Review: Prisoner of Night and Fog by Anne Blankman

In 1930s Munich, danger lurks behind dark corners, and secrets are buried deep within the city. But Gretchen Müller, who grew up in the National Socialist Party under the wing of her "uncle" Dolf, has been shielded from that side of society ever since her father traded his life for Dolf's, and Gretchen is his favorite, his pet.

Uncle Dolf is none other than Adolf Hitler.

And Gretchen follows his every command.

Until she meets a fearless and handsome young Jewish reporter named Daniel Cohen. Gretchen should despise Daniel, yet she can't stop herself from listening to his story: that her father, the adored Nazi martyr, was actually murdered by an unknown comrade. She also can't help the fierce attraction brewing between them, despite everything she's been taught to believe about Jews.

As Gretchen investigates the very people she's always considered friends, she must decide where her loyalties lie. Will she choose the safety of her former life as a Nazi darling, or will she dare to dig up the truth—even if it could get her and Daniel killed?

Title: Prisoner of Night and Fog
Author: Anne Blankman
Series: Prisoner of Night and Fog #1
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Publication Date: April 22nd 2014

Rating: 3 stars

Thoughts:

To be honest, I'm not really a historical fiction reader. Although I wish it would be otherwise, historical books just aren't my thing. For some reason, they just never really grab me. (Which sucks, since just about every book I have to read for school is historical fiction.) I only picked up Prisoner of Night and Fog because of 1) that cover, and 2) that synopsis. I knew that I was picking up something historical, but I mean, come on. The devoted niece of Hitler who gets into a relationship with a Jew and starts questioning her uncle's ways? Yes please. Although ultimately I think this book executed everything well, Prisoner of Night and Fog failed to grab me and suck me in.

First I have to compliment Blankman's writing. It's not overly flowery, but it managed to be pretty while also giving the book a very sober feel. Her writing style fits the story perfectly; it feels gray but never dull, sober and warlike. Although there are no exquisite paragraphs questioning life or just being generally pretty (à la Laini Taylor), Blankman has a way of choosing the exact right words for certain settings and happenings.

Although her prose was very pretty, this book failed to bring out anything in me emotion-wise. I never connected to any of the characters - or the story, for that matter - and I never really felt the urge to keep on reading. I was in a huge reading slump while reading this book and I'm not sure whether all of the above was because of that reading slump or that this book caused the reading slump. Either way, I could put away this book for days and not care. In fact, I read another book while reading this book and that is something I never do.

In general, I just felt quite "meh" about this. The characters were interesting, but not strong enough (to me) to carry the story. Gretchen, our main character, felt quite bland to me. I liked her, but never really got a grasp on her personality. Same goes for the love interest, Daniel. he was a nice guy for sure, but I just never felt like I really understood him. In fact, I think all of the characters, save for our psychopaths, could use more developing. That is, I found Gretchen's brother Reinhard and Hitler very interesting to read about. I think Blankman did a good job on portraying particularly Hitler. His charm, his craziness, his coldness and his love for Germany. He was just a very interesting character all around and I also really liked how Blankman managed to put in a little analysis of his character through Gretchen and the psychoanalyst.

The romance felt the same as the involved characters to me: likeable, but bland. I didn't have any problem with them being together, but to say that I was shipping them with all my might... No, not really. I never really felt the chemistry between the two, but I will say that I think they were fit for each other.

Ultimately, I think Prisoner of Night and Fog was a good book. It just wasn't for me, but I feel that might have to do more with its genre than with the book itself. Although everything felt slightly bland to me, I think that those who have enjoyed historical fiction in the past might really enjoy, even love, Prisoner of Night and Fog. If the synopsis and genre appeal to you, go for it! It just wasn't really for me.

(Also, please excuse me if Prisoner of Night and Fog isn't actually historical fiction but another genre. I'm a disaster when it comes to genres. The only ones I recognize with absolute certainty are contemporary and dystopian. So yeah.)

ARC Review: Dear Killer by Katherine Ewell

Rule One—Nothing is right, nothing is wrong.
Rule Two—Be careful.
Rule Three—Fight using your legs whenever possible, because they’re the strongest part of your body. Your arms are the weakest.
Rule Four—Hit to kill. The first blow should be the last, if at all possible.
Rule Five—The letters are the law.

Kit takes her role as London’s notorious “Perfect Killer” seriously. The letters and cash that come to her via a secret mailbox are not a game; choosing who to kill is not an impulse decision. Every letter she receives begins with “Dear Killer,” and every time Kit murders, she leaves a letter with the dead body. Her moral nihilism and thus her murders are a way of life—the only way of life she has ever known.

But when a letter appears in the mailbox that will have the power to topple Kit’s convictions as perfectly as she commits her murders, she must make a decision: follow the only rules she has ever known, or challenge Rule One, and go from there.

Katherine Ewell’s Dear Killer is a sinister psychological thriller that explores the thin line between good and evil, and the messiness of that inevitable moment when life contradicts everything you believe.

Title: Dear Killer
Author: Katherine Ewell
Series: None
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Publication Date: April 1st 2014

Rating: 2.5 stars

Thoughts:

I was disappointed in certain aspects of Dear Killer. This is one of those books that is incredibly hard to review, because I just have no idea how to kick this review off and get the words flowing. So I made a little list with the most important parts:

The Characters

Overall, I thought Dear Killer featured solid characters. However, I really failed to connect to Kit. That could of course be logical, since she's a killer, but I felt that it could have been possible to connect to her more emotionally. Unfortunately, that didn't happen, and it really affected my enjoyment of the novel. That is not to say that Kit is an awful character or that I disliked this book, but especially that ending would have been much more emotionally powerful had I connected to Kit. However, the way Ewell makes you root for a serial killer was really well done. All throughout the book, you don't want Kit to get caught, which is strange. After all, she is a serial killer. Still, you don't want her to end up in prison, and that's really interesting for the reader. What does this say about us? That as long as you are in the killer's head you will root for them, no watter what they do? Is there a dark side in us that comes out while reading the book?  It was interesting, and Dear Killer will definitely cause the readers to think about themselves. 

However, aside from the inability to connect with Kit, I had one major complaint about her. This girl is sixteen and she's just about the most succesful serial killer ever. She never leaves traces behind and never gets caught and no-one has a clue. I found this to be quite unbelievable, especially since Kit is a bit sloppy in her kills. Take for example that time where she did know how to kill a person but forgot that she needed a way out as well, or the time she kills someone in an alley next to a busy street. Or the chunks of information she gave away about herself, or befriending a policeman. She makes a couple of kills that would make anyone suspicious of her, and I thought it was incredibly stupid. I get that Kit was slowly changing and even questioning what she did, but even I saw that was stupid. And I'm not the one with the life-long killer training.

The Plot

This was an aspect I really enjoyed. Kit's development was gradual and believable. I really loved how she started questioning things herself, because all too often the love interest makes the main character see things more clearly. Not in Dear Killer. Kit does basically anything mostly on her own: she was very independent, and I loved it. The way she slowly changed was really well done and the ending was pretty powerful (although it would have been way more powerful had I connected to Kit).

There was an aspect of the plot that I didn't quite believe in: the letters. Although I really liked the idea of them, I couldn't believe the things that were written in them. Everbody who asks the "Perfect Killer" to kill for them knows that that letter will end up with  the dead body. So I found it hard to believe that some people wrote "please kill my sister" or "please kill my fiancé" because they were extremely traceable this way. I'm not really sure how the law works in cases like these, but I can imagine that you wouldn't want people to know that you basically hired someone to kill a specific person.

The Romance

There wasn't one. I KNOW. A YA book without romance: it exists! Although Alex may have sort of been a love interest, they never get on with it. There's nothing more than a squirmish feeling and tingles, and even those are few and far between. It was so refreshing! No romance, no angst, no clichés. I loved it.

Overall

This was a really enjoyable story, and Kit was a well-developed character that changed in a slow and believable way. I also really loved that there basically was no romance, even though you can ship Kit and Alex would you want to. It was extremely refreshing because every YA features a romance nowadays! There were a couple of things I didn't really like: how unbelievable certain aspects of the story were, and that I failed to connect to Kit. Unfortunately, I think both things are pretty important and it affected my enjoyment of the novel. This was a solid read, and a very refreshing and original book!

Thank you, Katherine Tegen Books, for the digital review copy! No money or favors were exchanged to alter this review. 

Review: Mind Games by Kiersten White

Fia was born with flawless instincts. Her first impulse, her gut feeling, is always exactly right. Her sister, Annie, is blind to the world around her—except when her mind is gripped by strange visions of the future. 

Trapped in a school that uses girls with extraordinary powers as tools for corporate espionage, Annie and Fia are forced to choose over and over between using their abilities in twisted, unthinkable ways…or risking each other’s lives by refusing to obey.

In a stunning departure from her New York Times bestselling Paranormalcy trilogy, Kiersten White delivers a slick, edgy, heartstoppingly intense psychological thriller about two sisters determined to protect each other—no matter the cost.

Title: Mind Games
Author: Kiersten White
Series: Mind Games #1
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: December 3rd 2013

Rating: 3.5 stars

Thoughts:

To say that Mind Games surprised me is kind of an understatement. I originally didn't even plan on reading this, but I got a galley for Perfect Lies, and I though"why not?". Well, I'm glad I did, because I found myself actually quite enjoying this! Maybe it's because I went in with such low expectations, but this novel just worked for me.

Everyone's biggest problem seems to be the writing. And I have to say, in the beginning of the book there are a few awkward sentences. But I personally thought that it got much better along the way. Although it was an annoyance for many, I was actually quite pleased with the way the number three was incorporated in everything (for example, by Fia tapping 3 times or repeating certain things 3 times). The number three is important to Fia - it's her number of kills - and it pops up everywhere in her narrative, showing that those kills are still on her mind. This does not happen in the POV of her sister, Annie, so I think I can safely say that this was indeed done on purpose by the author. Humans have these little tics all the time, so I actually thought that it was quite realistic. And yes, the writing is a bit jumbled at times, but I think that this, too, was done on purpose (since the writing was much clearer in Annie's POV). Fia may or may not be going crazy and this is reflected in the writing. It really brought that sense of 'craziness' to her character.

Another thing everyone is falling over: the romance. Or as I would say it, the 'romance'. I personally didn't think it was a real romance, although it might've been intended as one? Either way, I really felt that the relationship between Fia and James was based purely on lust and that bit of craziness that Fia has. James is douchebag, there's no denying that. However, I never felt that Fia's feelings for him were entirely real or that she thought he was her 'one and only'. She mostly uses him as an escape - to forget her miserable life, to forget the people she killed, to forget everything - and I never quite got that feeling that he was a 'real' love interest. She kisses him because he makes her forget, not because she really wants him. That is, she might want his body, but she never really fell for the mind inside it (although this is just my impression). I also really don't think they'll end up together, simply because I don't think that whatever they have can be described as real.

Then there's the sisterly bond between Annie and Fia. I personally think this relationship could have been developed more. We know that they'll do anyhting for each other, but we see few examples of their deep love for each other. Yes, they're pretty much constantly worrying about the other or thinking about the other, but I never really felt that deep love you (can) have for family. This also caused a certain thing Annie does toward the ending a bit unbelievable. I was a bit disappointed because there aren't many books in which the main character has a really deep bond with their siblings (or at least one the reader can feel as well) and I hoped Mind Games would be a fresh change.

Speaking of the ending though, WHOA. That was some seriously unexpected STUFF that went down and it was absolutely awesome. I really never saw that coming and it sure shocked me! Especially because intentions aren't clear and THINGS are happening and whaaaaaaaat.

In all, Mind Games was a pleasant surprise. I found myself actually enjoying the book - especially the slow descent into craziness - and I actually rather liked the way it was written. This is most certainly not for everyone, though. I'd recommend you check out some negative reviews as well and then decide whether you want to read this. It happened to be my particular taste of madness, but I'm also sure there are a lot of people out there who would absolutely NOT like this book. I did like it, though! So now I shall immediately plunge myself into Perfect Lies.

ARC Review: The Promise of Amazing by Robin Constantine

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.

Title: The Promise of Amazing
Author: Robin Constantine
Series: None
Publisher: Balzer + Bray 
Publication Date: December 31st 2013

Rating: 2.5 or 3 stars (I'm not really sure)

Thoughts: 

The NHS made [being quiet] sound like a character flaw. Something I could improve. That's just not how it worked.

Since I know everyone's going to make some sort of joke with the title, I'll spare you that. When I first saw this awesomely cute and fluffy cover, I knew I had to read it. Sometimes I just really want something fluffy and light and funny. Ultimately, though, I was sort of... disappointed. The Promise of Amazing didn't live up to my expectations.

The Promise of Amazing mainly around the romance and Grayson's past. The romance was the thign that disappointed me most, to be honest. It's not exactly instant love, but it all goes a bit fast and I just didn't feel it. Wren and Grayson were cute, sure, and Grayson's admiration for Wren shines through. However, from the moment Wren saves Grayson's life they both feel this 'connection'. Unfortunately, I didn't feel that connection at all. Honestly, I thought it was a bit insta-lovey. From the moment they meet, pretty much all they do is think about the other. And even though they spend a lot of time together, I didn't feel like they really knew each other. So when they exchange their 'I love you's, I just didn't believe it. It was too much, too fast, and as a result I felt really disconnected from it. Because of that, I couldn't really ship them. I mean, they fit each other fine, but when they kissed my reaction was more towards the 'meh' side of things.

Another point that made me a little angry: Grayson's hotness excuses everything. The things he does (sort of but not really stalking, lying, etc.) were not right. If he had been ugly, Wren and her friends would've thought he was a creep. Now, everything he does is 'kinda hot'. Why? Because of his apparently flawless appearance. Now, I'm not saying that he was Edward Cullen-creepy, but let's just say that was no angel.  And I really wish his hotness didn't 'make up' for that.

Otherwise, Grayson's past was pretty interesting. The things he did were definitely not good, but interesting to read about. Throughout the book, he cares less and less about his old 'business' and his old friends (who are total jerks, by the way. Seriously.). This gradual change in him was executed well: things didn't go too fast, he makes a couple of mistakes and he learns from them. Although Wren sort of inspired this change in him, I did feel like he did it for himself and not for her.

I don't really have much to say about Wren. She was a nice girl, and I thought the change in her was well done. She starts off as silent and shy, but throughout the novel she dares to say more and is a bit more impulsive. Although she didn't necessarily good decisions, she was likeable enough. So were her friends: although they were the outgoing boy-crazy friend and the serious, studious one, they weren't stereotypical. They had a twist to their character that made them believable and different.

In all, this was a bit of a disappointment. Hardly the fluffy novel I was looking for, The Promise of Amazing deals with accepting your past mistakes and moving on. The characters were all likeable (except for Grayson's friends) and well developed. The romance, I felt, was underdeveloped and Wren and Grayson needed to know more about each other before thinking about love. Would I still recommend? Yes, because it wasn't bad at all. I had just expected it to be more.

Review: Perfect Ruin by Lauren DeStefano

On Internment, the floating island in the clouds where 16-year-old Morgan Stockhour lives, getting too close to the edge can lead to madness. Even though Morgan's older brother, Lex, was a Jumper, Morgan vows never to end up like him. She tries her best not to mind that her life is orderly and boring, and if she ever wonders about the ground, and why it is forbidden, she takes solace in best friend Pen and her betrothed, Basil.

Then a murder, the first in a generation, rocks the city. With whispers swirling and fear on the wind, Morgan can no longer stop herself from investigating, especially when she meets Judas. He is the boy being blamed for the murder — betrothed to the victim — but Morgan is convinced of his innocence. Secrets lay at the heart of Internment, but nothing can prepare Morgan for what she will find — or who she will lose.

Review: Crewel by Gennifer Albin

Incapable. Awkward. Artless. That’s what the other girls whisper behind her back. But sixteen-year-old Adelice Lewys has a secret: She wants to fail. Gifted with the ability to weave time with matter, she’s exactly what the Guild is looking for, and in the world of Arras, being chosen to work the looms is everything a girl could want. It means privilege, eternal beauty, and being something other than a secretary. It also means the power to manipulate the very fabric of reality. But if controlling what people eat, where they live, and how many children they have is the price of having it all, Adelice isn’t interested. Not that her feelings matter, because she slipped and used her hidden talent for a moment. Now she has one hour to eat her mom’s overcooked pot roast. One hour to listen to her sister’s academy gossip and laugh at her dad’s jokes. One hour to pretend everything’s okay. And one hour to escape. Because tonight, they’ll come for her.

ARC Review: Secret For A Song by S.K. Falls

Title: Secret For A Song

Author: S.K. Falls

Series: None

Publisher: S. K. Falls

Publication Date: May 31st, 2013

Source: S. K. Falls

Description:

Saylor Grayson makes herself sick. Literally.

She ate her first needle when she was seven. Now, at nineteen, she’s been kicked out of college for poisoning herself with laxatives. The shrinks call it Munchausen Syndrome. All Saylor knows is that when she’s ill, her normally distant mother pays attention and the doctors and nurses make her feel special.

Then she meets Drew Dean, the leader of a local support group for those with terminal diseases. When he mistakes her for a new member, Saylor knows she should correct him. But she can’t bring herself to, not after she’s welcomed into a new circle of friends. Friends who, like Drew, all have illnesses ready to claim their independence or their lives. 

For the first time, Saylor finds out what it feels like to be in love, to have friends who genuinely care about her. But secrets have a way of revealing themselves. What will happen when Saylor’s is out?

Rating: 3 of 5 stars

Thoughts:

I ate my first needle when I was seven.

Secret For A Song is a book about Saylor, who has Munchausen Syndrome. I'd never heard of it, but apparently it basically means that you make yourself sick. Her family is a bit screwed up, with a father that's almost never home (and when he is, he shows no interest in his daughter) and a mother that doesn't seem to care about anything Saylor does. So Saylor makes herself sick to get attention. 

Then she ends up in a local support group for terminal diseases by accident. She says she has MS -not entirely a lie, but interpret in the wrong way- and makes friends with kids with terminal diseases.

So, I didn't know Munchausen Syndrome existed until I read this book. It's very interesting to see how someone would willingly make herself sick in order to get attention. I really can't imagine doing such a thing to myself (I really hate being sick), but Saylor does and has quite imaginative ways of doing it as well. The scenes where she injects her own saliva into her veins and the abcesses that form were, unfortunately, described very good and detailed, so I was often grossed out. (I think in pictures, so it was all too easy to see it all happening - ew)

The writing was a pleasant surprise - way better than I was expecting. The prose was strong and steady, with good descriptions, but not too flowery. An example:

I believed in my mother's ability to reverse-transubstantiate, to change from one substance to another; her flesh and blood to smoke and shadows when I was near.

I also really loved the secondary characters. Drew was sweet and soft, Zoe so happy and brightening. It was interesting to see how they handled their sicknesses, how they grew weaker in body but stronger in mind. The relationship between Saylor and Drew wasn't overdone: they weren't immediately declaring their love for one another, but build it up slowly, with lots of sweet moments.

But (there's always a but), I didn't really like Saylor. She was very whiny and passive (except when it came to her making herself sick). I also really can't get over how she lied to her friends about having MS. MS is a very serious disease and I think it's a bit improper to use it as a cover for someone whodeliberately makes herself sick. A bit disrespectful, too. Especially if that someone thinks is so awesome to have a serious disease without having to work for it.

At times, I really felt the need to scream at her to stop bloody lying to her friends! If you keep lying, the truth will always backstab you in the end - but the sooner you admit the lie, the softer the stab will be. But Saylor never had the guts to tell her friends the truth, and of course, she paid for it. It was very annoying every time she could have told and didn't. 

This was a very interesting read about Munchausen Syndrome and what it did to a girl. The prose flows easily and most of the characters were very nice. I'd definitely recommend it if you're interested in Munchausen, or if you - like me - had never heard of it before.

Thank you, S.K. Falls, for giving me a galley of this book. No money or favours were exchanged to alter this review.

All Our Pretty Songs

All Our Pretty Songs by Sarah McCarry
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Actual rating: 3,5 stars.

Thank you St. Martins Griffin for providing me an ARC of this book! No money or favours were exchanged to affect this review.

All Our Pretty Songs, what a strange animal you are. I can see why a lot of people rated it 2 stars, but I quite liked it.

So, this is about the narrator, who doesn't have a name, apparently. She's best friends with Aurora. They've bot got pretty fucked up families, but they genuinely love each other. Then Jack comes into play. His music is hauntingly beautiful, and he and the narrator fall in love. It's this way for most of the novel, until in the end some really weird stuff happens.

It's hard for me to say what genre this is. This novel does have a very Contemporary feel, but that stuff in the end definitely wasn't contemporary, but rather Paranormal or Greek myth stuff. So I'll say this is a contemporary with a sprinkle of paranormal greek. Sounds legit, right?

So, there are quite some issues with this book, but let's start with the positive. The prose was absolutely stunning. Not Laini Taylor-stunning, but I put this on my 'gorgeous-prose' shelf without hesitation. The prose drew me in right from the start and kept me reading. But (there's always a but) as the lovely Ashleigh Paige from Birth of a New Witch so accurately states: The prose is so determined to take over the novel that it practically drains the life from everything else.

This is very true: the prose is so lush and there's so much of it, that you get distracted by it. It buries the story. This was one of the rare cases where I didn't mind, but I can definitely see why it would annoy others or even make them give up on this book.

Maybe my quite positive opinion of this book is (almost) all thanks to the prose. Because the prose is the main thing in this book instead of the story, there were a lot of things I just looked over. In this book there's insta-love. Normally I hate books with insta-love with a burning passion and they'll get nothing short of a snarky review from me. But really, I could overlook it here. I was just reading, thought: "hey, that's insta-love,", shrugged and kept on reading.

Another possible problem with this book is that it can be extremely boring. Once again, I didn't mind, but normally I get distracted easily if nothing's happening. Because really, for a great part of the book, there is nothing happening. I actually have no idea why I wasn't bored, but I guess it was the prose again. However, if you have a short attention span, I wouldn't recommend this. You're likely to get very bored.

But, as I mentioned, there is a lot of stuff happening in the end. Shit's going down quickly. But because in the rest of the novel there's not really all that much happening, it felt rushed to me. I wish there was more of this in the book and less of the rest. Although rushed, the ending was, in my opinion, very good.

So, all in all the biggest downside of this book was the prose, because it buried the story. The thing that saved this book was also the prose.

Think about that.

Delilah Dusticle

Delilah Dusticle by A.J. York
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

 Description:

Delilah Dusticle has special powers, she can completely eradicate dust. With her quiver pouch of special dusters Delilah can run up walls and reaches places others just can’t. As a maid in the Fenchurch-Whittington house Delilah’s unusual skills soon lead to her being promoted to Chief Dust Eradicator and Remover. Until one day a broken heart leads to her powers taking an expected turn.

This is the first in a series of touching and funny stories about Delilah Dusticle. Follow her on a journey of self-discovery, friendship and adventure.

 Thoughts:

*A copy of the book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review*

So, when I first started this book, I had no idea what genre it even was. It turns out it's a story for children, with some elements of Fantasy sprikled in.

Short and sweet pretty much sums this book up.

It has writing that's typical for children's stories (with phrases such as "You see, (...)"), but it also has some description that's quite good, because it was very easy to picture everything at times.

I think this is mostly meant as a story to teach children that things will work out in the end. Delilah is crushing on someone, but said someone marries someone else. Delilah gets depressed (but not in the dark way, more like children-depressed), but in the end befriends her former crush's wife and doesn't have any feelings for him anymore other than friendship.

It's a good way to teach your children that even though you don't always get what you want, things will work out in the end.

I did have a hard time connecting to the story and the charaters, but it's an "it's not you it's me"-situation. I always have a hard time connecting to short stories, which is why I prefer longer books.

All in all, a nice story to read to your children.

The Pledge (The Pledge, #1)

The Pledge by Kimberly Derting
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Pff, I have no idea what to say about this one. It's just one of those books that's.. just a book. I don't really have an opinion on this. I didn't take any notes, which means I didn't hate it but also didn't think it was amazing. So, middle of the road three stars.

I liked the concept of the different languages for different ranks and a girl who understands them all. I don't really know what to think of Charlaina (a.k.a. Charlie). She seems nice, but I can't really see growth in her. I couldn't tell you what the changes in her are, except that she now knows a couple of (pretty big) secrets.

The reason why Charlaina could understand all languages was very obvious, but there were also a few plot twists that I didn't see coming.

The writing is nice. Not oh-my-freaking-god-this-is-so-beautiful nice, but also not awful. It makes the story flow easily and can be pretty at times, so bonus points there.

One thing I feel a little torn about is the romance. The romance isn't the lead of the story, which I liked. All to often there are novels hinting at a plot, but said plot is suddenly gone when the love interest appears. But there are also quotes like this one in the book:

He frightened me just as much as he intrigued me.

This isn't a good sign. if someone frightens you, get the heel away. If someone frightens you, you do not love him. This is NOT a good message to send out to all the teenagers who read this. Dear everyone who reads this, if someone frightens you, stay away from him/her. It's not love. Seriously.


I liked the ending. It was predictable what would happen, of course, but still nicely done. The novel could be a stand-alone, but there is also hinted at a series (which it is). But I really like novels that are stand-alones within a series, instead of three blubbery no-plot books because the author or the publisher or whoever demanded a trilogy, resulting in crappy books.

So, not sure what to think about this one, but it's a nice read.

Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin, #1)

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Hmmm... Not really sure what to think about this one.

From the description of this book you probably got that this is an awesome book about assassin nuns. I mean, assassin nuns. How cool is that?

I expected this to be quite bloody and full of murder. Unfortunately, that's not really what this is about. This book is mostly about political games and treason, not about murder. Sure, Ismae does kill sometimes, but for me, those times were too few and far between.

I did like Ismae, however. She knows how to use her brain, something most YA heriones don't. She held a lot of prejudices against men, but due to her story, this is understandable. And her attitude changes (in other words: character growth! Yay!).

I liked most of the characters, now that I think of it. Duval was nice, and no insta-love! I really appreciated that.

The ending was a little bit rushed, but good. I liked how (view spoiler)[ Mortain appeared to Ismae, and how she stands up to the convent (hide spoiler)]. However, I did not like how (view spoiler)[ Ismae had to have sex with Duval to get all the poison out of his system. I wish LaFevers had done that differently. (hide spoiler)]

So.. I don't really have to say much about this book. For me it is 2.5/3 stars.

I'll read the sequels, but I'm not exactly in a hurry to get my hands on them.

The Prince (The Selection, #0.5)

The Prince by Kiera Cass
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Prince is a Selection novella and a perfect little teaser if you're waiting for the next book, but not more than that.

I should warn you that I'm not a novella-person. I don't hate them, but for me they're always a little too short (which, of course, is the point of a novella). I don't have enough time to connect to the characters, so I usually end up feeling 'meh', or 'didn't care for it'. To me, The Prince was 'meh'.

This novella is meant as a teaser for those waiting for The Elite, and for that purpose it does fine. But if I look at it as a 'true' novella, it falls short.

First, let's discuss the description of this book.

Before thirty-five girls were chosen to compete in the Selection...

Before Aspen broke America's heart...

There was another girl in Prince Maxon's life...

I should warn you: this is NOT what the book is about. In the first chapter, there is a girl named Daphne, who expresses her 'love' for Maxon and accusing him of not knowing what he feels. This is supposed to be the 'another girl in Maxon's life', but she disappears after their little "I love you, you love me but you don't know it yet" conversation and never comes back. Never comes back. This book is supposed to be about her and Maxon, but it's not. This girl is completely useless, unless:

1) She comes back in The One as one of the rebels
2) She comes back in The One as the leader of the rebels
3) She comes back in The One as a secret assassin with ninja-skills and tries to murder America because she's jealous.

*please not that if one of the above happens, I am a genius*

This novella is about Maxon and America. About their first meeting in the garden and their little chit-chat when Maxon meets all the girls (except for America) for the first time. That is what this is about.

Like I said, The Prince is nice to read as a teaser, but it isn't a real novella. There is not much new in it, but it's nice to read if you're a fan of the Selection and want a little more Maxon in your life.

The Host

The Host by Stephenie Meyer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

*slight spoilers*

I'm not really sure if I can rate this book correctly. There are a couple of things I take into account when rating a book:
- The actual quality of the book (e.g. insta-love or not, makes sense or not, etc.)
- How I felt while reading it/ how I feel after reading it

To me, the latter is more important. But while reading this book, I got really sick (it wasn't nice, that's all I'm saying about it), so I might be rating it less than I otherwise would have because obviously I didn't exactly feel good while reading.

In the first couple of pages, The Host was confusing: how does the whole thing work, what is a Soul excactly, etc. But after the first confusing pages, everything settles down.

After escaping and walking into the desert, where Wanda/Wanderer is being very stupid with the water thing, the book gets kind of... boring. There are like 100 pages where Wanda is just baking bread, watering flowers, and having conversations with Melanie about how no one trusts her.

The big reveals are, or at least for me, quite easy to guess, but that didn't ruin the book for me.

I thought the reason for invading Earth was quite lame. This could have been a plenty-of-action book with evil aliens invading our planet and bodies because they want power. Instead, it was all sugary sweet: they were invading Earth because we are ruining the planet!



Oh, and I just have to mention this:

He got to his feet and patted me awkwardly on the shoulder. He didn't seem comfortable with tears. "There, there," he mumbled.

Surely I'm not the only one who went all
SHELDON!!!


Hmm, this was all quite ranty. I did like the book. I also thought it was nice how this was so completely different from Twilight. I see all too often how authors can't seem to come up with new ideas if one of their books is hyped. I was glad to see that that's not the case here.

So, 3.5 stars it is!

View all my reviews