Gated

Gated

Gated 

by Amy Christine Parker

Coming August 27, 2013

Do the gates keep the unchosen out or the chosen in?

In Mandrodage Meadows, life seems perfect. The members of this isolated suburban community have thrived under Pioneer, the charismatic leader who saved them from their sad, damaged lives. Lyla Hamilton and her parents are original members  of the flock. They moved here fallowing 9/11 terrorist attacks, looking to escape the evil in the world. Now seventeen, Lyla knows certain facts are not to be questioned: 

Pioneer is her leader.

Will is her intended.

The end of the world is near.

Like Noah before him, Pioneer has been told of the imminent destruction of humanity. He says his chosen must arm themselves to fight off the unchosen people, who will surely seek refuge in the compound's underground fortress--the Silo.  

Lyla loves her family and friends, but given the choice, she prefers painting to target practice. And lately she'd rather think about a certain boy outside the compound than plan for married life in the Silo with Will. But with the end of days drawing near, she will have to pick up a gun, take a side and let everyone know where she stands.

A Cult, the end of the world and arranged marriages. These are a few of my least favorite things. But that didn't stop me from loving this book. The story line was fairly original and fresh in genre filled with stories that all sound the same. The writing was good it wasn't overly detailed, descriptive, technical or fluffy. However, I wish that Amy had described the situation and beliefs of the community a bit more at the very beginning. The plot was well paced and had just the right amount of twists and turns to keep it exciting without confusing or losing the reader. The characters were well written, lovable and despite their crazy situation just relateable enough to form a connection with the leader. But sadly, the character development was subtle and not very strong. Lyla's sweet and compassionate personality was very clearly painted. It was mostly described or shown with direct characterization, meaning that other characters described what kind of a person she was in their words rather than the reader having to infer what Lyla was like through her actions ect. alone. Sometimes this approach works, sometimes it doesn't. Amy pulled it off thanks to the fact that Lyla's actions supported the other characters descriptions of her personality. Now that we have Lyla as an individual covered it is time to address the romance factor!

Sorry I just couldn't resist that gif! Anyways, the mutual romantic relationship in the book was...hmm...what's a good way to put this? Way to strong way to fast and badly paced. In one conversation it was struck blind crush level. After about 2 it remained the same. Then a few more mushy, stay safe, get out, cuz I really really like you conversations. Then after that the boy is putting him self in danger and angering his uncle just to sit by her side and make sure she was ok. It was just a little all over the place and oddly paced in my opinion. However, it didn't take away from the book as a whole and was still pretty darn cute. Over all it was a good book and I would recommend reading it. I think a wide audience would enjoy it. I give it 3.5 stars out of 5. You can buy it from Liberty Bay Books by clicking the link that reads "Gated" under the book cover and you can add it to your Goodreads here.

Briana

Eve & Adam

Eve & Adam

by Michael Grant and Katherine Applegate

And girl created boy...

In the beginning, the was an apple--

And then there was a car crash, a horrible injury, and a hospital. But before Evening Spiker's head clears a strange boy named Solo is rushing her to her mother's research facility. There, under the best care available, Eve is left alone to heal. 

Just when Eve thinks she will die--not from her injuries but from boredom--her mother gives her a special project: Create the perfect boy. 

Using an amazingly detailed simulation, Eve starts building a boy from the ground up. Eve is creating Adam and he will be just perfect...won't he?

 Now doesn't that just sound charming? It isn't. It really, really isn't. The synopsis focuses on what ends up to really be one of the smallest parts of the entire plot and story line. The story was just as disappointing. While the story line might have been original but it was horribly executed. The writing was bland and painfully non-descriptive. The most descriptive phrase was, "unsexy panties." You could do so much with that! But did they? Nooooooo! The plot was ok but really basic without to many exciting twists, turns, ect. The characters didn't develop and weren't very well described or fleshed out. There was nothing about them that made readers connect with them or fall in love with them. The romance was bland, shallow and unrealistic.
Over all it was nothing but ok. I give it 2 out of 5 stars.

Briana

The Coldest Girl in Cold Town

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown

by Holly Black

Coming: September 3, 2013

Tana lives in a world where walled cities called Coldtowns exist. In them, quarantined monsters and humans mingle in a decadently bloody mix of predator and prey. The only problem is, once you pass through Coldtown’s gates, you can never leave.

One morning, after a perfectly ordinary party, Tana wakes up surrounded by corpses. The only other survivors of this massacre are her exasperatingly endearing ex-boyfriend, infected and on the edge, and a mysterious boy burdened with a terrible secret. Shaken and determined, Tana enters a race against the clock to save the three of them the only way she knows how: by going straight to the wicked, opulent heart of Coldtown itself.

I'm sorry for my absence this past week but I was away communing with nature, exploring the great out doors, being a living sacrifice for  mosquitoes, whatever you want to call it. Anyways, I read the whole time so plenty of reviews are coming your way this week! And now, I give you, my review of The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black!

This book was really something else. I have Suzanne to thank and blame for this read. That completely amazing day that I went in to propose teaming up with Liberty Bay, she handed me this book and said it was a must read and just wonderful. So naturally I took it. I wasn't about to turn down a good book. I then read the synopsis in the car on the way home and thought, "oh goodness, gracious, holy-cow-batman. What is this?! What have I gotten myself into?! What is this even about?! Ugh!" So naturally what do I do? I begin reading it, kicking myself as I flip through the title pages and all that junk at the beginning, thinking the same thoughts over and over and over. Just a short bit in it hits me that this is a Vampire book. Vampires. As most of you are already aware I. Don't. Do. Vampires. Ever. For any reason. I firmly believe there is no such thing as a "good" or even "ok" Vampire book. But for some reason I still continued reading. I am very glad I did. This book might have just brought me over the the darkside where the vamps are romantic, deadly, infectious and most certainly not sparkly. It was a take on vampires that was very refreshing and the plot was well paced and masterfully spun. The writing wasn't overly fluffy and technical but was gloriously descriptive when it counted. The characters were vivid and the romance factor was heart-meltingly sweet. However it was a little random, on and off and just a little all over the place. However, sweet none the less. Tana and her friends and family were surprisingly easy to connect with and relatable despite the strange, paranormal, and seemingly unrelatable situation they are in and are well described. The character development was subtle but realistic and handled well. Over all this is a great book. I loved it and give it 5 out of 5 stars. Click the book cover's caption "The Coldest Girl in Coldtown" to buy it through Liberty Bay Books and click here to add it to Goodreads. 

Briana

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

by April Genevieve Tucholke 

You stop fearing the devil when you're holding his hand...

Nothing much exciting rolls through Violet White's sleepy seaside town...until River West comes along. River rents the guesthouse behind Violet's crumbling estate, and as eerie, grim things start to happen, Violet begins to wonder about the boy living in her backyard. Is Ricer just a crooked-smiling liar with pretty eyes and a mysterious past? Or could he be something more? Violets grandmother always warned her about the Devil, but she never said he could be a dark-haired boy who takes naps in the sun, who likes coffee, who kisses you in a cemetery...who makes you want to kiss back. Violet's already so knee-deep in love, she can't see straight. And that's just how River likes it. Before we get into all that serious reviewing stuff I have to tell a little story on my self here but I promise it is totally related! WARNING: the majority of this story is told in gifs that are made of pure awesomesauce! Ok, so when I went into Liberty Books to talk to the owner, Suzanne, about teaming up she graciously directed me to some nondescript boxes and explained that they were filled with Galleys and ARCs and invited me to take some home and read them...not just some 5-10 MINIMUM! That is when I began to inwardly loose my crap. I was seriously flipping out and dancing all over the place and screaming and singing and dancing some more, but I am supposed to be all professional and so I managed to keep it all inside my brain, it nearly killed me, but some how I did. So I sat down and began to literally dig (gently though) through these treasure chests and tried not to pee myself or cry out of utter joy and bliss. Through all of this my mom was sitting nearby chuckling because she could tell exactly what was going on inside and a little bit of my excitement was beginning to leak out in excessive uses of "OH. MY. GOSH." But I am proud to say that I was really doing a champ job of containing myself that is, until I saw this corner in the pile of an all too familiar gray ocean, peaking out and beckoning me. I literally froze and stopped breathing before digging it out of the stack to find it is exactly what I thought...I am holding Between the Devin and the Deep Blue Sea. That is when I lost it and just couldn't keep it inside. I must have looked a little something like this:

because my Mom came over to me and I whisper explained just what it was that I was holding that I had been waiting EONS for this book. Not even kidding. That was when I started hyperventilating and just freaking out spilling emotions all over the place while trying to be discrete about it. When I got home I freaked out some more and my mom tried to catch me crazy dancing all around the house something like this: 

then combine that with a penguin and some hand movements that I can't even figure out how to describe and you would have exactly what I was doing. So, naturally, like any excited teenage girl what do I do? I called up my best friend and the only one that would understand. (She has been waiting for the book too and we just had a fangirl screaming conversation about it that week) And we had a conversation that went a lot like this:

Only I'm pretty sure I was the only one screaming and squealing and she was just sitting there doing this silently or maybe not silently I couldn't really hear her over the screaming I was doing mentally when I wasn't screaming audibly.

Anyways, as you can see I am very excited about this review and this is probably going to be the longest blog post in the history of Reader, Writer, Critic as well as the one containing the most gifs. Shout out thank you to Suzanne and everyone and Liberty Bay Books for making my day and to my Mom and Catherine for putting up with my insanity. Now for the review!

I was not disappointed. Not one bit. This book was every bit as awesome sauce as I expected. The writing had me hooked from the start. April's style is like nothing I have ever read and I find myself at a loss for words trying to describe it. I have thought about it for days. Vintage? Poetic? I settled for enchanting, unparalleled and intriguing. She describes things and looks at things in a way that I have never seen before. I think this is the best quote to show you what I'm talking about, "Dawn was taking off its clothes, kicking up its pinks and purples on the horizon."(p.103) That doesn't even do it justice, but I feel it is the best example. The only thing in the writing that bothered me was the occasional awkward phrase like on page 108, "I wondered where that beautiful, buttery, fluttery feeling I felt in River's presence had gotten itself off to." Gotten itself off to? What? But I cut some slack because it is an "uncorrected text" and it was just every once in a long while and it didn't take away from the story. I loved the way April wrote her characters, especially Violet. Often in paranormal books and genres where the inexpiable or dramatic or romantic or otherworldly occurs characters are far to quick to accept it without a doubt or fear or any hint of disbelief or distrust and that really REALLY bothers me.  Violet was refreshingly realistic about the whole situation especially her quickly developed feelings for River. That made me love her even more than I already did. Violet was just all around refreshing really. She was quirky and eccentric in a lovable way without it seeming forced or fake. She had a very real personality. The majority of the characters had the same realism despite them all having such different personalities. All the characters are utterly charming despite some of them being a little more rough around the edges. Readers will have no problem connecting. The only problem I had was that the way that the synopsis portrays River very differently from how the book describes and portrays him from start to finish. Maybe that was just me but either way the synopsis, the story, and River were phenomenal. The story line was fresh and original and thoroughly interesting and entertaining. The plot was nicely paced and will keep readers guessing until the shocking end! I say it is undeniably a MUST read for all teen and YA readers that love a chilling, thrilling and romantic read! 5 out of 5 stars. So, pre-order it or buy it as soon as it comes out on August 15th. You can buy it through Liberty Bay Books and get a great deal while contributing to making this blog awesome by clicking on the caption under the book title "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea." Add it to your Goodreads!

                                             

Briana

The Start of Something Great and New

Today is the start of something great and new! As of today Reader, Writer, Critic and local bookstore, Liberty Bay Books are partners! That means more new and exciting reviews for you, as well as information about local author events, and SO much more! Now if you click on links I provide and order the book online from them you will save 20% and I get a commission and that means that I can pour that money right back into this blog to make it the best it can be for you guys! So, cheers! And here is to something great and new!

                                                                      Liberty Bay Books

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Briana

Under The Never Sky

Under the Never Sky

Under The Never Sky

by Veronica Rossi 

WORLDS KEPT THEM APART.

DESTINY BROUGHT THEM TOGETHER.

Aria has lived her whole life in the protected dome of Reverie. Her entire world confined to its spaces, she's never thought to dream of what lies beyond its doors. So when her mother goes missing, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland long enough to find her are slim.

Then Aria meets an outsider named Perry. He's searching for someone too. He's also wild - a savage - but might be her best hope at staying alive.

If they can survive, they are each other's best hope for finding answers.

Finally, the review for "Under The Never Sky" a.k.a. an epic-ly, awesomesauce read, is here! I am excited too! Ok I am a little ashamed to admit that I avoided reading this book for along time because it just looked so mediocre to me! In fact, I probably would never have read this if it weren't for my Mom buying it as a present thanks to the recommendation of an employee in our local book store. So thanks Mom and thanks Employee because this was anything but mediocre! The originality of the story line is amazing and Veronica's writing is mind-blowing! Her descriptions are vivid and her characters are some of the strongest I have read in a long time. Her plot is perfectly paced and just brilliant! She handles the split POV masterfully. Now let's talk about Aria and Perry... I don't even know where to begin. I think it was love at first read. Not between them, no, between me and them. Well...maybe I'm the only one feeling it.

 This right here is my reaction to them and the book and Veronica's writing and possibly just life itself, only with allot more screaming and jumping and fangirl-ing. So I guess it is allot of that combined with this...

Ok now that we have established my emotions, fangirl and mental issues, as well as confessed my love for Aria and Perry, I think it is time to get back on track. So, Aria and Perry. They are strong and well written and relatable enough to form a connection with, I call this connection the "Fangirl/boy Bond," because, lets face it, that connection with the characters and there for "fanlove" we feel is the only reason we Fangirl/boy all over the place about books, characters, movies, ect. I don't know what else to say about them so you will just have to read the book to finally understand my love and fangirl status. They are just pure awesomesauce! I give this book 5 stars and my highest recommendations! (That means you HAVE go and you read it now! Now means NOW like right this second!)

You can buy it at Liberty Bay Books by clicking on the caption under the book cover that says "Under The Never Sky" and you can add it to your Goodreads here.  Oh and here is the book trailer! 

P.S. I asked Veronica for an interview so if when I hear back, and if she says yes I will share that gem with y'all too! :)

Briana

Dance of Shadows

Dance of Shadows 

by Yelena Black

Dancing with someone is an act of trust. Elegant and intimate; you're close enough to kiss,

close enough to feel your partner's heartbeat. But for Vanessa, dance is deadly – and she must be very careful who she trusts . . .

Vanessa Adler attends an elite ballet school – the same one her older sister, Margaret, attended before she disappeared. Vanessa feels she can never live up to her sister's shining reputation. But Vanessa, with her glorious red hair and fair skin, has a kind of power when she dances – she loses herself in the music, breathes different air, and the world around her turns to flames . . . 

Soon she attracts the attention of three men: gorgeous Zep, mysterious Justin, and the great, enigmatic choreographer Josef Zhalkovsky. When Josef asks Vanessa to dance the lead in the Firebird, she has little idea of the danger that lies ahead – and the burning forces about to be unleashed.

Chilling. Ethereal. Stunning.

Those were the first words that popped into my head when I was contemplating how to even begin to critic this awesomeness. However, that was also before I finished the book. Now that I have finished it I struggle to remember how I thought those words were fitting. I still enjoyed the book thoroughly but, about three quarters of the way through, what was once pure awesomesauce suddenly got all twisted, and crashed and died just a little. Leaving me somewhat unsure and confused about how I felt about the book as a whole. At first I was like "THAT WAS SO FREAKING AMAZING! BEST BOOK EVER!" Then I calmed down and looked back on it a little more carefully and examined that last troublesome, latter quarter of the book where the pacing suddenly became rushed and the story-line took a turn for the twisted, occult and just plain strange. Vanessa while she is a likable character she is not a strong one. Yes, her personality appears inherently strong however, she is not written strongly or very well. She is not a fully developed and fleshed out character. She does not seem to grow at all as a person and, you don't learn much about who she is let alone why she is the way she is. She rather lacks character. I felt closer to her friends than her. While the concept of the story as a whole is quite unique and enthralling, and the writing was beautifully descriptive when it needed to be, in the end I was not thoroughly enamored by either. The plot line had some issues, especially in the pacing of it, but props to Yelena for the utterly unexpected ending.  In the end it was a good book and I still loved it it just wasn't the "BEST BOOK EVER," that I had thought it would be when I started it. I give it a solid 3 stars.

Briana