Review: Living Dead Girl

*This review was originally written before the creation of Bookworm Boulevard. It has been reformatted and reposted here for archiving purposes.

Title: Living Dead Girl
Author: Elizabeth Scott
Publisher: Scholastic
Pages: 170
Rating: 4.5 stars
From the back cover:
"The thing is, you can get used to anything. You think you can't, you want to die, but you don't. You won't. You just are."


This is Alice. 
She was taken by Ray five years ago.
She thought she knew how her story would end.
She was wrong.


Living Dead Girl is about Alice. Once upon a time, her name wasn't Alice. But ever since Ray took her five years ago, she has been Alice. The once-upon-a-time girl is gone.

Ray is a pedophile. He took Alice from a class trip right before her tenth birthday, and since then he has claimed to be her father figure, but basically she's his sex toy. She's broken; she doesn't know how to be anything other than Ray's little girl. But Alice is fifteen now, and that's too old for Ray. Ray wants a new Alice. And this Alice is going to help him get her, because if she isn't good, the once-upon-a-time girl's family will be killed. Ray will kill them.

It took me a grand total of maybe an hour to an hour and a half to read this book, but the shortness of it absolutely doesn't mean it's lacking in any way. It's an excellent read. It's also incredibly haunting. Not gonna lie, it was a pretty creepy/disturbing story. My recommendation for this one comes with caution labels. It's not a lighthearted story that anyone who's just looking to kill some time should read. But if you're looking for a genuinely well-written (the writing style is great), haunting story that will make you think, I would recommend Living Dead Girl in a heartbeat. It's an excellent book. One of those ones that you can't really say "I enjoyed that," because you don't enjoy reading about abuse, but it is a gripping story that you can't put down.

My only complaint was that I wanted a bit more resolution at the end; I felt like it stopped kind of suddenly. But I can also see why the ending works, so it's not much of a complaint. Definitely worth reading.

Links: 

Elizabeth Scott's website

Elizabeth Scott's blog

Review: Before I Fall

*This review was originally written before the creation of Bookworm Boulevard. It has been reformatted and reposted here for archiving purposes.

Title: Before I Fall

Author: Lauren Oliver

Publisher: HarperCollins

Pages: 470

Rating: 5 stars

Description from Goodreads:

What if you had only one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?

Samantha Kingston has it all - looks, popularity, the perfect boyfriend. Friday, February 12th should be just another day in her charmed life. Instead, it's her last. The catch: Samantha still wakes up the next morning. In fact, she relives the last day of her life seven times, until she realizes that by making even the slightest changes, she may hold more power than she ever imagined.

Oh my goodness. Where to begin? Before I Fall is amazing. So, I have to confess, for the first few chapters of the book, I didn't like it at all. I hated the main characters (except Kent, who the main characters hate), and I expected the constant talk of sex, drugs, alcohol, and obsessive popularity to get really old really fast. I was prepared to hate the book.

I was wrong. Yes, at the beginning of the novel, Samantha ("Sam") Kingston and her friends, Lindsay, Ally, and Elody, are - there's no other word for it - bitchy. They're mean to everyone, they're bullies just because they can be, they can get away with anything and do whatever they want. They talk about sex a lot, and they drink a lot just because they can, and they smoke and cut class and all that other stuff that gives teenagers a bad reputation.

But then Sam dies. And after her nightmarish last day, she wakes up again the same morning. She relives her last day seven times over. During this miraculous final week, she changes. Sam starts to understand things about the world around her, and about herself. The question is, will one day be enough to change everything?

By the end of the novel, I didn't hate Sam or her friends at all. I sympathized with Sam, I wanted to just give her a big hug and make things okay, and I will confess that there were a couple of parts near the end that almost made me cry. I sat down and read the entire second half in one afternoon. It was fantastic. Lauren Oliver has some kind of magic with storytelling, to be able to create a character so real and to change the reader's attitude toward her so completely. It is absolutely worth the first couple of chapters (although the prologue may be compelling enough on its own; very well set up) to get to the rest of the story. READ IT. Please. It took me a little longer than I liked to get into it, but once I did, it was absolutely fantastic. Definitely, definitely check this one out.

Links:

Lauren Oliver's website

Lauren Oliver's blog

Review: Hush, Hush

*This review was originally written before the creation of Bookworm Boulevard; it has been reformatted and reposted here for archiving purposes.

Title: Hush, Hush
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 391
Series: Hush, Hush #1
Rating: 5 stars
From the book jacket:
A sacred oath.
A fallen angel.
A forbidden love.


Romance was not part of Nora Grey's plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how hard her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch comes along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Patch draws Nora to him against her better judgment.

But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is and seems to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.

For she is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those who have fallen -- and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost Nora her life.

I'm going to try to stay realistic and objective about this book, like all of them, but I may not be able to avoid a little bit of gushing. Because the fact of the matter is, I loved this book. It was amazing.

At first I thought it was going to be just another dark fantasy romance novel. Which was okay - I like dark fantasy romance novels. But I wasn't expecting anything spectacular and out of the ordinary. And seriously, I have never been so glad to be wrong. I fell in love with the story from the very first chapter, and it just got better from there.

Patch Cipriano is the ultimate bad boy, and he's also kinda perfect in that dark, flawed way. Let's just say he ranks on my list of Amazing Fictional Guys with Mr. Darcy (Pride and Prejudice), Sam Roth (Shiver), and Jace Wayland (City of Bones). You'll probably hear more about that list later.

Anyway, we meet Patch because he is Nora Grey's lab partner. Nora is not at all happy with this arrangement, because Patch is creepy - and also strangely magnetic. She feels drawn to him in a way she can't explain and doesn't at all like. So when a man in a ski mask starts stalking her, she can't help but suspect Patch, especially when she starts hearing him in her mind. I can't say anything more without giving out any spoilers, which I absolutely refuse to do, but ohmygosh you should read this book.

The chemistry between Patch and Nora is excellent, and I really just love the interactions between all of the characters, Nora's relationship with Vee, the way the plot unfolds and the mystery/suspense develops...it's just fantastic. I will say, I thought Patch was a bit of a jerk at the beginning and I figured out part of the plot twist before we got there, but it was still completely amazing and definitely worth reading.

Links:

Becca Fitzpatrick's blog

Becca Fitzpatrick's website

Plus, check out this super-awesome countdown widget for the sequel, Crescendo:

Travel Notice!

Hey guys, just wanted to let you know that over the next few days I'm going to be venturing off into the Land of No Wireless Internet (aka a friend's house in another state), so I'm not going to be checking comments/writing new reviews/any other sorts of blog-related things.

Instead, I figure this is probably a good time to move over a few more old reviews from other places (i.e. Shelfari, a few-months-old personal blog, whatever; I talked about it a bit here). Tomorrow through Sunday, I'll have some of these old reviews (all written sometime within the last six months, though) prepped to post automatically once each day.

Hope everyone's having a lovely summer and reading lots of awesome books!

~Becky

Review: The Gardener

*This review was originally written before the creation of Bookworm Boulevard. It has been reformatted and reposted here for archiving purposes.

Title: The Gardener
Author: S.A. Bodeen
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Pages: 232
Rating: 3.5 stars
From the book jacket: (I whited out parts of it because they're spoilery; highlight to read)
This greenhouse...grows humans.

Mason isn't supposed to know about the Greenhouse. He isn't supposed to meet the beautiful girl who is part of the experiment, and who doesn't need food or water to survive.

Now, Mason is on the run with the girl. And the Gardener, who is the mysterious mastermind of an institution that grows humans, wants them both, dead or alive.

Having read the description on the inside jacket of The Gardener, I was expecting certain things to be revealed early in the plot and have the rest of the story about what happened afterwards. Instead, it felt like the big mystery in the story was for Mason and the girl to find out all the things that the reader finds out just from reading the book jacket. This story was incredibly predictable, I thought; I figured out the ending well before I got there. That said, I still enjoyed the book.

The only connection Mason has ever had to is father is a DVD of the man, shoulders-down, reading The Runaway Bunny. So when a comatose girl at the hospital where his mother works suddenly wakes up when she hears the story on the DVD and begs to leave, Mason - who has a bit of a hero complex - rescues her.

The girl only remembers bits and pieces of who she is and what has happened to her, but Mason can tell that she's anything but normal. The circular scars covering her legs only add to the mystery of the girl's past. Add in that there's a tattoo on her arm that matches the one on Mason's father on the DVD and the fact that the least official police force Mason has ever encountered is chasing the girl he rescued. There's mystery and adventure brewing, and Mason may not like what he discovers.

This novel takes a real, present-day scientific crisis and gives it an impossible solution with just enough scientific backing that it just might happen. Add in two teenagers who are trying to figure out the truth behind the science and the mystery of the girl's past, and you've got The Gardener. Science fiction + global warming + eco-cyborgs = a pretty intense mix of stuff. The science-fiction part of the novel was really well done; the solution the Greenhouse proposes is totally ridiculous, but based in just enough truth to make it plausible, which is how I think science fiction should be. Mason and the girl were great characters, too, so they were fun to read about. I think the romance between the two was a little bit excessive and unbelievable, but besides that, I liked them.

All in all, The Gardener was not the best book I've ever read, but it wasn't bad, and I'm glad I read it. If you're looking for a quick, fun science-fiction story, consider this one.

Review: Kiss in the Dark

Title: Kiss in the Dark
Author: Lauren Henderson
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pages: 247
Series: Scarlett Wakefield #3
Rating: 4 stars
From the book jacket:
With Dan McAndrew's murder finally behind her, Scarlett has high hopes for a fresh start at Wakefield Hall Collegiate, the elite English boarding school her grandmother runs. Unfortunately, those hopes are dashed when her nemesis, the infamous Plum Saybourne, is transferred to the school. Plum wastes no time turning Scarlett's impressionable classmates against her.

Scarlett has dealt with Plum's nasty schemes before, and she can handle her archenemy very nicely, thank you -- until Plum sets her sights on Scarlett's best friend, Taylor, and new boyfriend, Jase. Then Scarlett is more than willing to fight for what's rightfully hers.

Fighting doesn't solve everything, though, and things only get worse after Scarlett becomes entangled in a mysterious death on campus. A reluctant sleuth, Scarlett is compelled to investigate because she wants to protect someone close to her. She never imagines that she'll uncover secrets related to her parents' fatal accident so many years ago...

I'm so glad that I had a couple of uninterrupted hours in which to read this book, because I would not have been happy to have to put it down. Kiss in the Dark is a fun, quick read with a perfect blend of boarding school drama and murder mystery. Oh, and Britishness. It gains lots of awesome-points just for the sheer Britishness of the characters and the story.

Kiss in the Dark is the third book in a series (the first two are Kiss Me Kill Me and Kisses and Lies), but it's not really essential to have read the first two to understand and enjoy this one. I still definitely recommend reading them in order as it provides a lot of the characters' backgrounds and explains events that are referenced in this one (plus, who wouldn't enjoy two more books of Scarlett?), but at the start of this book, the major events of the first two books are firmly in the past. Scarlett thinks she's starting over now that she's solved the murder of Dan McAndrew, except now Plum Saybourne, her ultra-popular nemesis, has transferred to her school.

Within a few weeks, Plum has the other girls at Wakefield Hall practically worshiping her, and Scarlett and her best friend Taylor are left to deal with it on their own. The verbal battles and the power struggles between Scarlett and Plum are certainly entertaining to read about. Scarlett's a strong character who knows how to stand up for herself, so the conflict escalates rapidly. In addition to all of the popularity struggles, Plum's out to destroy Scarlett's relationship with the gardener's son, Jase. But it turns out Plum isn't the only one who's not pleased with that relationship: Jase's father and grandmother and Scarlett's aunt have all indicated that the two should not be together. Scarlett's already trying to solve that mystery when she and Taylor stumble onto a dead body.

I felt like the mystery was really well-done - both mysterious situations, the murder and the objections to Scarlett's relationship with Jase, are handled realistically and thoroughly. My only complaints wer that in places it felt like Scarlett was a way better detective than she should have been, so it was a tiny bit inconsistent, and it was a little more predictable than I liked. There's enough of a conclusion to make Kiss in the Dark tell a complete story all on its own, but with enough questions left unanswered that I'll definitely read book four when it comes out.

The characters are great, too; I feel like the character development in this book is a lot stronger than in the first two, which is nice. I especially love that we get to see a new side to Taylor's character, as she's probably my favorite. And I love these books' approach to strong female characters. Kiss in the Dark is a great continuation of the series, and I definitely recommend the entire series to any teenage girl looking for a fun, quick read. Especially if you like Britishness. (They kick bums instead of butts! It's awesome.)

Links:
Lauren Henderson's website

Waiting on Wednesday: Darkest Mercy

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Quick question: Do you love the Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr? Because I know I do. And over the weekend, the cover for the final book in the series, titled Darkest Mercy, was released on Melissa's livejournal page. She says it's not quite perfect yet, but still, is this a beautiful cover or what?

The flap copy was also released not too terribly long ago: 


“Send the messengers for the faery courts. This is the end.”
The Summer King is missing; the Dark Court is bleeding; and a stranger walks the streets of Huntsdale, his presence signifying the deaths of powerful fey.

Aislinn tends the Summer Court, searching for her absent king and yearning for Seth. Torn between his new queen and his old love, Keenan works from afar to strengthen his court against the coming war. Donia longs for fiery passion even as she coolly readies the Winter Court for battle. And Seth, sworn brother of the Dark King and heir to the High Queen, is about to make a mistake that could cost his life.

Love, despair, and betrayal ignite the faery courts, and in the final conflict, some will win…and some will lose everything.

The exhilarating conclusion to Melissa Marr’s New York Times bestselling Wicked Lovely series will leave readers breathless.


I am so, so excited for this book! If you haven't read the Wicked Lovely series, I don't know why you're still reading this blog post. Go to your local bookstore or library right now and pick them up. The books, in order, are Wicked Lovely, Ink Exchange, Fragile Eternity, and Radiant Shadows. They're full of faeries and romance and danger and excitement and suspense and magic and pretty things and...well, and all sorts of other amazing things.


So, my WoW pick this week is Darkest Mercy, because as sad as I will be to see the series end, I absolutely cannot wait to find out what happens to Ash and Seth and Donia and the rest. After reading Radiant Shadows, I hope to see a bit more of Ani and Devlin too. 


Darkest Mercy (HarperCollins) will be released in February 2011. Here's to hoping we can all wait that long. :)