Review: Ignite Me by Taherah Mafi

Review: Ignite Me by Taherah Mafi
Goodreads 
Release date: February 4th, 2014
Publisher: HarperCollins
Series: #3 in the Shatter Me series
Source: purchased
Rating: An enormously emotionally satisfying series ender, despite a few technical flaws. I want to hug this book.



The heart-stopping conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Shatter Me series, which Ransom Riggs, bestselling author of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, called "a thrilling, high-stakes saga of self-discovery and forbidden love"

Juliette now knows she may be the only one who can stop the Reestablishment. But to take them down, she'll need the help of the one person she never thought she could trust: Warner. And as they work together, Juliette will discover that everything she thought she knew-about Warner, her abilities, and even Adam-was wrong.

In Shatter Me, Tahereh Mafi created a captivating and original story that combined the best of dystopian and paranormal and was praised by Publishers Weekly as "a gripping read from an author who's not afraid to take risks." The sequel, Unravel Me, blew readers away with heart-racing twists and turns, and New York Times bestselling author Kami Garcia said it was "dangerous, sexy, romantic, and intense." Now this final book brings the series to a shocking and climactic end.

This review contains spoilers for Shatter Me and Unravel Me, books 1 and 2 in the series.

This book is a TOUGHIE to review. So much of it hinges on MEGA SPOILERS that I'm not entirely sure what to say. Ignite Me begins right where Unravel Me left off, which Juliette freshly healed by Warner after Anderson shot her in the chest and with Omega Point and everyone in it blown to smithereens. Basically, happy times.

The thing about this book is that it has no plot. Juliette, Warner, Kenji, Adam, and company make a PLAN. There are secrets revealed, and I changed my mind drastically about both of the love interests. Seriously, Mafi made me think completely differently than I did before. (Or did she? YOU'LL HAVE TO READ TO FIND OUT.) There are sexytimes, and Juliette overdoses on awesome pills and grows a spine of steel and bitchslaps the shit out of all the people who stand in her way. if you're looking for an installment with action or world-building, your out of luck. If you're looking for feels, emotional growth, emotional pain, broken hearts, mended hearts, and sexytimes, then you are in luck.

Especially if you are looking for sexytimes, because holy crapola. Taherah. Girl.



There is no "fade to black" here, ladies and gentlemen. There are... I mean, they're completely.. wait, words...



The heart of this book is Juliette's growth. Her transformation from a timid, broken girl in a cage that is mostly self-imposed to a strong superhero who won't take none of yo shit. Basically, Juliette becomes the honey badger, and it's brilliant to see. There are no strikeouts in this book. The language is more direct, less rambly, less metaphorical. Juliette is strong and vocal and in control of herself and the situation. She is FUNNY. Perhaps this change was a bit abrupt, but I was so HAPPY to see kick ass Juliette that I didn't even care. I could still see where it came from, and which reveals and character changes (vague!) inspired it.

Kenji. Kenji. You know, I loved Kenji before, for being stuffed full of personality, for being the comic relief, for being Kenji. I didn't know it was possible for me to love him even more, and yet Mafi accomplished that. He and Juliette have a male-female platonic friendship to rival that of Aria and Roar. I wishhhh he'd had a bit more of a storyline of his own, but I guess his awesomeness is a pretty good storyline. I call for a Kenji spinoff series. Kenji Me. Let's make this happen, world.

Now. Let's talk boys.

I can't talk boys!!! This is obviously where all the spoilers lurk and I don't want to spoil anybody.
Going into Shatter Me, I was unhealthily obsessed with firmly on Team Warner, and I thought Adam was a nice guy who could end up being good for Juliette. Well, Mafi decides to screw with everything you thought you knew about the boys in this series. She reveals entirely different facets of their personality, and I will say, by what happens in this book, that I'm fully satisfied with the direction she went in. Both boys go through a lot in this book, and Juliette learns so much about each. More important, she learns about herself, and then about herself in relation to them.

Like I said, this book hit it out of the park when it came to my heart (that sounds like a really terrible country song). I was satisfied on every emotional level, and gave a happy, sad sigh upon finishing. But this book isn't perfect, since no book is. The plot is mostly planning and preparing for a big THING at the end, and then the big thing happens really quickly and then just like that it's over. I love the place all the characters go to, but I wish more have been done with the journey and the execution. The worldbuilding is quite thin and probably not plausible, but you know what? My feels. The characters. This is a rare instance where I really don't care, because I loved everything else about the book so fiercely.

And now, quotes, because there was so much I couldn't talk about!

 My eyes are filling fast with tears...I want to laugh because all I can think is how horrible and beautiful it is, that our eyes blur the truth when we can't bear to see it.

I am no longer afraid of fear, and I will not let it rule me.
Fear will learn to fear me.

"You're like a freaking beast," (Kenji) says. Then adds, "I mean, you know--like, a cute beast. A little beast that tears shit up and breaks the earth and sucks the life out of people."

And we are quotation marks, inverted and upside down, clinging to one another at the end of this life sentence. Trapped by lives we did not choose.

It's the kind of kiss that inspires stars to climb into the sky and light up the world.

I taste something cold and hard in my mouth and spit it into my hand. It looks like a broken, mangled piece of metal. Like it was too flimsy to stand against me.
Smart little bullet, I think.

Review: Lady Thief by A.C. Gaughen

Review: Lady Thief by A.C. Gaughen
Goodreads 
Release date: February 11th, 2014
Publisher: Walker Children's (Bloomsbury)
Series: #2 in the Scarlet series
Source: e-ARC borrowed from Lili
Rating: A million stars and also I need a band-aid for my soul, please.



Scarlet’s true identity has been revealed, but her future is uncertain. Her forced marriage to Lord Gisbourne threatens Robin and Scarlet’s love, and as the royal court descends upon Nottingham for the appointment of a new Sheriff, the people of Nottingham hope that Prince John will appoint their beloved Robin Hood. But Prince John has different plans for Nottingham that revolve around a fateful secret from Scarlet’s past even she isn’t yet aware of. Forced to participate at court alongside her ruthless husband, Scarlet must bide her time and act the part of a noblewoman—a worthy sacrifice if it means helping Robin’s cause and a chance at a future with the man she loves. With a fresh line of intrigue and as much passion as ever, the next chapter in Scarlet’s tale will have readers talking once again.


Oh, Lady Thief. Cruel but beautiful mistress. Inspirer of warm fuzzies and brutal, crushing despair. How do I adore thee? Let me count the ways.

First off, if you haven't read Scarlet, the first book in the series, turn around right now and get thee to a bookstore, because 1) you are missing out on joy and glory, and 2) there be spoilers for book one all up in this business.

Lady Thief begins not long after Scarlet ends, with our lovely knife-wielding heroine married to the wicked Gisbourne but pining for the swoony Robin Hood. Rob's got issues of his own... like, oh, I don't know, PTSD fueled night terrors in which he inadvertently punches whoever is nearby. Scarlet is nearby. And this is just in the first scene.

 

Seriously, this book is brutal. Wonderful, but brutal. My heart ached every single moment, because Gaughen just knows how to apply the pain to your feels. This book is brilliantly done and possibly even better than Scarlet, because the plot has more surprises, more nuanced characters, and more PAIN. I know that doesn't sound like a ringing endorsement, but it is. Gaughen is so good at making you care so much about feisty, broken Scarlet, wounded Rob, and all the other characters, like John and Much, both of whom became infinitely more awesome in this installment.

Of course, it's our girl Scar who steals the show. She makes a deal with Gisbourne and finds herself living in the castle as his "wife" in the company of Prince John, who... well, is even more sucktastic than Gisbourne is, if that can be believed. He's a fabulous new nemesis, between his brother issues and his mommy issues (HELLO, Eleanor or Aquitaine! So utterly fabulous to see you!) John, however, is the worst in the best way.



I continue to ship this ship with the power of a thousand suns, but my god, does Gaughen make you suffer for it. I'm sorry if I'm scaring you, but this book is unflinching, and it's wonderfully realistic. There are moments of joy, but mostly Scarlet and Rob and company are face with nearly insurmountable obstacles. Their enemies are rich and powerful and corrupt. And it's the way our beloved heroes over come them and fight through them that makes us love them. Their optimism in the face of darkness, their humor, their KISSING SCEEEEENES HELLO SWOONDOM. This book is not relentlessly depressing.

LIES.

The way she twists the familiar Robin Hood tale into something fresh, exciting, intense and romantic is just amazing. We get to see the famous tournament, meet Alan-a-Dale, and learn more about what both Robin and Richard did in the Crusades. Scarlet is a wonderful heroine, full of fight and full of flaws. She's brilliant and proactive and I love her completely. We learn secrets about her past and about her fears for the future. We see her in action being awesome. We see her suffer and overcome.

We also get to meet Eleanor or Aquitaine, a bad ass royal lady full of bad assery. We get to meet Prince John's wife, the heinous Isabella. We get to see another side of Gisbourne, just enough to confuse us mightily. John, Rob's right hand man, really gets developed in Lady Thief. Much continues to be the best. This book succeeds on basically every level, digging deeper into this medieval world and discovering so much  more darkness and richness.

I figured out the huge twist way ahead of time, but that didn't mean that the ending wasn't a huge punch to the gut, because THE ENDING. The ending. The ending. A.C., you cannot just end a book like that. The tears. The low, agonized moan I released. Oh, it's epic and wonderful, but terrible and awful and all the things. That's the thing about this book and this series. It is all the things. I'm satisfied on every level as a reader, but I'm also a bit emotionally traumatized. I love when books do that to me, and Lady Thief did it in spades.

Top Ten Books That Will Make You Cry

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

OH LOOK, I CHEATED. QUELLE SURPRISE. This was such a tough topic because I'm the world's biggest crybaby. There are some books I just can't bring myself to read because I know I'll simply dissolve when I do(The Fault In Our Stars, Second Chance Summer, and The Book Thief, to name a few). Here are the ones I've made it through, and here are the levels of sobbery they caused me.

Ten Tissue Books



Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Ouch my heart.

If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch

This book is gorgeous, bittersweet, and ultimately uplifting.

The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson

Another beautiful book that hurts SO BAD but has just enough light to balance the dark.

Entire Box of Tissues Books



Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

You KNOW what you did, Sarah. You know.

Endangered by Eliot Schrefer

ANIMALS IN DANGER. Animal human friendship. You are made of stone if you do not cry like a little bitch baby.

"I Need to Lie Down in a Bed of Tissues" Books 



Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

The "thing". The "thing" happened and I want it to unhappen because noooo

Lady Thief by A.C. Gaughen

Everything hurts and I'm dying.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

*throws things* *wails* *hides under pillows*

Requires a Factory of Tissues Books



These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Oh look, another traumatic "thing" from which I will never recover.

Kinslayer by Jay Kristoff

Nobody knows the trouble I seeeeee.... nobody knows my sorrowwwww...

"Book Me a Shuttle to Tissue Planet" Books



Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Heaving, hiccuping sobs. Choking, punched-in-the-chest, dying-from-asphyxiation sobs. Hideous, painful, don't-look-at-me-until-I-smear-the-feelings-off-my-face sobs.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

I read this entire book on a long bus ride to camp full of fellow twelve-year-olds. I proceeded to weep copiously in front of my fellow twelve-year-olds.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

KILL ALL MY FAVORITE CHARACTERS, WHY DON'T YOU, JO.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

*points above* *refuses to speak of this*

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Ughhhhhh the traumaaaaaa. Seriously, I finished this book while in the bath and I was thisclose to slipping under the water and drowning myself to end the pain (not really, but my bath was mostly saltwater by the end).

Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

Why do they let children read these books?!

And the saddest book of all goes to... a 2014 series ender that doesn't come out for months and months that I've already read. I know, I'm a big tease, but it happens to be the SADDEST SAD TO EVER SAD. YOU WILL NOT EVEN BELIEVE IT WHEN IT HAPPENS, GUYS. You will not even believe.

Review: Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

Review: Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge
Goodreads 
Release date: January 28th, 2014
Publisher: Balzer + Bray (HarperCollins)
Series: No
Source: e-ARC
Rating: Greek myths + Beauty and the Beast + lush prose + tons of worldbuilding = one confused/beguiled/mostly confused reviewer.

 

Graceling meets Beauty and the Beast in this sweeping fantasy about one girl's journey to fulfill her destiny and the monster who gets in her way-by stealing her heart.

Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.

Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him.

With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she's ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, destroy his enchanted castle, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.

But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle-a shifting maze of magical rooms-enthralls her.

As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex's secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love.

This book constitutes one of those rare instances where I literally have no idea what I feel. I am an opinionated person, and I tend to react strongly to things one way or the other. Cruel Beauty? I haven't got a clue. it's such a Gillian book, full of lush imagery, inventive world-building, fairy tale roots, a prickly heroine with lots of hate in her hate, and a love interest about as far from Prince Charming as you can get. Because of all those elements, I say the book is fabulous. But it's also not. But it is. But arrrgh, mind! MAKE UP YOURSELF.



This book is like no other book I've ever read. It's a mash up of Beauty and the Beast and Greek mythology, though it also includes elements of Bluebeard, old English country paganism, and even Rumpelstiltskin. Somehow all these elements go together, though I suppose it helps to have more than a passing knowledge of Greek mythology and a lot of tolerance for dense worldbuilding. That was problem numero uno for me: HOLY WORDBUILDING. The beginning of this book is definitely the stickiest bit. You're treated to great long paragraphs about How Arcadia Came to Be and Why It Is Greekish and Why the Sky is Parchment (very cool and gorgeous, I will admit) and also the deal with Tom-A-Lone and Why the Gentle Lord Must Be Vanquished and What the Heck a Hermetic Working is and whoaaaaa, hold on there, my brain just short-circuited.



Things pick up tremendously once Nyx, or Beauty, reaches the Beast's house. Nyx is betrothed at birth by her father to the Gentle Lord (aka big bad Beast). The Gentle Lord, Ignifex, is not so gentle, being an evil dude who makes evil deals with desperate people that always turn bad. Nyx's father made one such deal before Nyx and her twin sister, Astraia, were born, and their mother died because of it. Because of that deal, Nyx must marry the Gentle Lord when she comes of age.

But Nyx's papa's not the forgiving sort (nor is he particularly the loving sort), so he raises Nyx with one purpose: that she marry the Gentle Lord and promptly kill him. He doesn't really care if she dies in the process, of course. She's sort of the spare sister. Nyx has all kinds of resentment and bitterness inside her, and my gods, is she a wonderful heroine. Even as I struggled through parts of the novel and plot, Nyx's characterization always resonated with me. She has a blackness inside her that makes her wonderfully complex. She is angry, she is ill-used, she is envious, and I love her. She makes many frustrating choices, and can be irritatingly fickle, but I always rooted for her.

I found myself unable to decide if I loved the many gorgeous scenes of Nyx wandering Ignifex's magical, shifting castles, full of enchanted chambers and whatnot. I did, because the writing was beautiful and the creativity displayed was amazing. I didn't, because plot, I'd like one. I also find myself nearly incapable of talking about the romance because SPOILERS, but do know that I saw the big twist coming a mile off, though it's a clever twist that I was glad was occuring. 

Ignifex... well, he's another huge part of why this review will probably weigh towards the positve at the end. He's horrible, but he's charming. He's clever, he's dangerous, he's attractive, and he's confusing. He has a darkness inside him just like Nyx. He sort of reminded me of Heathcliff, except I want to punch Heathcliff hard in the nuts with my brass knuckles, and I want to hug Ignifex. Why? How? What is this witchcraft, Rosamund Hodge? He's the WORST and yet I like him. But I also want to stab him a little bit. How even.

Where the book lost me a bit was with this Shade person. He's a... oh gods, I can't even remember. Ignifex's slave/demon/shadow person? This book is complicated. Basically, he's bound to do Ignifex's bidding, and considering Nyx is a spiky, bitter person with trust issues, it was bizarre to me how quickly she trusted and developed a rapport with Shade. (Also Ignifex, come to think of it.) But mostly, Cruel Beauty shines when it comes to characterization. Nyx, Ignifex, Nyx's sister, Astraia, and even Shade all have layers and motivations and secret hearts. 

And then the plot goes and does a thing, and I'll state right now it's one of my least favorite plot devices, though it certainly have merits. So many people will love where the plot heads, but I don't particularly. A few elements of the plot twist are like OMG WOW. But the gist of it? Not the biggest fan, I'm sorry to say. 

However, I don't want to shortchange this book too much. It's so original and ambitious that I can't help but recommend it, despite the muddle my opinions are in. The book comes together beautifully and cohesively, though it requires some time and focus on the part of the reader. The language is absolutely stunning and ornate. The plot needs a swift kick to the pants, and I wish I had found it within myself to fully commit to the ship and the narrative choices. (Or... maybe I do ship it? I think I ship it, if I contract selective amnesia about some of our Winning Love Interest's actions.) Also, there are shades of a love triangle (LOL SEE WHAT I DID THERE) (the dude's name is Shade) (I'm brilliant--SHHH!). It's not really a true love triangle, but... well, just read. 


And lastly: STOPPIT, blurb. This book is not one single thing like Graceling. Not one single thing. That's not a criticism of Cruel Beauty, mind, though I dearly love Graceling. It's just a fact.

Book Haul, or the One in Which Words Words Words

YAY BOOKS! This has been an intro.

Wording is hard, okay?

From Penguin:



Moth and Spark by Anne Leonard

This is an adult fantasy with a suuuuper pretty cover that I've been stroking because... well, that's what I do to pretty covers. Apparently there are dragons, which means I'm on board. When I finish, I'll be sending this one over to Jessie, and I hope she enjoys it!

From Simon & Schuster:



Hung Up by Kristen Tracy

So this could either be super cute or kind of terrible, but obviously I'm hoping for cuteness. This looks like just the kind of read that will put a smile on your face. Apparently it's told all in phone conversations, which is a risky format, but I like risks.

Magnolia by Kristi Cook

 

Again, this has the potential to be, you know, less than good, but my God, this sounds like a CW show in book format and that's my crack. Feuding Southern royalty families with children who hate each other but then... you know, don't? Yesss. Let the shipping ensue.
 
Biggest Flirts by Jennifer Echols

 

This was, apparently, the week Simon & Schuster gave me access to all the adorable romantic contemporaries. Two high school students are voted Biggest Flirts. I assume flirting ensues. Just a hunch.

From my deep, deep obsession (aka my crying wallet):

 

The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan

The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan

The House of Hades by Rick Riordan

These books are huge, and I'm so happy they are (though honestly, The Lost Hero was way too long). But I may cry when I get to the end of The House of Hades. What am I going to DO when I run out of words? So many, many words and then they're going to be OVER and I'll have to wait until OCTOBER for The Blood of Olympus and then they'll... REALLY BE OVER? NOOOOO.

The Unbound (The Archived #2) by Victoria Schwab



I read this whole book yesterday, and I loved it. I love Victoria Schwab's writing so much, and if you haven't read The Archived yet, go introduce yourself to Wesley Ayers and Mac stat.

Insert obligatory cute dog here:

How Mood Reading is Both the Best and Worst Thing

I'm a huge mood reader. I like to think of it as having Reading Muses. You know how people who write or draw or paint like to wait until the Muses inspire them? When they're filled with that urge to create and the words and pictures just flow right out of them? I live for that as a reader. My Reading Muses (Ruses? Sure, why not) are very much in control of me, which is why I usually start about five books at a time and then go with the one that grabs me. (I know, I'm kind of insane, but I'm an excellent multitasker.)

This can lead to absolutely wonderful experiences, like the reading journey I've been on for the last week. If you follow me on Twitter or Goodreads, you might have noticed that my entire life and brain and thoughts and TBR list has been decimated by a certain reading bomb called the Percy Jackson series. I bought the boxed set on a whim and because they were cheap and because a bunch of my friends love them (and a couple of them are utterly obsessed). I expected to like them. January and February are very busy for me, blog-wise, so I didn't really have the time to read them all. I thought I'd take a peek at The Lightning Thief and see what all the fuss is about. After all, Tumblr is pretty fond of these books for a reason, right? There might be something to them.



OH HELLO, READING MUSES, HOW KIND OF YOU TO SHOW UP!

Boom. Totally obsessed. Totally absorbed. I couldn't put the books down. I read with the speed of the sun. All my waking thoughts were absorbed by this series. It is my favorite feeling in the world, where you're just hurtling through a fictional world at breakneck speed, and you'll die if you have to stop, you just have to get to the end. You just have to consume all the words. I will bite the face off whoever interrupts me from this book.

 

I read tons of books. It's kind of the nature of the job. I dislike a lot of them, because covers and blurbs are lying liars who lie.  I enjoy a lot of them, because I'm good at finding books that suit my tastes. I love some of them, because books can be great. But it's a rare book that gives you that addicted, fully immersed feeling. Ever since the days of Harry Potter, I've been addicted to that feeling. Do you remember the glory of receiving a brand new Harry Potter in the mail and just knowing the whole day was gone, because Harry and Company were waiting for you? God, I loved that feeling. Every time I find it, I go with it, because that's why I read.

The problem? I'm a book blogger. I have commitments and deadlines and review copies. Sadly, blazing through all 1700 pages of the first five Percy Jackson books completely destroyed my reading schedule, and I'm struggling to recover (while also reading The Lost Hero. Shhh, don't tell anyone). It's actually completely irresponsible of me to have taken such a huge reading detour right now when I'm already stretched pretty thin. I could have read and reviewed so many ARCs in that time.

At the same time, though, ignore my Reading Muses would have been nearly physically painful. That's such a rare feeling, and I can hardly remember the last time I had it. Sometimes, reading review books can be a real effort. Reading out of obligation can be painful, especially if it's a book that, had I not agreed to read it, I would have put down by now. I'm so impressed with the bloggers I know who maintain their rigorous reading schedule, reading review books in order of release date and always on time. I try to do that, but I just can't. Maybe I don't have the discipline. (No 'maybe' about it. I definitely don't have the discipline.)

Being gripped by the Reading Muses so fiercely reminded me that I read because I like it. And yes, I love reading review books, because oftentimes, I get to read books that would normally pass me by. But I was so stressed about them, and then the Muses got me, and I remembered why it is I do this-- because reading is the funnest thing in the world for me. And thankfully, those fickle Muses sometimes lead me towards the books I'm supposed to read. And every now and then, I rustle up the strength to corral them and force them to get on board with my current ARC. Sometimes, I make those Muses my bitches, and sometimes... well, I let them take the reins.



What about you? Are you a mood reader? When was the last time the Reading Muses ruined your life took over?

Top Ten Worlds I'd Never Want To Live In

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

1. Panem from The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Something might be seriously wrong with you if you want to live in Panem. 

2. Westeros from the A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin

The life expectancy there is, like, four. No thanks.

3. The world of Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

I would be the deadest dead person to ever die out there. Aether would strike me the moment I stepped foot outside. I'd get eaten by cannibals. I wouldn't be able to find food. I would very much not want to live there. It's like Australia. Everything there can kill you.



4. The world of Delirium by Lauren Oliver

I'm pretty fond of love, so I wouldn't particularly want to live in a world where it's considered a disease and they cut it out of your brain.

5. Wonderland from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Yes, I know. It's whimsical and fabulous and adorable and it would scare the sanity right out of me. I like my sanity (or what little of it I possess).

6. The world of Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff

Everybody dies in these books. Everybody. Do you have any idea how many things could kill you? There's choking pollution, so the land is dying, the sky is red, and the sea is black. There are evil dudes in charge with evil dudes under their command who are succeeded by more evil dudes. There are monsters and demons and rebellions, oh my!

 

7.  The world of Tumble & Fall by Alexandra Coutts

Well, not only would the world be ending, but everything would be super boring.

8. The world of Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard

I am not as awesome as Daniel and the Spirit Hunters. Ergo, I would be eaten by zombies. Almost immediately.

9. The world of Defiance by C.J. Redwine

Women cannot go unchaperoned? They are auctioned for marriage? There is a giant tunnel dragon who breathes fire? The commander is the evillest evil to ever evil? Women cannot go unchaperoned?!

10. The world of Divergent by Veronica Roth


I am too lazy and bad at math for Erudite, too mean for Amity, too wimpy for Dauntless, too selfish for Abnegation, and too dishonest for Candor. Which means I'd be Factionless, which means no, get me the heck out of this stupid place.

11. The world of Shatter Me by Taherah Mafi

The world is in shreds and birds don't fly anymore and I'd totally be one of the unlucky ones without any powers. Or my power would be extremely lame, like... being able to shoot bees at criminals. Or be nice. (Lame.)

12. The world of Defy by Sara B. Larson

One word: rape houses.
NO.

Review: Unhinged by A.G. Howard

Review: Unhinged by A.G. Howard
Goodreads 
Release date: January 7th, 2014
Publisher: Amulet (Abrams)
Series: Yes, #2 in the Splintered series
Source: Print ARC borrowed from Lili
Rating: While the language remains lush and the worldbuilding inventive, I had issues with both the plot and the characters this time around.



Alyssa Gardner has been down the rabbit hole and faced the bandersnatch. She saved the life of Jeb, the guy she loves, and escaped the machinations of the disturbingly seductive Morpheus and the vindictive Queen Red. Now all she has to do is graduate high school and make it through prom so she can attend the prestigious art school in London she's always dreamed of.

That would be easier without her mother, freshly released from an asylum, acting overly protective and suspicious. And it would be much simpler if the mysterious Morpheus didn’t show up for school one day to tempt her with another dangerous quest in the dark, challenging Wonderland—where she (partly) belongs.

As prom and graduation creep closer, Alyssa juggles Morpheus’s unsettling presence in her real world with trying to tell Jeb the truth about a past he’s forgotten. Glimpses of Wonderland start to bleed through her art and into her world in very disturbing ways, and Morpheus warns that Queen Red won’t be far behind.

If Alyssa stays in the human realm, she could endanger Jeb, her parents, and everyone she loves. But if she steps through the rabbit hole again, she'll face a deadly battle that could cost more than just her head.


My thoughts are a bit all over the place with this one. On the one hand, I read it nearly straight through, and I found myself amazed by a lot of the prose and a lot of Howard's twists on Wonderland lore. On the other hand, I wanted to throttle the vast majority of the major characters, and that's never good, is it?



One of the first aspects that threw me off was the relationship between Jeb and Alyssa. They've been together for a year, but for most of that time they've been separated--he in London, being an artist, she at home, going to school. I didn't really feel them anymore, which is a shame, because Alyssa's love for Jeb is a lot of the driving force of her character. It's pretty much all of Jeb's personality, besides artistic ambition. 

What I did love very much was the way Howard brought the sinister aspects of Wonderland to life, and the way she made them invade the real world in a way that feels totally wrong but deliciously right. Alyssa's Netherling, Queen-of-Wonderland side is beginning to take over her human side. Shenanigans are going on back in Wonderland, and it's starting to affect the human world. Which is why Morpheus, aka the only character I gave a toss about this time around (surprisingly, as he's still quite horrible at times). Oh, no. I also liked Alyssa's father, for the most part, and Alyssa's mother by the end. Alyssa's mom is free from the asylum and living at home, and there will be some reveals about her that will piss you off mightily, but in the end she became a fuller character.

My issues were with Jeb and Alyssa. It's hard for me to say exactly why I couldn't warm to them any longer. Maybe because they kept saying they loved each other but didn't seem to demonstrate it very effectively in the day to day? Maybe because that big, adorable Morpheus reveal made me go "Awwwwww"? But even before that, Alyssa began rubbing me the wrong way. Don't get me wrong--I like characters with moral ambiguity, who aren't perfect, who make mistakes and can be accidentally cruel. But I don't think jealous, occasionally petty Alyssa knew that she was kind of awful at times, and nor, I think, did the author. It became a bit unpleasant being in her head, but I still can't put my finger on precisely why. She grated on me, she cried, and she made decisions I couldn't track.



Another drawback is the fact that we don't actually get to go back to Wonderland, cutting back on one of Howard's strengths. The Wonderland madness, inventiveness, and visualness is why I came, and while the parts that do show up are wonderfully realized, I still missed it. There was too much contemporary blah blah for me. Then again, the denizens of Wonderland suddenly beng in the human world led to great hilarity. I LOVE the White Rabid, and seeing Morpheus try to "acclimate" was also fun. Jenara, Jeb's sister and Alyssa's supposed best friend, is an entirely superfluous character.

As always, Howard is a master at revealing twists and new information that completely flip everything you thought was true on its head. Think you understand Morpheus? Alyssa's mother? Alyssa's father? Guess again. Nothing is at it seems. We're all mad here.

As for the final climax... well, my problem is that it was hard to see. I couldn't picture it, and it didn't make much sense as a battle. I didn't enjoy the after-effects, though I adore the set-up for the next book. I finished this book with a shrug. Did I enjoy parts of it? Most definitely. Will I read the third? Yes, for Morpheus and my curiosity. Am I salivating for it? No, no really.