempting to get closer to him because she felt a romantic spark between them. Yeah, nothing unique there, huh? I liked how Clara began to learn more about her angel abilities with her angel-blood friend, Angela, but either than that, everything about this story was so typical.

Speaking of Clara, her character simply grated on me. I think this might simply be an issue of personal preference, but Clara was perfect. As in, she is an angel therefore she is literally perfect. Clara was beautiful. Clara had gorgeous hair. Clara could do any sport effortlessly. Clara could charm any guy she wanted. Clara could speak any language she wanted. Clara could do this perfectly. Clara could do that perfectly. Clara was a freaking perfect angel! I get it - I know she's an angel - but it was so silly. Why did Clara need to be perfect? I love flawed characters and while Clara was flawed in the sense that she did rebel against the laws of her angelic society and she found some things hard, for the most part, I was just annoyed with her. Furthermore, I couldn’t connect with her in the least. Clara, you have a problem? Well, guess what? Us, humans? We always have problems, so suck it up! It seems harsh, but I was extremely irritated by this quality of hers. I think it became less problematic as the novel progressed, but it was glaringly obvious – and casted Clara into a petulant light actually – for the first half of the story.

Once the half-way mark of this novel was passed, it began to pick up a little. I liked how Clara refused to be one of those girls who chased after a guy and her developing relationship with Tucker was sweet. I loved Tucker Avery - he is everything you want a guy to be. In fact, I found him to be a little too perfect actually which annoyed me ever-so-slightly. If you liked Zeke from The Immortal Rules, you'll probably adore Tucker. Yet, while I hated Zeke, I did manage to like Tucker, despite his perfection. While I found his reaction to Clara's angel background and his acceptance of certain actions they were forced to take during their relationship very unrealistic and too convenient, it was still bearable. Yet, I was rolling my eyes the moment the word love popped into the picture. Yes, Clara and Tucker did like each other, but love? Puh-lease, give me a break! Furthermore, Clara still felt drawn to Christian which was simply irritating. I know she chose one of the guys, but it felt as if the plot still had love-triangle potential, which made me want to run away screaming.

While Tucker is a complete gentleman, Christian is a total jerk. Yes, I mean it, a JERK. While he did perform a rather inexcusable act on the night of prom, it was even worse before that night when he refused to be seen in Clara's presence around his friends. I hate guys like that and Christian, no matter how HOT he may have been, was no exception. Furthermore, I found the fact that Clara was so obsessed him to be rather startling and boring. I didn’t care about Christian. I didn’t understand how dating Christian was going to help her solve her purpose. I didn’t even understand why her mother was being such a stickler about her dating anyone but Christian. Somehow, I never felt the seriousness of this whole purpose. Yes, I got that it was Clara’s fate or destiny, but that actual sense of urgency that should have sent my heart rate up and made me sit on the edge of my seat with panic and worry? Uh…yeah, that was missing. Majorly.

While Unearthly began to wind down, we had an extra sub-plot of a fallen angel thrown in. Notice the key word: sub-plot. As in, not the main focus. In fact, it was so miniscule that I’m confused as to what role it even played in the plot of this story. In addition, the ending of this novel was nowhere near as shocking as other readers had extolled. It was not such a major plot twist and I, for one, was unimpressed by it. If anything, I’m annoyed with the ending of Unearthly. It leaves a lot of loose threads hanging, makes the reader question what exactly even happened during those last thirty-five pages of action, and wonder whether picking up the sequel is even worth it. Yes, that’s right. 35/435 Pages of this novel were action. What were the other 400 Pages devoted to? High School. Prom. Romance. Flying. Teen Angst. Jerks. Just your usual, run-of-the-mill, dramatic teenage novel.

In conclusion, while there is a lot to love about this book, its execution falls flat. Its characters are way too perfect, its romance is both convenient and not love even though it claims it is, the action its premises promises is miniscule, it throws in random sub-plots that only serve to make the reader confused and need to pick up the sequel in annoyance, and the few characters who are not perfect are simply annoying, irritating, or serve no purpose to the story. I like the idea of Unearthly and I like its writing and even the outline of its characters, but when you dig deeper and really analyze this novel, it’s nothing much but a standard Young Adult Paranormal Romance paraded around under a cover of hype, false originality, and very little true action to compensate for its flaws.

Now, the million dollar question is... will I read the sequel? I think… no. While it probably will be a quick read, much like Unearthly was for me, I don't think I'm up for another dose of this world. I simply don't care for the characters enough and while some readers claim the sequel is better, most lowered their ratings ever-so-slightly, which means I will probably wind up giving HallowedOne Star. I think I'd rather just avoid writing that snarky review, thank you very much. Would I recommend Unearthly? If you haven’t read Angelfall orDaughter of Smoke and Bone then yes, I would. For you, it’ll be a unique and utterly compelling read. I, however, was disappointed and extremely unimpressed by this one. With that, I am off to hide under my impenetrable fort - let the boulder-throwing begin!

Review: Such a Rush by Jennifer Echols

Title: Such a Rush 

Author: Jennifer Echols 

Rating: 2/5 Stars 

I think this is where Jennifer Echols and I go our separate ways. In all honesty, I was totally prepared to do that after reading Forget You, my first novel of hers, but after Going Too Far proved to be slightly better, I had high hopes for this one. Unfortunately, Such a Rush was so riddled with problems that I was left with a bitter taste in my mouth by the end of it.

My problems with Such a Rush started from the beginning of the novel itself - it was slow. Very slow. While I enjoyed seeing how Leah, our protagonist, became a pilot, I found that her narration as a fourteen-year-old and her narration as a seventeen-year-old were not much different. Furthermore, after the death of Mr. Hall, the man who teaches Leah how to fly and becomes a surrogate father to her, she only breaks down and cries once which I found to be highly unrealistic. In fact, I wish Mr. Hall's grief had had a larger impact on Leah herself, opposed to solely having a great impact on his son. Leah was practically a daughter to Mr. Hall and as Leah herself doesn't have a father, I wish her pain and confusion over his death could have been more palpable. If nothing else, I definitely feel as if it would have helped me to understand Leah, a character I found very difficult to connect with, much easier.

Yet, those qualms are easy to overlook in light of what happens next. With Mr. Hall's death, his two sons, Grayson and Alec, proceed to take over his flying company. The twin brothers are mourning not only the death of their father, but their elder brother who died in war as well. Thus, Grayson, boggled down with grief amongst other issues, resorts to blackmailing Leah, forcing her to fly for Mr. Hall's his company and date his twin brother, Alec. Alec is most probably the most underdeveloped character in the novel and except for being a goody-two-shoes, there isn't much to him. On the other hand, I really liked the way Grayson's personality was built around his grief and it felt very realistic to me. Yet, for a novel marketed as being a contemporary romance, I was strangely unable to understand Grayson's romance with Leah.

Leah and Grayson have had a crush on each other ever since they first met because they are both oh-so-sexy. While they aren't aware of each other's crush, it is very obvious to the reader and thus, there's a large amount of sexual tension between these two but no real development of a relationship, let alone love. I didn't understand how Leah could still like Grayson, even after the blackmail and the fact that he thought she was a whore. Yes, Grayson - along with the rest of the town actually - thinks Leah is a whore. In fact, Grayson accused Leah of sleeping with his own father because Mr. Hall gave Leah free flying lessons and Grayson uses this life-long assumption - that had no basis whatsoever - to coerce her into dating his brother! But, this doesn't matter because Grayson is really hot and Leah still likes him a lot! I'll admit that Grayson did have quite a few scenes where he was genuinely sweet to Leah and it is obvious that Leah and Grayson truly understood each other, which is quite rare in a Young Adult Novel. Yet, it almost felt as if Leah had Stockholm Syndrome most of the time, except with a blackmailer instead of a kidnapper, and her feelings for Grayson were barely explained, except to re-iterate how hot Grayson was.

Echols' romance aside, what frustrated me the most was Leah. While I sympathized with Leah's situation of being poor, a bastard child, and mostly living on her own because her mother took off from time-to-time, I couldn't connect with or understand her actions. Leah is known as the neighborhood slut for being pretty. Yes, that's it! Sure, she dresses skankily and flirts, but that doesn't warrant a reputation like that. Furthermore, Leah does nothing to dispel the stereotype and I hate the manner she's portrayed in the story. Ladies, it is not okay for a guy to blackmail you because he thinks you're a whore. It is not okay for a guy to be pissed off at you for not having sex with him. It is not okay for men to have a pre-conceived notion about you based upon what you wear. It just isn't. One of my many teachers once told me that most women believe the reason they get raped is because they wear short dresses and revealing clothes, but that isn't true. You're allowed to wear what you want and nothing gives a man the right to think you want to sleep with him, to force himself on you, or to believe you're a whore based on your clothing. While Leah never gets raped in this story, I believe the allegory is very similar as the manner in which she is treated is just wrong and even by the end of the novel, that lesson is never learned. I wish Echols had either addressed this issue the way it needed to be spoken about in the novel or had at least changed her character if she didn't want to delve into such deep issues. Perhaps I'm reading too much into this, but the entire manner in which sexuality was looked upon in the story left my stomach rolling in a very bad way.

Such a Rush is a story that many readers will love, but I wasn't one of the them. I hated the underdeveloped romance and side characters and the themes this book exuded were way off the mark. Even Leah's rocky relationship with Molly, the rich girl who befriends Leah as a charity case, was confusing at best and didn't seem to have closure. Furthermore, this book was so dramatic and instead of a real discussion to solve the problems in this story, we get a predictable near-death experience to smooth things over - talk about a cop-out. Plus, I found the plot idea of a brother making decisions for his twin and blackmailing a childhood friend/sweetheart/acquaintance to be vastly unrealistic and just downright strange. I mean, Alec and Grayson are the same age! I understand Grayson's reasons for doing what he did in the novel and I really like his character, with the exception of the manner in which he treated Leah and how Leah still liked him despite all the crap he made her put up with, but at least Alec should have reacted remotely differently in this situation! I appreciate the dynamics between these two brothers, but the main ideas of this novel were simply too out there for me to grasp and connect with. Overall, I wouldn't recommend Such a Rush to people who are on the fence about Echols. If you're an avid fan, you'll most likely love this one, but me? I'm through - this is my last Echols novel for sure.
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If you like Jennifer Echols and would like an opportunity to win a copy of this book, stay tuned till August 8th where you can enter for a chance to win this book and more during the Young Adult Giveaway Hop! :)

Review: Shadows (Rephaim, #1) by Paula Weston

Title: Shadows (Rephaim, #1) 

Author: Paula Weston 

Rating: 4/5 Stars

When it comes to Australian Literature, no one ever has to tell me twice to pick up a novel. I truly believe that there is something down in Australia or some magical trick professors are teaching their writing students because no Australian novel, to date, has ever failed to keep me thoroughly entertained, captivated, and in awe. I am happy to report that Shadows by Paula Weston is no different. While its cover is not one of my favorites, its characters, dialogue, and rather unique plot definitely is.

Ever since Gaby’s twin brother, Jude, died in a car crash, she’s been having strange nightmares of battling demons with a beautiful boy. When Rafa, the gorgeous guy of her dreams, hunts her down from the short story website where she submitted the imaginary tale she believed her nightmares were, her world is turned upside down. Not only does Gaby learn that she was supposed to be dead along with her brother, she is told that she is a half-angel. Yet, most shocking of all, is that her past memories, which have evidently been replaced by a normal human childhood memories, are all false and in reality, she is stuck between two sides of a dangerous conflict between the Rephaim, the new name the half-angels, or Nephilim, have taken for themselves. When Gaby’s best friend is kidnapped, Gaby has no choice but to embrace her fate and come to terms with who she is, who she can trust, and just what lies in the world beyond her.

I apologize for the rather long-winded and confusing synopsis, but this novel has a lot going on. Yet, it is all explained in an extremely well-paced manner and I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of paragraphs of information-dumping. Instead, the details and world-building are evenly spaced out and have a very smooth and flowing transition. Furthermore, while the plot of this novel isn’t entirely original, I enjoyed Weston’s spin on it and her take on angel lore was easy to understand, made a tremendous amount of sense, and wasn’t filled with superfluous facts. Yet, what truly made Shadows stand-out from other angel fiction was its characters.

I suppose we should start with Gaby – I loved her. Her narration was sarcastic, witty, intelligent, and simply refreshing. Unlike most protagonists, I thought she handled the new information dumped upon her in a very mature manner and while she has her flaws, she remained a strong and courageous character throughout. Perhaps what I loved best about her was her friendship with Maggie, her best friend who later gets kidnapped. I’m a huge fan of strong friendships and their relationship left me wanting my own best friend by my side as it was truly heart-touching. Plus, Gaby’s love and grief for her twin brother was sharp and easy to understand and I loved the manner in which it shaped  her character.

In addition to Gaby, secondary characters such as the members of the Rephaim and Jason, Maggie’s latest boyfriend, were all very interesting and brought forth a lot of humor and bad-assery to the novel. Yet, Rafa by far stole the show. Not only is Rafa hot, he knows he’s immensely good-looking, which often makes him cocky. However, beneath all that, Rafa is trustworthy and as Jude’s best friend, he truly cares about Gaby. While I’m still a little confused and curious about the mysterious (and rocky) past that Rafa and Gaby shared, I ate up the sexual tension between them and am very curious to see where their relationship leads them. It was definitely rather unique and their character personalities themselves are quite original too, which brought in a nice change to their love story.

I think my only qualm with this novel was that I was left rather bereft and lost by the end of it. Shadows does very little to answer the swirling questions in the readers – and Gaby’s – mind and I felt as if there was just too much we didn’t know yet. While I do find this to be realistic and am glad that Gaby doesn’t simply hit her head on the wall and regain all her kick-ass Kate Daniels skills that she lost, I do wish the ending had a tad bit more closure and wasn’t nearly as abrupt as it was. Nevertheless, Shadows was still a remarkable story. While it isn’t on par with novels such as Angelfall or even Daughter of Smoke and Bone in my opinion, it was an enjoyable read with plenty of action, interesting characters, and unique plot twists. In all honesty, could you ask for anything more? Plus, it’s written by an Australian and Rafa takes swoon-worthy to a whole new level, so I think that should be motivation enough to pick up this fantastic tale! ;)

Giveaway: Waterfall by Lisa Tawn Bergren

August 1, 2012 - today marks the 1 1/2 Year Anniversary since Waterfall by Lisa Tawn Bergren was first released. Earlier this year I was fortunate enough to receive a signed copy of Lisa Tawn Bergren's first novel in her River of Time Trilogy, Waterfall, which I will be giving away today to one lucky winner along with three signed bookmarks! 

What do you do when your knight in shining armor lives, literally, in a different world? Most American teenagers want a vacation in Italy, but the Betarrini sisters have spent every summer of their lives among the romantic hills with their archaelogist parents. Stuck among the rubble of the medieval castles in rural Tuscany, on yet another hot, dusty archaeological site, Gabi and Lia are bored out of their minds...until Gabi places her hand atop a handprint in an ancient tomb and finds herself in fourteenth-century Italy. And worse yet, in the middle of a fierce battle between knights of two opposing forces. Suddenly Gabi's summer in Italy is much, much more interesting.

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Giveaway ends August 15th, 2012 

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Waiting on Wednesday (#7)

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. This meme highlights some of the books whose releases bloggers are most anticipating this year.

The book whose release I am most excited for this week is...

Title: Inhuman (Fetch #1) 
Author: Kat Falls
Release Date: March 2013

In a world ravaged by mutation, a teenage girl must travel into the forbidden Savage Zone to recover lost artifacts or her father’s life is forfeit. America has been ravaged by a war that has left the eastern half of the country riddled with mutation. Many of the people there exhibit varying degrees of animal traits. Even the plantlife has gone feral. Crossing from west to east is supposed to be forbidden, but sometimes it’s necessary. Some enter the Savage Zone to provide humanitarian relief. Sixteen-year-old Lane’s father goes there to retrieve lost artifacts—he is a Fetch. It’s a dangerous life, but rewarding—until he’s caught. Desperate to save her father, Lane agrees to complete his latest job. That means leaving behind her life of comfort and risking life and limb—and her very DNA—in the Savage Zone. But she’s not alone. In order to complete her objective, Lane strikes a deal with handsome, roguish Rafe. In exchange for his help as a guide, Lane is supposed to sneak him back west. But though Rafe doesn’t exhibit any signs of “manimal” mutation, he’s hardly civilized . . . and he may not be trustworthy.

I'll admit it - the cover of this one is less-than-truly-appealing, but I think the synopsis more than makes up for it. While the concept of rescuing a parent/sibling from danger or striking an unlikely compromise with a dangerous, yet handsome, potential love interest is, by no means, unique, I think the idea itself of a country torn apart by war and further ruined by mutation is fascinating. I've always been drawn to novels that deal exclusively with DNA or diseases and combining that with political upheaval is a sure-fire way to win me over. Yet, what strikes me the most about this story is the original occupation of a Fetch. I love the fact that the setting plays such a huge role in the basis of this job and am already eager to read more about this world Falls has created. Furthermore, I'm a sucker for the name Rafe and while there's most likely a romance between Lane and Rafe in this story, it isn't explicitly stated, which gives me hope for a creative love story. I can't wait to get my hands on this book and 6 Months+ wait for it is definitely going to either turn me inhuman, or make me willing to cross forbidden lands just to fetch this one and read it myself! ;)