Category: Special Review

Special Review, ya contemporary

ARC Review: Worth The Wait by Laura Jackson

Veronica Porras (TTB)

9781938708268I was gifted a ebook in exchange for an honest review by HopeSprings Books through NetGalley.

Goodreads Summary:

Ellie Lansing has a picture-perfect life with a close-knit family and the perfect boyfriend. But her world is suddenly knocked off center when her drool-worthy boyfriend cheats, and her always-has-it-together mother is diagnosed with cancer. Ellie doesn’t get it. She always does the right thing—doesn’t God owe her a happy life? Through her heartache, Ellie learns that sometimes what seems like the end is really just the beginning and that what God has for us is always worth the wait.

Review:

Let me first start of by saying that this a Young Adult Christian Novel. This book is big on Christian morals and values. Now with that out of the way, let me get on with the review.

When I think of Worth The Wait in edible form (FOOD) I think of a fluffy angel cake. It’s sweet, it’s light, it’s fun. I would say this is chick flick material right here. At the beginning of the book I didn’t like Ellie at all. She was very annoying and actually made me dread to read the rest of the book because I thought to myself Is this the protagonist I’m getting stuck with?! Ugh. But overtime that annoying side to her started to fade away, and we finally saw why she was the way she was. CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT PEOPLE.

There were times where I loved Laura’s writing, and at others it felt a little forced and weird. The main issue I had with the novel was how quickly the tone changed at times that my reaction went a little like this: WAIT WHAT’S GOING ON. I THOUGHT WE WERE HAPPY. NOW WE’RE MAD. OKKKKAAAAYYYYY.

But honestly, there is more good than bad. Worth The Wait is Laura Jackson’s first published novel and I say for a first novel it is freaking good. Additionally, I really liked that HopeSprings Books, her publisher, let her write the novel in a different formula. In a lot of the big christian publishing houses tend to prefer a certain style of writing, and if you write in that type of style, great for you, but if you don’t, you aren’t getting published. At least that’s what someone told me from their personal experience.

I know my rating may leave some of you weary, wondering if you should pick up this book or not, and I say do it. It has its beautiful moments where you will get teary-eyed. I know the story sounds a little cliche from the summary, but give it a chance. It’s one of those worth reading cliche—type books.

 

Rating: 3.75/5

 

Special Review, YA Dystopian

ARC Book Review: Fire and Flood by Victoria Scott

Veronica Porras (TTB)

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I was given an ebook copy of this book by Scholastic through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review

Goodreads Summary:

Tella Holloway is losing it. Her brother is sick, and when a dozen doctors can’t determine what’s wrong, her parents decide to move to Montana for the fresh air. She’s lost her friends, her parents are driving her crazy, her brother is dying—and she’s helpless to change anything.

Until she receives mysterious instructions on how to become a Contender in the Brimstone Bleed. It’s an epic race across jungle, desert, ocean, and mountain that could win her the prize she desperately desires: the Cure for her brother’s illness. But all the Contenders are after the Cure for people they love, and there’s no guarantee that Tella (or any of them) will survive the race.

The jungle is terrifying, the clock is ticking, and Tella knows she can’t trust the allies she makes. And one big question emerges: Why have so many fallen sick in the first place?

My Initial Thoughts:

I originally requested this book because Kayla over at The Thousand Lives was really excited. She was like REQUEST IT, and I did. I’d also heard it was the NEXT dystopian book and you guys know how much I love me some dystopian novels so I was like this sounds good. But then… Kayla didn’t like it and I was bummed. I started reading it with very low expectations.

Review:

Let’s just dive into this review. The first half of the book, I would give it a 3. The second half of the book I would give it a 4. At the beginning, Tella was really whiny and I could not believe she was the main character or a contender. I kept thinking to myself do I really have to put up with her for the rest of the novel? I thought about DNF’ing the book right then and there, but I decided to persevere, and I was happy I did.

*SPOILER ALERT*

Guy’s and Tella’s relationship is a complicated one. Some see their relationship as insta-love, but when you think about it. People in such crazy circumstances need some normalcy, and finding a partner or maybe a love interest is a very good way to find comfort, normality, and companionship in such dire situations. The thing about Guy that I loved is that he isn’t completely sold on this “attraction” or whatever you want to call it at first and she doesn’t really exactly know what to do about it either. They both know there can only be one winner.

I also found the whole idea of each contender having an animal with them to protect them was a pretty good unique thing to add to the “let’s throw people in the arena and kill each other for the prize” dystopian trope. It added a twist I didn’t know I had been wanting until I read it.

*SPOILERS OVER*

In conclusion, I like the concept and plot of this book. I like where it is going. If you want to check it out, go ahead! You’ll just have to get past the first 20% of the book, which is where I almost stopped reading it and gave it a DNF. After that it gets better and the plot thickens.

Rating: 3.5/5

Special Review, ya contemporary

ARC Review: Heartbeat by Elizabeth Scott

Veronica Porras (TTB)

17258743I was provided a ebook copy by Harleqin Teen through Netgalley in exchange for a honest review

Release Date:

January 28th, 2014

Goodreads Summary:

Life. Death. And…Love?

Emma would give anything to talk to her mother one last time. Tell her about her slipping grades, her anger with her stepfather, and the boy with the bad reputation who might be the only one Emma can be herself with.

But Emma can’t tell her mother anything. Because her mother is brain-dead and being kept alive by machines for the baby growing inside her.

Meeting bad-boy Caleb Harrison wouldn’t have interested Old Emma. But New Emma-the one who exists in a fog of grief, who no longer cares about school, whose only social outlet is her best friend Olivia-New Emma is startled by the connection she and Caleb forge.

Feeling her own heart beat again wakes Emma from the grief that has grayed her existence. Is there hope for life after death-and maybe, for love?

Review:

I requested Heartbeat because in the past I’ve enjoyed quite a few books by Ms. Scott. When I first started reading the book I had kind of regretted requesting a ARC of it because I saw Emma as whiny and just too full of grief to see anything. After the first 50 pages though, it picked up and boy am I happy I stuck it out at the beginning.

The raw feeling and emotion that is felt when you are reading the novel is intense. I feel like it’s more intense than the emotions felt when reading TFiOS. Emma is blinded by her grief and is practically alone. Her best friend Olivia tries to help her as much as she can, but Emma needs someone who can understand her grief and why she is so angry. Enter Caleb.

Caleb is also broken, but he has tried to put himself together as much as he can. He understands Emma. He is Emma’s wake up call making her see that life doesn’t get better or easier. You just learn to live with it and accept life, sour lemons and all. He basically tells her I can’t fix you nor do I know how to. I loved this because the guy doesn’t fix the girl, he is just there for moral support. Emma is the one who eventually finds a way to start living again.

Overall, I really liked this book. I loved the intensity of the emotions and how raw they felt. If you are a major crier, this might not be the book for you, but you can go ahead and give it a try.

Rating: 4/5

Special Review, ya contemporary

Book Review: Backward Compatible by Sarah Daltry & Pete Clark

Veronica Porras (TTB)

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I was provided a ebook copy through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review

Summary:

A YA Gamer Geek Comedy in the vein of Scott Pilgrim and Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist. Ideal for fans of The Big Bang Theory, The Guild, and all things Joss Whedon.

WARNING: There is no sex in this book. Your Kindle or other device will remain at a pleasant room temperature. At no point will your panties drop. Your significant other will be allowed to snore in peace as you read. You may, however, laugh yourself out of commission.

Not too long ago, in a town that, depending on your current location, is either not super far or actually quite close… (insert Star Wars theme music here…)

It is a time of chaotic hormones.

Two nerdy gents home for winter break have discovered a female gamer at a midnight release.

During the break, the gamer trio manages to reveal the game’s secret boss, a hidden enemy with enough power to destroy anything in its path.

Review:

Let’s start of with the bad to get it out of the way. I was really disappointed by the amount of swear words and innuendoes throughout the entire novel. There were too many for my liking and I even think for most people.

The romance was cute. George and Katie are both funny and perfect for each other. Even though I didn’t know half of the gaming vocabulary, I was still able to enjoy the novel. I have not read a novel where a lot of secondary characters are present in the novel constantly until now. I don’t think it can work unless its in this novel’s setting. The secondary characters didn’t feel two-dimensional at all. They all had distinct voices, which helps a lot when at one point there are 12 characters involved at the same time. I’m telling you, this book is crazy in a really good way. Also, having both George’s and Katie’s POV worked really well for the novel. It added that much more to it and made it even funnier.

If you are a fan of cosplay, gaming, and any other “geeky” things as the system likes to call them, well then you have found the novel for you.

But seriously, if you don’t like a lot of swear words or innuendos in your novels, don’t read this book. I regret reading it even though I loved the romance between these two adorable geeks. GATIE ALL THE WAY!

Rating: 4/5

Special Review, ya contemporary

Book Review: Pretenders By Lisi Harrison

Veronica Porras (TTB)


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I obtained a ebook copy through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

Goodreads Summary:

Three girls, two guys, five secret journals.

The five most popular students at Noble High have secrets to hide; secrets they wrote down in their journals. Now one of their own exposes the private entries…

I am leaking these because I’m tired and I know you are too. The success bar is too high and pretending has become the only way to reach it. Instagrams are filtered, Facebook profiles are embellished, photos are shopped, reality TV is scripted, body parts get upgraded like software, and even professional athletes are cheating. The things we believe in aren’t real.


We are pretenders.

Review:

The summary of the book got to me. I love those exposure type stories. When I saw the book was diary-style, I was even more excited because we don’t see a lot of those in YA. After I started reading the book, I was sadly… disappointed.

All five characters in the novel think like seventh graders and not freshman in high school. If all five students were a part of the Phoenix Five, they should have been smarter, different. I think back to when I was a freshman and I thought differently, or it could just be that students nowadays are going backwards instead of forwards. That honestly is a very scary thought.

Since this book was character-oriented let’s focus on them. Some characters I felt bad for, while others I just didn’t care for. Finding out at the end of the novel that this will be a series was another turn off. The story built up and we never got a resolution, all we got was a “keep reading to find out.”

I’ve read other work by Lisi Harrison like The Clique series and her middle schoolers in that series are smarter than these freshman. This book had so much potential. At least it kept my attention until the end. That’s saying something.

Overall, Pretenders could have been something big. It could have been the next Pretty Little Liars. It had potential to get a TV show made out of it. One thing I did love is that the writing went with each character. The way each journal entry was written, the grammar, the style, it all matched the character. I applaud Ms. Harrison for that. Thank you for giving each character a distinct voice.

Rating: 2.5/5

Special Review, ya contemporary

ARC Book Review: The Promise of Amazing by Robin Constantine

Veronica Porras (TTB)

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Thank you to Balzer + Bray for proving me a arc copy through Edelweiss in exchange for a honest review

Goodreads Summary:

Wren Caswell is average. Ranked in the middle of her class at Sacred Heart, she’s not popular, but not a social misfit. Wren is the quiet, “good” girl who’s always done what she’s supposed to—only now in her junior year, this passive strategy is backfiring. She wants to change, but doesn’t know how.

Grayson Barrett was the king of St. Gabe’s. Star of the lacrosse team, top of his class, on a fast track to a brilliant future—until he was expelled for being a “term paper pimp.” Now Gray is in a downward spiral and needs to change, but doesn’t know how.

One fateful night their paths cross when Wren, working at her family’s Arthurian-themed catering hall, performs the Heimlich on Gray as he chokes on a cocktail weenie, saving his life literally and figuratively. What follows is the complicated, awkward, hilarious, and tender tale of two teens shedding their pasts, figuring out who they are—and falling in love.

Review:

The beginning of the novel is hilarious. It sets the tone for the rest novel, although there are some parts in the book that weren’t my favorite, hence the 3.5 out of 5 rating.

The chemistry between Wren and Grayson is phenomenal. They are the reason I pushed myself to finish this book. The writing was good. In its entirety, The Promise of Amazing is not a bad book, but like I said, it fell short.

I really did not get the whole Amsterdam trip and the importance of it to Luke. Seriously. Every time Luke or Grayson’s other buddies appear, I would cringe and speed read the following pages where they were involved. I wish we would have seen more  the backstory of Grayson’s parent divorce and the importance of The Camelot to Wren’s family. This novel had so much promise, but it fell short from being amazing.

I still suggest you guys read the book. It’s not a bad book. There were several parts a throughly enjoyed and Wren and Grayson totally make up for it. 🙂

Also, I just loved Wren’s friends. I just wish we got to know them more. They were a hoot when they were on the page.

Rating: 3.5/5

Special Review, YA Thriller

Book Review: The Twisted Window by Lois Duncan

Veronica Porras (TTB)

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I received a ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review

Goodreads Summary:

The new guy at Tracy’s school is handsome, intense, and desperately needs her help—but there’s something about him that isn’t quite right 

High school junior Tracy Lloyd is unsure about the new guy in school. Brad Johnson is attractive, smart, and polite, but Tracy can’t help but feel he watches her too closely. Then one day Brad confides in Tracy a horrible secret: His little sister Mindy has been kidnapped by his stepfather, and he needs Tracy’s help to get her back. But even as Tracy commits to a plan to help her vulnerable new friend, details emerge that suggest nothing is what it seems.
The Twisted Window is a zigzagging thriller that keeps readers guessing up until the final page. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Lois Duncan including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author’s personal collection

Review:

When I saw this book on NetGalley I was super excited because I remember reading books by Lois Duncan in middle school and high school. I had even read this book about 8 years ago, and I remember loving it. I decided to take this opportunity and re-read it. Boy, was I in for some blasts from the past.

The re-marketing of this book was to make it more relevant to present times, which is why we have a cover change, and a few lines were added to the book to make it more in with nowadays. First thing I will be commenting on are the few cellphone references that appeared here and there, which overall made the novel feel weird. The novel was like a blast from the 80s from the way they talked, the way teenagers acted, and references that were mentioned through the novel, and those additional cellphone references were out of place. They didn’t belong in the story.

Now, onto the plt. I was actually a little disappointed in myself. I remember loving this novel when I was so young but now… it didn’t have the same appeal and made me second guess my love not only for this novel, but other Lois Duncan novels too. The suspense was ok, but I was so preoccupied with how Tracy was behaving and her logic behind things that I was just baffled by it all.

Overall, the novel is creepy, but not something I would read anymore. It isn’t the worse novel I’ve read, but it also isn’t the  best.

Rating : 3/5

Special Review, YA Paranormal

ARC Book Review: Waterfell by Amalie Howard

Veronica Porras (TTB)

1113-9780373211050-bigwI was kind of to receive a copy from Harlequin Teen through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date:

October 29,2013

Goodreads Summary:

THE GIRL WHO WOULD BE QUEEN

Nerissa Marin hides among teens in her human form, waiting for the day she can claim her birthright—the undersea kingdom stolen from her the day her father was murdered. Blending in is her best weapon—until her father’s betrayer confronts Nerissa and challenges her to a battle to the death on Nerissa’s upcoming birthday—the day she comes of age.

Amid danger and the heartbreak of her missing mother, falling for a human boy is the last thing Nerissa should do. But Lo Seavon breaches her defenses and somehow becomes the only person she can count on to help her desperate search for her mother, a prisoner of Nerissa’s mortal enemy. Is Lo the linchpin that might win Nerissa back her crown? Or will this mortal boy become the weakness that destroys her?

My Initial Thoughts:

I requested Waterfell on NetGalley because I thought it was about mermaids. Mermaid books and I don’t get along, but I wanted to give them one more chance. To my surprise this ended up not being about mermaids…

Review:

I have very mixed feelings about the book. I like it and at the same time I am not satisfied with it. Let me explain. I think the concept is good, the plot is good, I just have a few issues with some of the main characters. Let’s start with Nerissa. She seems very selfish and while she has her good moments, she seems to me like the royal brat she was raised as. Jenna and Sawyer were my favorite characters to be honest and they aren’t even the main characters. Lo was too cocky and a bit of  a jerk. Some of that may make characters lovable, but it was a little over the top when it came to Lo.

I did like that a lot of the book was very fast paced and that it was full of action. The only downfall is that I was being bombarded with information every few pages that it was hard to keep up with it some of the time. Another thing is that I cannot picture how Nerissa’s species looks. In my head they are just gigantic colorful snakes…

Overall, I like Waterfell and it intrigued me enough to want to read the next book in the series which comes out in 2014. I want to see the growth that Lo and Nerissa go through as they have to adapt to their new life and what happens now that Nerissa is queen.

Rating: 3.5/5

Special Review, YA Dystopian, YA Paranormal

Blog Book Review Tour: Sanctuary by Pauline Creeden

Veronica Porras (TTB)

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Blurb

In a heart-racing thriller described as Falling Skies meets The Walking Dead, Jennie struggles to find a safe place for what’s left of her family. But it seems as though there is no place sacred, no place secure. First the aliens attacked the sun, making it dimmer, weaker, and half what it used to be. Then they attacked the water supply, killing one-third of Earth’s population with a bitter contaminate. And when they unleash a new terror on humankind, the victims will wish for death, but will not find it…When the world shatters to pieces around her, will Jennie find the strength she needs to keep going?

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18684843-sanctuary?ac=1

http://www.amazon.com/Sanctuary-Pauline-Creeden/dp/1491072067/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1385951078&sr=8-1&keywords=Sanctuary+creeden

Pauline Creeden

In simple language, Pauline Creeden creates worlds that are both familiar and strange, often pulling the veil between dimensions. She becomes the main character in each of her stories, and because she has ADD, she will get bored if she pretends to be one person for too long.

Pauline is a horse trainer from Virginia, but writing is her therapy.

Armored Hearts, her joint effort with author Melissa Turner Lee, has been a #1 Bestseller in Christian Fantasy and been awarded the Crowned Heart for Excellence by InDtale Magazine. Her debut novel, Sanctuary is scheduled for release September 30, 2013, and has already been nominated for two awards in YA Science Fiction.

One of Pauline’s short stories has won the CCW Short Story contest. Other short stories have been published in Fear & Trembling Magazine, Obsidian River and Avenir Eclectia. An urban fantasy short will appear in The Book of Sylvari: An Anthology of Elves from Port Yonder Press, and a vampire short will appear in Monsters! from Diminished Media Group.

https://twitter.com/P_Creeden

https://www.facebook.com/PaulineCreeden

http://paulinecreeden.com

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5284782.Pauline_Creeden

Review

First of all, if you like scary books about alien invasions, this is your type of book! I was so scared when I was reading it that I opted to read it in the morning and not at night. It took me a while to sleep the first night I read a few chapters. I kept imagining the aliens described in the book and trust me my imagination did a wonderful job at creating them.

Sanctuary is written in several POV’s which helps the reader understand what is going on through different parts of the country. It also helps us see how all the characters came together and were able to find temporary safety. At first I thought Jennie was cowardly, but as I read on the story, I noticed how brave she really was and coming out strong after everything that she experienced is awe-inspiring. I also enjoyed Hugh’s POV.

The attacks of the aliens, the science behind the alien animals, and the bible passages made it real in the sense that as you’re reading the story, you feel as if you’re in that world experiencing the attack, fearing for your own life. I recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of alien invasions and The Walking Dead. This is one sic fi thrill you won’t want to miss.

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Special Review

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell Part 1 (Chapter 1-12)

Veronica Porras (TTB)

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Let’s talk about Fangirl.

The first person we meet is Cath. She is walking into her dorm room and she finds a boy in there. A Boy. Cath starts freaking out, but soon she finds out he is her roommate’s boyfriend. Crisis averted, or so she thought.

In the first twelve chapters we see how much Cath is afraid of change. She likes to be where things are familiar, where they are steady. She likes to be the one who takes care of people, and not the other way around. A lot of girl characters nowadays are written this way, where they are “self-less” “against change” “nerdy” but Cath is not selfless, she may help others, but she doesn’t want others to get her out of the little security she has managed. Cath is real.Cath is the fangirl and fanboy out there that uses books and writing to escape. She isn’t this super nice and humble person, she is a human being with faults and cracks.

Let’s talk about Nick. I don’t exactly know what my feelings toward Nick are except that they are… cautious. I like him because he is helping Cath get out a little more and in a way that she can cope with, writing. If Nick fades into the picture after the first twelve chapters, I am okay with that because he has already helped her enough and to me he has served his purpose in Cath’s life. Honestly, I’m Team Levi. I’m cool if Nick just… disappears. 

Levi and Reagan. Can I just say how much I love these two, and each for very different reasons. I would have loved for Reagan to be my roommate in college. She and I would hit it off instantly. I wasn’t one to bond with my roommates too much. My freshman year I had bad roommates and what made matters worse was that my school was all about solving issues in a tell me about your feelings manner. That isn’t exactly helpful when dealing with bad roommate issues. I myself was dealing with a lot my freshman year and I wanted people to let me be and not change me into something I wasn’t. Yes, I was a bit of a rebel you could say. Anyways back to the story. I love that Reagan helped Cath overcome her block and made her go to the dining room with her and eat. After that, things got better instantly. Reagan was not a let’s do our nails and be girly stuff, she was doing her own thing and if she could, she helped others on the way. I like people that don’t get into my business and I think that is one of the reasons why Cath was cool with Reagan.

Now, Levi is also good for Cath, but for different reasons. He is quirky and nice. A good combination in my opinion. But what made me instantly like him was not just his easy, non-challant manner, but that he observed Cath enough that he knew she wasn’t really eating except for those darn protein bars. He ate her protein bars in order to make her deal with the issue. I would have reacted the same way as Cath, NO ONE TOUCHES MY FOOD, but at the same time, I would have been okay with it and put up with Levi like Cath did. After that, things change between Cath and she gets used to having quirky Levi around.

Cath and Wren were barely talking when their freshman year of college began and with their mother trying to return into their lives, it breaks the last fragile line that was holding both sisters together. They both completely stop talking. Neither one saying anything to the other. Never before has Cath been so alone.

Let’s quickly discuss WREN. She is dealing with her issues very differently than Cath, which I can understand but do not approve of. What really pissed me off was when Cath ran of to rescue her sister to find her drunk and Wren simply saying, Oh I texted the wrong C, I was trying to text Courtney. The one time Wren reaches out to Cath and it’s all a fluke. I was so mad.

Cath is dealing with a MIA mother trying to come back into her life, getting out of her comfort zone with no one to help her buffer the world, Simon Snow coming to an end soon, Abel breaking up with her, and a unstable dad she wishes she were home to take care of. That is some crazy stuff happening in her life and I think she handles it pretty well when assessing the circumstances.

I am proud of her so far and I know her journey is just beginning. And you know what guys, we will be there with her every step of the way.