Review: Better Off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg

Review: Better Off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg
Goodreads 
Release date: February 25, 2014
Publisher: Point (Scholastic)
Series: No
Source: ARC
Rating: Cute and funny, if insubstantial.



WHEN HARRY MET SALLY . . . for teens, from romantic comedy star Elizabeth Eulberg.

For Macallan and Levi, it was friends at first sight. Everyone says guys and girls can't be just friends, but these two are. They hang out after school, share tons of inside jokes, their families are super close, and Levi even starts dating one of Macallan's friends. They are platonic and happy that way.

Eventually they realize they're best friends -- which wouldn't be so bad if they didn't keep getting in each other's way. Guys won't ask Macallan out because they think she's with Levi, and Levi spends too much time joking around with Macallan, and maybe not enough time with his date. They can't help but wonder . . . are they more than friends or are they better off without making it even more complicated?

From romantic comedy superstar Elizabeth Eulberg comes a fresh, fun examination of a question for the ages: Can guys and girls ever really be just friends? Or are they always one fight away from not speaking again -- and one kiss away from true love?


This book is so adorable it will make your teeth ache and brighten even the most rotten of moods. I read it nearly straight through on a cross-continental plane ride, and it certainly made for a pleasant and entertaining trip. This book won't end up being very memorable to me, though, and that's because it doesn't quite go deep enough. It doesn't dig into the characters the way I like, nor does it have much of an overarching plot besides, "Let's watch these really cute people who are obviously meant to be finally come to be." And trust me, that's one of my most favorite plots out there, but Better Off Friends certainly suffers from a few problems. And yet it's really cute. LIke really, really, really cute. And it made me happy.



These aren't serious problems, mind you. There are no rage-inducing issues, and the romance, like, I said, is just so insanely cute. Levi and Macallan (minus points for silly name) are best friends nearly from the moment they meet in seventh grade. Levi's just moved to small town Wisconsin from Los Angeles, and he doesn't exactly fit in. (Obligatory mini-rant about how it seems to be impossible for authors not from LA to write a convincing LA character. Levi had some eye-rollingly cliche bits right at the beginning that annoyed me, seeing as I'm a Los Angeles native, but most people obviously won't object to these things, and most of my issues resolved themselves).

Macallan and Levi are awesome and supportive platonic best friends. They see each other through heartache and grief and hormones (oh lord, the scene where poor Macallan first gets her period...). Each chapter ends with a dialogue-only chat scene between Macallan and Levi, and heck if those aren't the most hilarious things in the whole book. They obviously have chemistry, and everyone around them, including their tight-knit families, seem to think they belong together, but... do they? Is it romantic chemistry they have? And if so, will acting upon their feelings ruin a friendship that means the world to them?

The picture of post-coital, just-ruined-a-friendship regret.

Tangent: WHYYYY did I never have an adorable straight male best friend growing up whom I could easily transition into loving? There is no justice in the world. Macallan, you lucky bitch.



It took me a while to put my finger on what it was about this book that prevented it from being perfect, and I think it might be the time frame of the novel. Better Off Friends encompasses quite a few years despite being only 288 pages. Most of the action is told in summation, meaning it gets skipped over and then recounted to us looking backwards. It caused me to be one step removed from the action, like I didn't get to fully invest in and inhabit the scenes. I guess that was part of the problem; I wasn't invested. Don't get me wrong; I was invested in Levi and Macallan because of the cuteness, particularly the cuteness the chapter-ending chats of squee-worthy fluffy adorableness.

Levi and Macallan are good for each other. They geek out over the same TV shows and support each other and help each other out. It's a pure and easy friendship, and it's adorable to read about and super easy to ship as something more. They're pretty interesting characters, though I don't think they're as developed as they could be. We get information on their family, their hopes, and other details necessary for a character to be fully realized, but not quite. 

The plot really yanks you back and forth. At first, the repressed feelings and near-misses are cute and frustrating, but they do become repetitive after a bit. This book is told in alternating first person viewpoints, switching between Levi and Macallan. I thought Eulberg did quite a good job on the two viewpoints. This book is extremely enjoyable, especially if you've been recently traumatized by a heavy book and need something that you don't need to really sink your teeth into. There are five star fluff books out there, of course, but those are the books that not only make me laugh, but make me care. Better Off Friends made me giggle and it made me ship, but it didn't quite find a way into my heart. 

(For the record, I DO believe that boys and girls can be just friends, and best friends at that.)

Here, have a dancing Billy Crystal. You're welcome.

Ship Shape: Picking the Sinking Ship

Welcome to Ship Shape, your home for all things shipping, in which we gush and swoon over our favorite fictional couples and break down just what it is about them that captures out hearts.

Previously on Ship Shape: Elizabeth and Darcy

A couple of days ago, an extremely popular trilogy came to an end. Not only was I looking forward to Ignite Me because I really enjoy reading the Shatter Me series, but because I had to know if my ship prevailed. Okay, mostly I was reading to see if my ship prevailed. And if it didn't prevail, what was I going to do? Eat a tub of ice cream? Rant on Twitter? Send Taherah Mafi angry anonymous notes with letters all creepily cut from magazines?

"Make Juliette pick Warner or you'll never see your favorite pillow alive again!"

This is a spoiler free post, so I'm not talking about what the end result in Ignite Me was, but rather the general phenomenon of investing in the doomed ship. I've talked about this a lot with Molli, fondly known as the Patron Saint of Doomed Ships. If she ships a ship, there is a ninety percent chance that ship is headed to Iceberg City (her most epic shipping failure is her Hunger Games ship, if you ask me). Me, on the other hand? I tend to be very lucky when it comes to picking ships. Call me a ship psychic (I wish). Okay, no, call me canon fodder. I tend to go along with the ship the author ships. Like my brain subconsciously picks up those hints the author's leaving, which somehow gets my heart on board, so I end up shipping the ship I was meant to ship.

But obviously not all the time.

I still ship it. I just ship the part that's falling. I ship the smokestack.

My ship on Gilmore Girls did not prevail. On Gossip Girl the evil writers chose to snatch shipping victory from my hands. I still maintain Luna and Neville should have been a thing. And do not even get me started on Little Women.

 

It's quite an emotional thing to invest in a ship. Sometimes you pin all your hopes on it. Sometimes it's the thing you truly love about a series above all. So the question is, is your love for a book or series diminished when your ship doesn't win out?

The answer can be yes, which is so unfortunate. It can't be helped. But sometimes the author sways you off your ship, or so many elements are at play in the series that the resolution of the ship isn't the most significant factor. But other times... Oooh, is it rough. It hurts to go so deeply into a fictional relationship and come out of it with nothing. I gave you my all, ship! I gave you everything I had, and all I got was this lousy t-shirt!

Row, row, row your boat, gently to your death

For example, there's a love triangle set to be resolved this year that I am super worried about, God help me. In spite of myself, I am apparently enormously invested in the romantic outcome of The Selection trilogy. It's strange, because, in all honesty, I don't like this series. I don't like it at all. But I also feel like, if America picks As(s)pen, I will make fire and brimstone rain from the heavens and also punch my copy of The One in its bookish face. (I need therapy.) My enjoyment of that series hinges entirely upon the outcome of that ship.

Maybe I'm spoiled when it comes to ships. I get very cross and crankypants when the obviously correct ship (aka mine) is defeated in shipping battle, and that's possibly because I'm not used to losing in the shipping long run. And in regards to me usually siding with the chosen ship: does this mean I only invest in ships I know are going to be successful? To spare myself the agony of sinking? it's an interesting question, and I don't honestly know the answer.

Obviously I won't stop shipping, because that's crazytalk and honestly an impossible task for me. Shipping is how I read; I can't help it, and I wouldn't want to stop it. Whether the investment engenders a reward at the end or not, the act of giving your heart so fully to a piece of fiction is still a magnificent thing. Sink or sail.

What about you? Are you a Patron Saint of Doomed Ships, or Canon Fodder? Have there been any sunken ships that really hurt you? Bear in mind this is a SPOILER FREE POST, so please be considerate in the comments.

Book Haul, or the One with Kenji, Warner, and Thorne

This was the week all my preorders released and a beloved series end and omg the book boyfriends and then I drowned in a book avalanche and that is a really good way to go out.

Books purchased:



Cress by Marissa Meyer

IT'S SO PRETTY. I was lucky enough to read Cress early, but the finished copy is sooooo gorgeous and smooth and the lettering is raised and I keep stroking it. The blue part is matte, but the red ribbon running through her hair is glossy and unfff, book lust.



Ignite Me by Taherah Mafi

I read this the day it arrived, aka the day it released, and yesss. Also this is super gorgeous in person as well. Very matte and very pretty.



Something Real by Heather Demetrios

I am so excited for this book. So many bloggers I love and trust are raving about this book. It's massive and beautiful and I hugged it when it showed up.

Books for review:



On the Fence by Kasie West

NEW KASIE WEST BOOK. NEW KASIE WEST BOOK. NEWWWW KASIEEEE WESTTTT.



Strange and Ever After by Susan Dennard

Eeeep I love this series, and the cover is stunning.


White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I downloaded this a bit on a whim because I'm curious about the author, never having read any of her books. The cover really doesn't look like my kind of thing, but the blurb is certainly intriguing.



Don't Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski

I was pre-approved for this on Netgalley, so WHY NOT.

And now for your weekly dose of Ginger:

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: