Review: Shift, by Jeri Smith-Ready

Author: Jeri Smith-Ready

Title: Shift

Series: Shade (#2)

ISBN: 9781416994084

Publisher: Simon Pulse(2011)

Go to Amazon page

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“Aura’s life is anything but easy. Her boyfriend, Logan, died, and his slides between ghost and shade have left her reeling. Aura knows he needs her now more than ever. She loves Logan, but she can’t deny her connection with the totally supportive, totally gorgeous Zachary. And she’s not sure that she wants to.

Logan and Zachary will fight to be the one by her side, but Aura needs them both to uncover the mystery of her past—the mystery of the Shift.

As Aura’s search uncovers new truths, she must decide whom to trust with her secrets…and her heart.” GoodReads’ blurb

After my raving review of Shade, I’m sure you already expect me to go off the rocket with Shift. Well, you’d be right.

Review: Honor Among Thieves, by David Chandler

Author: David Chandler

Title: Honor among Thieves

Series: Ancient Blades (#3)

ISBN: 9780062021267

Publisher: HarperCollins (2011)

Disclaimer: Copy received for review purposes.

Go to Amazon page

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

“When allies become enemies, to whom can a clever thief turn?

Armed with one of seven Ancient Blades, Malden was chosen by Fate to act as savior . . . and failed dismally. And now there is no stopping the barbarian hordes from invading and pillaging the kingdom of Skrae. Suddenly friends and former supporters alike covet the young hero’s magic while seeking his destruction—from the treacherous King and leaders of the City of Ness to the rogue knight Croy, who owes Malden his life.

It will take more than Malden’s makeshift army of harlots and cutpurses to preserve a realm. Luckily the sorceress Cythera fights at his side, along with the ingenious, irascible dwarf Slag. And the wily thief still has a desperate and daring plan or two up his larcenous sleeve . . .” GoodReads’ blurb

Remember when I reviewed A Thief in the Night and, at the very end, said that it could either go awesomely good or stay cool? Well, here’s the answer!

In My Mailbox #14

Nearly a month without doing an IMM! I'm proud of my restraint, reading what I had to and not buying anything new... But. Well, no one's a saint, so... Here I am, back to show you what's new. Thanks go to The Story Siren for hosting this!

TBR Intervention #4

 

TBR Intervention Challenge time! That moment when we get to organize our huge To Be Read piles and actually read those books we've been wanting to (or been supposed to) for the longest time! The challenge is hosted by April @ Books4Juliet, Dani @ Refracted Light and Ayanami @ Whatever You Can Still Betray, and it's hosted every Saturday, though you're free to join every two weeks if that's more convenient for you. As always, do join us! Here's the rules:

1. Post the book(s) you committed to read in your last TBR Intervention post and tell us something about it. Did you finish it? Did you enjoy it or not? Post the link to your review (if you have one). 

2. Post a book that you want to read and already own. Pick something that has been sitting on your shelf for too long now (6 months or longer). Commit to read the book in the next couple of days or week.

3. Grab the TBR Intervention Button and post it on your blog sidebar so you will be constantly reminded of the challenge, making it easier for you to commit. This will also encourage other readers/bloggers/visitors to join the challenge.

4. Add the link to your post in the Linky below and make sure to visit the other blogs. Comment, encourage, and spread the love to our fellow readers. 

 

And here's how I did this week:

Review: Falling Under, by Gwen Hayes

Author: Gwen Hayes

Title: Falling Under

Series: Falling Under (#1)

ISBN: 9780451232687

Publisher: New American Library (2011)

Buy your copy: Kindle | Paperback

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

“-Theia Alderson has always led a sheltered life in the small California town of Serendipity Falls. But when a devastatingly handsome boy appears in the halls of her school, Theia knows she's seen Haden before- not around town, but in her dreams.

As the Haden of both the night and the day beckons her closer one moment and pushes her away the next, the only thing Theia knows for sure is that the incredible pull she feels towards him is stronger than her fear.

And when she discovers what Haden truly is, Theia's not sure if she wants to resist him, even if the cost is her soul.-" GoodReads’ blurb

I discovered Falling Under through a Waiting on Wednesday for its sequel, and, of course, I was fascinated by the cover and the premise. Has it lived up to expectations? Well... Let’s see step by step!

Writing Tips #5: Characters

So, what’s the next thing we have to consider in our writerly career? Why, characters, of course!

Okay, perhaps not “of course”. Some people believe in handling the plot first and generating ad hoc characters later, but I don’t. Not saying that it’s wrong, per se, but that I cannot do it. The reason?

The key to my characters is the pesky presence of the question, why? 

First off, for example: why is the character invested in the plot? At this point, perhaps, we have no idea what the plot’s going to be, but we should flesh out our characters to the point that, once we’re thinking and planning, we can answer the question off the top of our heads. In general lines, a character will become invested when there’s a situation that affects something regarded as “important” (hey, I did say “general lines”) so let’s start by figuring out what’s important for them:

Review: Legacies of Talimura: War of the Witch, by Angel Haze

Author: Angel Haze

Title: Legacies of Talimura: War of the Witch

ASIN: B005965A64

Publisher: Angel Haze (2011)

Disclaimer: Copy received for review purposes.

Go to Amazon page

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

“Debonair, a witch from the Unspoken Lands, has meddled in the forbidden practice of magic and created an army of nightmarish proportions. When sixteen-year-old Astanyx and his two best friends return from a hunting trip to find their small town of Polca reduced to smoke and ash, they find themselves thrust into a battle for which they haven't been trained.   
With the help of his comrades, including an esteemed warrior, one of the last great wizards and a princess they've sworn to protect, Astanyx must fight to unite the kingdoms of the humans, dwarves and elves. He must ask forbidden questions that no one wants to answer, questions about Talimura's dark history. As Debonair's brutal warriors lay siege to the kingdoms, Astanyx is driven to pursue a fateful quest for a blade powerful enough to defeat the malevolent witch before she destroys the three kingdoms and unleashes an unspeakable ancient evil.” GoodReads’ blurb

I really wanted to like this book. I fell in love with the cover, and the blurb promised a classic for the genre, in that peasant-boy-turns-hero that had so many fans before the shades of grey entered the arena and that I still enjoy from time to time.

I guess it could have been. There was a deer hunter who gets hell bent in stopping the evil forces that threatened to overtake his whole kingdom after his home village his destroyed. Then, there’s the princess, who is rebellious and loves playing with swords and doesn’t mind hanging out with a deer hunter. And there’s the evil witch who tries to bring darkness over the world with her army of brutish monsters. None of these aspects is enough to bring down the quality, but still I was unable to enjoy the novel. There were, in my opinion, two issues. Not going into deep detail, I’m just going to illustrate using the first couple of chapters so that the story’s not spoiled for you:

Review: Original Blood, by Stuart Land

Author: Stuart Land

Title: Original Blood

ASIN: B004LROREI

Publisher: Stuart Land (2011)

Disclaimer: Copy received for review purposes.

Buy your copy: Kindle | Paperback

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“-ORIGINAL BLOOD is the delicious, but tormenting tale of Zondra and Gailene as they’re turned into vampires against their will. Separated by two centuries but bound by familial blood that threatens to destroy the vampire nation, Zondra experiences a mind-bending skewed Cinderella story with hot motorcycles, limitless money, and ancient mansions teeming with the undead, while Gailene must rise from devastation, rage, and vengeance to become a powerful vampire leader in the New World. Both women are forced to overcome their circumstances, one of privilege, one of destitution, to gain the power that will save themselves and the man they both love from the retribution of their creator-“ GoodReads’ blurb

Original Blood has been a extremely difficult book to evaluate for me. Overall, I did enjoy it, and the quality of the writing is more than average, but there were a couple of things I did not care much for. Let’s take it step by step:

TBR Intervention #3

TBR Intervention Challenge time! That moment when we get to organize our huge To Be Read piles and actually read those books we've been wanting to (or been supposed to) for the longest time! The challenge is hosted by April @ Books4Juliet, Dani @ Refracted Light and Ayanami @ Whatever You Can Still Betray, and it's hosted every Saturday, though you're free to join every two weeks if that's more convenient for you. As always, do join us! Here's the rules:

1. Post the book(s) you committed to read in your last TBR Intervention post and tell us something about it. Did you finish it? Did you enjoy it or not? Post the link to your review (if you have one). 

2. Post a book that you want to read and already own. Pick something that has been sitting on your shelf for too long now (6 months or longer). Commit to read the book in the next couple of days or week.

3. Grab the TBR Intervention Button and post it on your blog sidebar so you will be constantly reminded of the challenge, making it easier for you to commit. This will also encourage other readers/bloggers/visitors to join the challenge.

4. Add the link to your post in the Linky below and make sure to visit the other blogs. Comment, encourage, and spread the love to our fellow readers.

Okay, here I go with mine:

2012 Young Adult Reading Challenge

Remember a couple days back, when I said "a couple" challenges? Well, this is the second: commit to reading a certain amount of YA books during 2012. Since Young Adult seems to have become my primary genre for review (weird, I always thought it'd be fantasy, but then I got to really reading and... it changed) this challenge should be easy. It's hosted over at The Electic Bookshelf, so feel free to join us! The image above gets you straight to the sing-up page, too. Here, I'll give you the rules to get your curiosity going: 

Review: Remembrance, by Michelle Madow

Author: Michelle Madow

Title: Remembrance

Series: Transcend Time (#1)

ISBN: 9780615512440

Publisher: Dreamscape Publishing (2011)

Go to Amazon page

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“New Hampshire high school junior Lizzie Davenport has been reincarnated from Regency Era, England ... but she doesn't know it yet.     

Then Drew Carmichael transfers into Lizzie's school at the beginning of the year, and she feels a connection to him, almost like she knows him. She can't stop thinking about him, but whenever she tries talking with him about the mysteries behind her feelings, he makes it clear that he wants nothing to do with her. Reaching him is even more difficult because she has a boyfriend, Jeremy, who has started to become full of himself after being elected co-captain of the varsity soccer team, and her flirtatious best friend Chelsea starts dating Drew soon after his arrival. So why can't she seem to get him out of her mind?  

Even though Lizzie knows she should let go of her fascination with Drew, the pair of them soon find that fighting fate isn't going to be easy.“ GoodReads’ blurb

You know the terrible hype about this title? Well, it was so justified! I read Remembrance in two days, because I could not put it down!

Review: Shade, by Jeri Smith-Ready

Author: Jeri Smith-Ready

Title: Shade

Series: Shade (#1)

ISBN: 9781416994060

Publisher: Simon Pulse (2010)

Go to Amazon page

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“Love ties them together. Death can't tear them apart.

Best. Birthday. Ever. At least, it was supposed to be. With Logan's band playing a critical gig and Aura's plans for an intimate after-party, Aura knows it will be the most memorable night of her boyfriend's life. She never thought it would be his last.

Logan's sudden death leaves Aura devastated. He's gone.

Well, sort of.

Like everyone born after the Shift, Aura can see and hear ghosts. This mysterious ability has always been annoying, and Aura had wanted nothing more than to figure out why the Shift happened so she can undo it. But not with Logan's violet-hued spirit still hanging around. Because dead Logan is almost as real as ever. Almost.

It doesn't help that Aura's new friend Zachary is so understanding—and so very alive. His support means more to Aura than she cares to admit.

As Aura's relationships with the dead and the living grow ever complicated, so do her feelings for Logan and Zachary. Each holds a piece of Aura's heart...and clues to the secret of the Shift.” GoodReads’ blurb

 I should start noting whose review makes me read what, because I don’t think I’d have picked up Shade otherwise... And it was such an amazing read!

First off, I should probably correct myself: it was a fantastic listen, I guess, because once more I went for the audiobook. And now that that’s out in the open, let’s move on to why I loved this book so much, shall we?

2012 E-Book Challenge

So, I've decided to take part into a couple of reading challenges for the upcoming year! This is the first of them, and it's all about reading your books in e-format. Since that's the way I get my books these days (I just buy the physical copies after I've read and loved the electronics, unless they're gifts!) I decided that this was made for me. The challenge is hosted by Workaday Reads this time, so head over to sign up if you'd like to (the above icon takes you straight to the challenge page). Meanwhile, and to help you decide, I'm going to give you the rules along with my commitment:

Review: (re)Visions: Alice, an anthology

Authors: Kaye Chazan, Amanda Ching, Hilary Thomas, C.A. Young

Editor: Kate Sullivan

Title: (re)Visions: Alice

ISBN: 9781936460069

Publisher: Candlemark and Gleam (2011)

Disclaimer: Copy received for review purposes.

Go to Amazon page

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“In 1865, an English author and scholar with an abiding interest in mathematics and logic published a tale originally told for the amusement of a friend's young daughter, Alice.

The resulting novel, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, was largely ignored at first, but then rapidly rose to fame, with such prominent admirers as Queen Victoria and Oscar Wilde; its nonsensical language and endearing characters have made it beloved of generations of children and adults alike, and the escapades of young Alice have inspired writers the world over. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland has never gone out of print.

With such universal appeal, it's no wonder that the quasi-logical tricks and banter of Wonderland have cast a long shadow on modern fantasy. Echoes of the Queen, the Cat, and others can be found in tales old and new, and the idea of falling into a strange, bewildering world is one of the favorite tropes used by authors of the fantastic.

The (re)Visions series seeks to bring classic works of speculative fiction back into the modern consciousness, examining how tendrils of the fantastic spiral through all that we think and do, even decades after a work was penned. First, read Lewis Carroll's (extremely) original work; then, let your mind wander through the gardens and passages of Wonderland, guided by four very different modern authors.

And don't forget your flamingo.“ GoodReads’ blurb

Fans of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland will rave about this one... and even those who never got the hang of the original will enjoy the new takes on the story! I know because I had a lot of expectations going into (re)Visions: Alice, and every single one of them was surpassed.

TBR Intervention #2

So, I'm back this week with the TBR Intervention Challenge! If you still haven't caught up, this is a challenge feature hosted by April @ Books4Juliet, Dani @ Refracted Light and Ayanami @ Whatever You Can Still Betray. The whole point is to select one book that's been sitting in your TBR for way too long and then commit to read it during the following week. You can pick more than one book for the challenge if your pace allows for it, of you can join us every two weeks if you need extra time, the important thing is to manage that huge reading pile, one title at a time! If you want to join us -which would rock- you just have to head over to the blog of any of the hosts, read the rules and add your own challenge to the linky. Cool, right?

Technically speaking, the challenge goes up every Saturday, but last week I was late in joining and... okay, and I didn't post yesterday so that I got the extra few hours to finish my own challenge, which I did! Ready to see what went down this week?

Review: The Foul Mouth and the Fanged Lady, by Richard Raley

Author: Richard Raley

Title: The Foul Mouth and the Fanged Lady

Series: The King Henry Tapes (#1)

ASIN: B005JX356O

Publisher: Richard Raley (2011)

Disclaimer: Copy received for review purposes.

Go to Amazon page

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“King Henry Price is fourteen, he loves everything he's not supposed to and hates everything he's supposed to. One day after his usual hour of detention he comes home to find an enigmatic woman named Ceinwyn Dale sitting in his kitchen, telling his parents lies about a special reform school. What she tells King Henry is different, she tells him he’s a mancer, a Geomancer to be exact, that he’s special, one in million maybe. She sure ain’t a fairy giant and King Henry sure as hell ain’t Harry Potter, but why not? Got to be better than the life he’s already got.     

King Henry Price is twenty-two, a recent graduate of the Asylum as an Artificer. With the special ability to create lasting items of the Mancy, he’s spurned the Artificer’s Guild and struck out on his own to found an Artificer workshop looking to do things his way. One night, a vampire baroness claiming she’s named Anne Boleyn walks into his shop, telling King Henry he’s going to help her, and she’s not taking 'no' for an answer. King Henry is pretty sure the whole name thing is just a joke, but only pretty sure…" GoodReads’ blurb

*

I wasn’t sure of this book when I got into it, which only goes to prove how sometimes you just can’t go cover shopping: because, could you please say “LOVE” a little louder?

King Henry Price is the narrator behind this title, putting his life on tape as part of a project for us to listen to. The style is fluid, conversational, and if this were to be turned into an audiobook, it’d feel exactly as if you were listening on to the tapes, on both sets. That’s how good the author has been at capturing King Henry’s voice.

Writing trips, Guest edition: World building by Rachel Forde

If you read my review of Last Born, by Rachel Forde, in this post here, you know one of the things I loved about her book was the unique setting, and how well developed it was. Since we were covering world building here in the Writing Tips section of the blog, I asked her to write us a post on the topic and she agreed to share in her views... Thanks so much, Rachel! So, without further ado, I leave you with an author's take on world building: 

Review: Tales from Under the Bridge, by P.D. Blake

Author: P.D. Blake
Title: Tales from Under the Bridge

ASIN: B005HF7I80

Publisher: P.D. Blake (2011)

Disclaimer: Copy received for review purposes.

Go to Amazon page

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“Tales From Under the Bridge, all you ever wanted to know about trolls, and a few things you probably didn't. Life and death, myth and legend, magic and mayhem, all rolled up into six fabulous stories that lift the lid off the dark world of these wonderful, horrible creatures. With a supporting cast of drunken gnomes and angry fairies, Tales From Under the Bridge drags trolls out of the darkness, kicking, fighting, biting, drinking, belching and farting, into the light of day. Just don't expect them to be happy about it.        

Join these marvellous monsters as they practice their own, well, different, flavour of magic in a school for troll wizards. Observe them prepare for parenthood, question their morals and fight for their bridges. Experience their seasonal festivals and intrude upon their mating habits. Prepare to witness secrets never before revealed.' GoodReads’ blurb

A lot of things to say about this book... And all of them are good, actually!

First off, this is a collection of short stories – thought I should put it out in the open.

Second, and this is the difficult part to explain, try to picture Shrek without the seems-to-be-childlike-but-it’s-not humor throw in a huge dose of real character depth, and try to come up with something that is both touching and funny at the same time. Got it? That’s Tales from Under the Bridge.

TBR Intervention #1

Lookie here! A new feature! Technically, this one goes up on Saturdays, but I'm late. Better than never, no? In any case, TBR Intervention is hosted by Dani at Refracted LIght (where I learnt of the feature), April at Books4Juliet, and by Whatever You Can Still Betray. The whole point? To pick up something that has been sitting way too long in your TBR and commit to read it in the following week. 

I'll freely admit, I need help with management so... here it comes! My own challenge:

Review: Forever, by Maggie Stiefvater

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Title: Forever

Series: Wolves of Mercy Falls (#3)

ISBN: 9780545259088

Publisher: Scholastic (2011)

Go to Amazon page

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

“The thrilling conclusion to #1 bestselling Shiver trilogy from Maggie Stievater

In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. In Linger, they fought to be together. Now, in Forever, the stakes are even higher than before. Wolves are being hunted. Lives are being threatened. And love is harder and harder to hold on to as death comes closing in.“ GoodReads’ blurb

*

Forever is the last book of the Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy, and I have to note that it is, indeed, the perfect mix of the first two.

Review: The Secret Power Beneath, by Frank Acland

Author: Frank Acland

Title: The Secret Power Beneath

Series: Free Energy World (#1)

ASIN: B005GI5IBC

Publisher: Francis Acland (2011)

Disclaimer: Copy received for review purposes.

Go to Amazon page

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

“Hans Swensen holds a position of great responsibility in a hidden nation built in a subterranean cave system beneath the mountain wilderness of Norway . His people are able to exist in secret because of the discovery of an inexhaustible form of energy that has led to the development of a society more technologically advanced than anywhere on earth. While physically utopian, there is an oppressive side to this society, with a totalitarian form of government in place which is fearful of dissent, disorder and abvove all, discovery by the outside world.  

Hans knows something that imperils his people, and he must fight against all odds -- including his cousin, Fredrick, the President of the Nation of Bergsland -- to save his people from destruction. 

When two young vacationers stumble upon this strange world accidentally, they are taken captive and find themselves caught up in events that test them to the very core -- and become involved in a drama that will determine their own future, the future of this nation and the secret power that drives it.“ GoodReads’ blurb

*

This tale could have been so good!