Review: Cress by Marissa Meyer

Review: Cress by Marissa Meyer
Goodreads 
Release date: February 4th, 2014
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends (Macmillan)
Series: #3 in The Lunar Chronicles
Source: gift from Christina
Rating: *FLAIL*

 

Rapunzel’s tower is a satellite. She can’t let down her hair—or her guard.

In this third book in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles series, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army.

Their best hope lies with Cress, who has been trapped on a satellite since childhood with only her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker—unfortunately, she’s just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice.

When a daring rescue goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing stop her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only ones who can.

This review contains spoilers for books one and two in the Lunar Chronicles, Cinder and Scarlet.

Okay. Words. I need to put together words for this book, but I can't because THIS BOOK.

 

It's a big, honking long book, and trust me, that's the best part. You never want this ride to end. We're thrust into action and adventure from the get-go. The characters you've come to love throughout the series suffer through so many setbacks and insanities, and you suffer right along with them. It's enormously fun.

And we meet out new girl, Cress! I ADORE CRESS. She is naive, sweet, enthusiastic, terrified, secretly brave, very imaginative, and intensely lonely. She's a Lunar shell, and she has zero experience of the world, as she's been trapped in a satellite for ten years, doing her evil mistress's evil technological bidding. I loved that she has a lot of her misconceptions of people and life knocked away. She really comes into her own in this book, and I'm so excited to watch her develop more in the next. And I love that her sweetness and belief in people has positive reinforcements on my baby, one Carswell Thorne. But I will get to them a bit later.

Just be patient.

What I love about this series is how much it has grown in scope. With each addition of a new storyline and heroine, Meyer tosses a new juggling ball in the air, and heck if she's not still juggling them all with aplomb. The consequences are more epic, the stakes are moon-high (SEE WHAT I DID THERE?), and the tension is high. The plot builds to scary-huge moments, and the ending? WHOA. Whoaaaaa. Trust me, by the end, after all the crap hits the fan and our heroes are heroic and both bad and good things happen, you'll be DYING for Winter.

This series really does have the best of both worlds, being both sci-fi and fairy tale-esque. I've always thought this series was light sci-fi, or accessible sci-fi, I suppose. It's a world that's very easy to inhabit as a reader, and I love that. The characters feel familiar because of their fairy tale counterparts, but they're by no means unoriginal. In fact, I say the characters are the strength of this series. Cinder, Kai, Scarlet, Thorne, Wolf, Cress, Iko--I care about them so much, and when sad things happen to them, I GET SAD. Cinder and Thorne have one of the best platonic friendships since Aria and Roar. I'll dare you not to get misty at a certain scene. Aw, and Iko! Thorne and Iko! And just Thorne, generally. As a Thorne-person. Thorning around. Being Thorne.

 

Book five of the Lunar Chronicles: Thorne by Marissa Meyer. I would read that so fast.

I'm trying to leave as many spoilers out of this as possible, but I will tell you that our heroic band is separated very early on. Scarlet, Cress, and Cinder all have their own plots for most of the book (not telling your where the boys are, though for fairy-tale-esque and logic reasons, you can figure out where Thorne is). (Okay, fine, he's with Cress. There you go.) I loved that Meyer chose to focus on the part of the Rapunzel storyline that is usually glossed over--the part after Rapunzel is cast from her tower. The part where she wanders the wilderness in search of her love and has to start anew (with babies, because fairy tale Rapunzel was a bamf). Basically, the part where Rapunzel does all her growing.

 

Okay, let's talk about the important things: the ships. Some people may may say this ship is creepy, but these people are obviously incorrect people whom we shall never trust again. Right? Right. Cress and Thorne are utterly hilarious and adorable and guyssss, I ships it. I love her huge crush on him, and the disillusionment that follows. I love Thorne's charm and charisma and worldliness, and the way it plays off Cress' total ignorance of most things and her strong ability to perceive other things. I love... the thing... that happens to Thorne... and how that affects the way he comes to know Cress. *vaguety vague vagueness*

Scarlet and Wolf suffer QUITE A BIT in this one (no, seriously, BE PREPARED), but I was totally proud of my girl Scarlet. Wolf? Wolf needed a good shake or two.



Queen Levana continues to evil all over the place, and Prince Kai continues to be adorable. Poor Kai. He finally agreed to marry the evil queen at the end of Scarlet to prevent more bloodshed and get the letumosis vaccine, which continues to kill millions in the Eastern Commonwealth.



Kai just needs a really big hug, you guys. He's dealing with a lot, and finally starting to put a lot of the pieces together as to the larger picture at hand (Cinder is the lost princess, Kai, you can do it, Kai). We also get to meet several new characters, including Jacin, a stoic and hard-to-pin-down Lunar guard, whose precise fairy tale counterpart is still a tiny bit of a mystery (I think Huntsman). And we also meet, right at the end... Winter.

Holy crap, Winter.



That's all I'm going to say.

SO much happens in this book. People are lost in the Sahara, there is death, shootings, palace coups, rescue operations, weddings (!!), maimings (!!!), genocide, revolution, kissing (!!!!!!), and so much more. Cress is the best book in the series so far, and cements the Lunar Chronicles as one of the best series around. Jump on this spaceship as soon as you can.

Top Ten 2014 Debuts I'm Excited For

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

Yeah, I cheated. Mucho cheating. An excess of cheating. But a LOT of good books come out in 2014, okay? And I wanted everybody to hear about all of them. I am an enemy of TBRs everywhere.

Top 2014 Debuts (With Covers)




1. Red Rising by Pierce Brown

I'm not even really sure what this one is about, but I think it's some awesome kind of dystopian awesomeness. It's being uber hyped, and I uber want it.

2. Falls the Shadow by Stefanie Gaither

That COVER. The fact that it's about a creepy sci-fi replacement sister who might be a murderer. THAT COVER.

3. Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira

A girl who writes letter to dead famous people in order to deal with her grief for her sister? Yes please.

4. Something Real by Heather Demetrios

Books about TV shows, reality television, and the movie business seem to be becoming a sort of mini-trend. This TV addict is excited about that.

5. Hungry by. H.A. Swain

I love food. I love dystopian novels. Put them together and I'm a happy camper. PLUS MAJOR COVER LOVE. THE FORK IS BECKONING ME.

6. My Faire Lady by Lauren Wettersten

I've always been fascinated with Renaissance Faire, and I can't wait to read a cute contemporary that's set in one. The punny title only adds to my excitement.




7. Trust Me, I'm Lying by Mary Elizabeth Summer

Con artist teenage girl. Enough said.

8. Sekret by Lindsday Smith

Psychic teenage KGB spy. The Russophile in me is salivating. 

9. The Nethergrim by Matthew Jobin

It's fantasy. There's darkness and magic afoot. It's like catnip to me.

10. The Break Up Artist by Philip Siegel

It's about a teenage girl who breaks up couples as a job, and that speaks to my soul.

11. Gilded by Christina L. Farley

I'm a newbie Kdrama addict, a fantasy lover, and a girl who loves some diversity in her YA. So a fantasy novel set in contemporary Korea about a kick-ass girl pitted against an evil demi-god? YES. ALL THE YES.

12. Behind the Scenes by Dahlia Adler

Dahlia's a Twitter friend of mine, and you should all be on the lookout for her book about a girl who falls for an actor on the hit TV show her best friend stars in. Sounds like SUCH fun!

 Top Debuts (Without Covers)

1. Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley

 LGBT de-segregation love story give it GIVE IT

2. Salt & Storm by Kendall Kulper

Historical fantasy! I love historical fantasy.

3. Not in the Script by Amy Finnegan

Another movie book, this time about a teenage actress who grows up in front of the cameras on a hit TV show.

4. The Fire Wish by Amber Lough

Middle Eastern fantasy. I repeat, MIDDLE EASTERN FANTASY.

5. Hook's Revenge by Heidi Schulz

Another Twitter friend with a book coming out! It's about Captain Hook's daughter. If that doesn't interest you, well, I don't know what will.

Honorable mentions: Otherbound by Corinne Duyvis, Landry Park by Bethany Hagen, Tabula Rasa by Kristen Lippert-Martin, Half  Bad by Sally Green, A Mad, Wicked Folly by Sharon Biggs Waller (I've read this one, and it's AMAZING!), Alienated by Melissa Landers, which I just reviewed. It's adorable.

Extra honorable mentions: Two of my favorite bloggy people (and people people) Molli and Jen are publishing their novels this year! As You Turn Away by Molli Moran, about swoony Southern boys, and Threats of Sky and Sea by Jennifer Ellision, about Elemental magic, hot princes, sassy snarky heroines, and evil kings.


Um. So. Yeah. 2014 is going to be a bit busy.

Whoops?

Review: Alienated by Melissa Landers

Review: Alienated by Melissa Landers
Goodreads 
Release date: Feburary 4th, 2014
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Series: #1 in the Alienated trilogy
Source: ARC borrowed from Lili
Rating: Cute, fluffy, funny sci-fi that made me giggle and swoon and carried some surprisingly deep messages. Not perfect, but who cares? I'm giggling and swooning.



Two years ago, the aliens made contact. Now Cara Sweeney is going to be sharing a bathroom with one of them.

Handpicked to host the first-ever L’eihr exchange student, Cara thinks her future is set. Not only does she get a free ride to her dream college, she’ll have inside information about the mysterious L’eihrs that every journalist would kill for. Cara’s blog following is about to skyrocket.

Still, Cara isn’t sure what to think when she meets Aelyx. Humans and L’eihrs have nearly identical DNA, but cold, infuriatingly brilliant Aelyx couldn’t seem more alien. She’s certain about one thing, though: no human boy is this good-looking.

But when Cara's classmates get swept up by anti-L'eihr paranoia, Midtown High School suddenly isn't safe anymore. Threatening notes appear in Cara's locker, and a police officer has to escort her and Aelyx to class.

Cara finds support in the last person she expected. She realizes that Aelyx isn’t just her only friend; she's fallen hard for him. But Aelyx has been hiding the truth about the purpose of his exchange, and its potentially deadly consequences. Soon Cara will be in for the fight of her life—not just for herself and the boy she loves, but for the future of her planet.


I was not expecting this book to be as funny as it was. TO say I thoroughly enjoyed myself is an understatement, even though this book isn't as light as I thought it was. There was actually one moment that made me slam the book down and wail, "NOOOOOOO!" to poor Lili, who knew exactly which  moment I'd reached. But even before that, a super cute romance and funny narration are balanced by the dark and weighty themes of xenophobia and prejudice.

Cara Sweeney is an Earth girl (a charming, loveable, funny one, at that). She's agreed to host the world's every foreign--foreign-- exchange student from the planet L'eihr. Obviously he is tall and handsome, because this is a book, but isn't it so much more fun when aliens are tall and handsome? I think so. Anyway, I really adored the Vulcan-esque, emotionally constipated aliens Landers created, and their complex society with a good deal of excellent world-building in it. Aelyx, our hot alien boy, is arrogant, unfeeling, and entirely baffled by these colorful Earthlings with their emotions and terrible food. Watching Cara and Aelyx was hilarious. Watching Aelyx learn to feel and love was adorable. He was totally discombobulated by everything about Cara.



I liked how aliens the aliens felt. They weren't just humans with funky names; their culture, their references, and their thought processes were entirely different. Sometimes Cara and Aelyx could not understand the other's position at all, which didn't bode well for the dark future ahead, but really drove home how difficult it is, sometimes, to overcome cultural boundaries.

But back to the fun stuff. The kissing scenes? The hilariously awkward crush scenes? Landers pulls those off GORGEOUSLY. I miiiiight have gone back and reread those kiss scenes. You know, for science. I spaceship it!



Side note: The cover. It's not my favorite cover by any means, but I was okay with it until I got to the point where the L'eirs are described as having... russet skin. *checks out the white dude on the cover* Yeah, no. That's some whitewashing right there.

It's not all fun and flirting and giggles, though. Most of Earth is scared pantless of the L'eihrs, who are far more technologically advanced and were the ones who found us, rather than vice versa. They react in a very Westboro Baptist Church way, will lots of hatred and picketing and prejudice. You know. Like humans. It was so well done, but it made me absolutely sick to read about--as it should. Cara's boyfriend and her best friend start to turn against her, along with the entire town and half the world. Cara writes about her experiences on (an absolutely hilarious) blog (full of funny alien puns!), but things start to get terrifyingly hostile.

And then the crap hits the fan, and SO DOES MY HEART. I wasn't thrilled with the way Cara's friendship with Tori played out, and normally I wouldn't like the choice Cara makes at the end, but for some reason it all worked for me. Probably because ship. And cute. And DRAMA. Things get super intense at the end. I'm very excited to read the sequel and get to learn more about L'eihr, about Aelyx, and about Cara. 

Review: Her Dark Curiosity by Megan Shepherd

Review: Her Dark Curiosity by Megan Shepherd
Goodreads 
Release date: January 28th, 2014
Publisher: Balzer + Bray (harperCollins)
Series: #2 in The Madman's Daughter trilog
Source: e-ARC
Rating: A nice beginning, an ENORMOUSLY frustrating middle, and a decent ending. But worst of all, a Love Triangle of DOOM.




 This review contains spoilers for book one, The Madman's Daughter. To read my review, go here.

 I wrote a post on Friday about one of the greatest bookish tragedies out there: Second Book Syndrome. Sadly, this is the book that inspired that post, as I thought it was an enormous letdown compared to its predecessor, which I actually thoroughly enjoyed. The plot was overshadowed by a hideous love triangle, the character's motivations became difficult to track, and... OH YEAH. THE LOVE TRIANGLE. Lots and lots of good in here that was totally negated by the Return of the Boyfriends.

Really, I'm not opposed to love triangles. I wrote a whole post about how they can be used for good. It's like that saying that guns don't kill people, people kill people. (A saying I don't like, but you know.) It's all about how the love triangle is wielded. Well, pack the car and run for the hills, this love triangle is coming for you and your home and your soul.

 

The Madman's Daughter ended with Juliet, daughter of the infamous Dr. Moreau, drifting alone into the sea, her father dead by her own hand, his island full of monsters burning. Now that was an ending, right? I seriously did NOT know where Shepherd was going to go with the sequel, and it excited me muchly to learn it would be based on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, which gave me lots of ideas for what the plot could be, Juliet-wise.

I wish this book had focused on Juliet's dual nature. On the darkness inside her, on... oh, I don't know, Her Dark Curiosity, perhaps? But no, instead it was Her Romantic Curiosity. The book had the chance to really GO THERE with a certain twist. Make Juliet truly torn and tortured and grappling with her dark side, with her animal side, with her mad Moreau side. Instead it went elsewhere with the "big reveal". Instead, Juliet's dark curiosity amounted to her basically being interested in science. It amounted to her still having the hots for boys who should be dead why aren't they dead be dead.

Admittedly, Shepherd cleaved to the promise in the title by the end, when Juliet starts to get a little twisted, but by then she'd already lost me. The action and intensity at the end should have wowed me, but everything that had preceded it ruined it for me.

We find Juliet, at the beginning of Her Dark Curiosity, in London and living safely as the ward of an old family friend. Strange and brutal murders have been occurring all over London. A rare flower has been discovered on every body, and the police and papers are calling it the hallmark of the Wolf of Whitechapel, newest serial killer on the block. It's good stuff, right? Even though Juliet spends a good chunk of time moaning about if ooooonly Montgomery were heeeeere. Yes, that same Montgomery who tricked you into climbing aboard a raft and shoved you out to sea. IF ONLY HE WERE HERE.

 

I was so with the book at this point. The writing was excellent, the setting atmospheric, and the plot intriguing. And then the plot jumps the shark. It jumps freaking Jaws, is what it does. And this may be a SPOILER, but it happens so early on in the book that I feel comfortable discussing it (and really, you can see it coming). One of her boyfriends--the one that died on the island? The one that's a beast person who literally killed people on that island? Surprise! Not dead! Huzzah! Isn't that manifique?

No. It is not magnifique. The love triangle has resumed with a VENGEANCE. When characters die, they need to stay dead, okay? JUST BE DEAD.



 And then there's so much romantic angst. Like, no. Edward is a murderous beast who hulks out and kills people. I cannot even, Juliet. Everything you do in this entire book, Juliet, is just confusing to me. I should have written this review in the form of an intervention. Like, this one thing she does? I cannot EVEN. It's kind of a spoiler but it's also the biggest WTF moment I have ever experience, so I will white it out here. BUT I NEED TO RANT.

I don't know about you, but when a guy comes home all freshly bloody and covered in MURDER, I'm not going to jump his bones. I don't know. MAYBE THAT'S JUST ME. I MEAN, HE JUST MURDERED A PERSON. OH MY GOD JULIET. OH MY GOD. HE IS COVERED IN BLOOD AND NOW YOU ARE TOO AND HIS SHOES HAVE HOLES FOR HIS BEAST CLAWS AND GIRRRRRL LOOK AT YOUR LIFE LOOK AT YOUR CHOICES

This is basically the romantical plot:

Edward: Heal me, Juliet! The Beast isn't me!

Juliet: You're a monster! No wait, I will heal you after all, because I might love you, because apparently the first book never happened.

Edward: So you love me?!

Juliet: Shit, I forgot about Monty. Nope. I love him.

Edward: Forget about Monty. He has seeeeecrets.

Juliet: No! Not my Monty! TELL ME.

Edward: I cannot for REASONS.

Monty: Sup. Hi. Love me.

Juliet: NO I'M MAD I... You're still quite hot. Mmmmm.

Edward: My love! Please don't-- *hulks out*

Shoot him, Juliet. Just shoot him** and all of your problems will be solved.



**Shoot either one, really. I'm not terribly picky.

And then we get the friend, Lucy, who I should really like but... Is it the law that all YA best friends need to be prettier, more confident, and more fashionable than the shy and retiring MC? Honestly? Lucy is a bit of a non-entity, sadly. In fact, I was hoping for more personality from everybody.

The twists are predictable, the plot is boring, the love triangle makes you want to bang your head into the wall, and don't get me started on the love interests themselves. One of them is a personality-less abandoner, and the other is literally a murderer. Okay then. Juliet Moreau? More like... Juliet MORE BEAUS. Ba dum tshhh!

And then there are just the logic fails. How on earth did the police not figure out that the killer was getting a rare flower at the Royal Botanical Gardens? Isn't that the first place you'd think of and check? Juliet's plan at the end is just the WORST. It's horrible and brutal and really wonderfully written, but Christ on a breadstick, girl. And I can't track the changes in character motivation and personality.

The writing remains top-notch. As in, the actual construction of the prose. In that regard, Shepherd is enormously talented, and that will be enough to rescue this plot for a lot of people. But the wildly inconsistent and foolish characters killed any possibility of enjoyment for me. I could not get past the angst and the stupidity. Such a sad example of Second Book Syndrome.

Book Haul, or the One Where I Have No Clever Title

Books! They happened! Yay!

From Harper: 

Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy

The Art of Lainey by Paula Stokes

The Vanishing Season by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Rebel by Amy Tintera

Royally Lost by Angie Stanton

Guy in Real Life by Steve Brezenoff

From Simon & Schuster:

Girl in Reverse by Barbara Stuber

Happy Saturday! Here's a sleeping Ginger to improve your day.

Second Book Syndrome (and What That Is and Why)

These days, YA is dominated by trilogies. I'll admit I'm not one of those people who gets trilogy fatigue. I like investing in series. I like having time to fall in love with characters and get fully immersed in a world. I don't roll my eyes when I hear of  yet another YA book marketed as "the first in a spellbinding trilogy" (okay, I'll roll my eyes at the "spellbinding" part). I like trilogies and their rhythms.

Except for Second Book Syndrome.

Beast is here to help us through this lesson. Just go with it.

I recently read two completely opposite examples of Second Books. One was such a terrific disappointment, falling into every bad cliche of a second book and ruining the charm of its predecessor. The other was absolutely sublime, and outshined its prequel in every way.

So what is Second Book Syndrome? This is an instance where the rhythm of the trilogy is off. Instead of upping the ante, the author ups the angst. Instead of quickening the plot, the plot drags. The shine wears off, the characters become more wearying, and that, ladies and gentleman, is Second Book Syndrome. It's when the second book falls short of the first, and it's sadly pretty common. Those second books are killer. They're the middle of the structure, and they've got a lot of heavy lifting to do. They bear so much  narrative weight.

The Cliche (Unsuccessful) Structure of a SBS Trilogy

Book one: EVERYTHING IS NEW AND SHINY! Oo, worldbuilding, tell me more! LE GASP! WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN? EEEE, I'm in love with my new book and I want to date it forever and marry it and have its book children and it will never let me down because it's JUST SO SHINY!

Beast likes!

Book two: Yeah, I don't remember these people. *checks watch* Um. More worldbuilding? Seriously? *watches as author moves characters into position* You're so going to end on a cliffhanger, aren't you? WHY IS THIS LOVE STILL TRIANGULAR??

Beast isn't too sure about this.

Book three: BATTLE BATTLE DEATH DEATH EXCITING EXCITING KISS KISS DEATH DEATH OMG OMG AHHHHHH NEVER LEAVE ME BOOK WHY AUTHOR WHYYYYY NOOOO

Beast LOVES when books do this!

Let's completely butcher a metaphor here and compare starting a series to starting a relationship.That poor second book has to move all the pieces into place. We don't get the new and exciting introductions of the first book, when you're discovering this fascinating world and characters.
The first book is the first date; that's the heady rush of first love, the honeymoon period, where every single thing about your book partner makes you happy. The third book is the golden period, when you've been through so much with the characters and you're so familiar and in love with them that you'll cry if they get so much as a paper cut.

Second book is divorce time. Breakup time. Philandering time.

Beast hates this.

The good news is that there are some series that defy Second Book Syndrome (obviously this is a subjective list, and you're free to disagree with me on my choices but obviously you are wrong so shhhh).

Books and Series That Do Not Suffer from Second Book Syndrome

Edit: I realize these are not all from trilogies, but they're still second books, SO THEY COUNT.

Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi, sequel to Under the Never Sky and the book that inspired this post, because seriously, talk about upping the ante.

Beast devoured this book in one sitting.

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater, sequel to The Raven Boys
All the relationships deepened, some seriously WTF things happened, my SHIP became ever so much more SHIPPABLE (important), and I seriously have no idea what will happen next. The feels this second book produced...

The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson, sequel to The Girl of Fire and Thorns
This sequel, in particular, is one of the most flagrant defiers of SBS I've ever read. Nearly all of the problems I had in TGoFaT (favorite acronym ever) were addressed in TCoE, the stakes are considerably raised, and Hectorly Hector Hector Hector while Hectorful Hector Hector.

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas, sequel to Throne of Glass
Ho. Ly. Crap. I really loved Throne of Glass, but Crown of Midnight is on an entirely different level. The book LOSES ITS MIND. It tears you apart and goes deeper and darker than I ever thought this series would go. Don't give up on this series until after you've read CoM. (By which I mean, don't you dare give up on this series because it's the best.)

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo, sequel to Shadow and Bone
I Sturmhond love Alina so Sturmhond much in this Sturmhond book and the Sturmhond way she struggles with her dark Sturmhond side, her ambition, and her enormous Sturmhond power. I love the real Sturmhond threat of the Darkling, the epic pace of the Sturmhond  plot, the even more epic final Sturmhond showdown, THE ENDING WHICH IS LIKE WHAT EVEN STURMHOND. Oh, and DID I MENTION STURMHOND?

The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner, sequel to The Thief
I enjoyed The Thief, but in all honesty I wasn't blown away by it. Queen of Attolia is a whole different animal, with a whopper of a twist and a ship to end all ships.

In the Hand of the Goddess by Tamora Pierce, sequel to Alanna: The First Adventure
Book two is when the hormones kick in and the sexing happens, so obviously it's better.

A Darkness Strange and Lovely by Susan Dennard, sequel to Something Strange and Deadly
Paris! More shenanigans! A heroine whose morality is more gray than white! Ohhhh, do I love this second book so much.

Everbound by Brodi Ashton, sequel to Everneath
My God, did I love Everbound. I really enjoyed Everneath, but Everbound was action-packed and taught us so much more about the world of the Everneath. We get a lot of Nikki developments, some really swoony stuff, and lots of Cole Coling around being Cole.

Now Beast is a happy reader, free to read trilogies without fear.

Have you come across a lot of books with Second Book Syndrome? Which are some of the worst offenders? Or, better yet, which are the books that totally fly in the face of the Syndrome? Let me know what your favorite sequels are!

Review: Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

Review: Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi
Goodreads 
Release date: January 8th, 2013
Publisher: HarperCollins
Series: #2 in the Under the Never Sky trilogy
Source: Purchased
Rating: One of the best sequels I've ever read. Second Book Syndrome, Shmecond Book Syndrome.



It's been months since Aria learned of her mother's death.

Months since Perry became Blood Lord of the Tides, and months since Aria last saw him.

Now Aria and Perry are about to be reunited. It's a moment they've been longing for with countless expectations. And it's a moment that lives up to all of them. At least, at first.

Then it slips away. The Tides don't take kindly to former Dwellers like Aria. And the tribe is swirling out of Perry's control. With the Aether storms worsening every day, the only remaining hope for peace and safety is the Still Blue. But does this haven truly exist?

Threatened by false friends and powerful temptations, Aria and Perry wonder, Can their love survive through the ever night?

In this second book in her spellbinding Under the Never Sky trilogy, Veronica Rossi combines fantasy and sci-fi elements to create a captivating adventure-and a love story as perilous as it is unforgettable.

 My review for Under the Never Sky

The post about the time I binge read this whole series in three days

Warning: this review contains spoilers for Under the Never Sky

Book two in the Under the Never Sky series marked the moment I truly understood why this series is so rabidly beloved. Don't get me wrong, I loved book one. But book two? Book two wended its way inside me. Book two hurt me in ways only my favorite books can. TTEN marked the moment these characters because real people to me, and I shed actual real people tears over the things that happened to them (you know what you did, Rossi). Through The Ever Night will now occupy a very special place on my shelf, somewhere within easy access so I can stroke it and cry over it whenever the urge strikes me.

 

For me, the first book dragged in places, and the end fizzled out a bit. But in TTEN, I loved the plot, and the end is action-packed and intense, as it should be. Aria and Perry are separated for a good chunk of this, and while this might seem like bad news to the shippers, this actually leads to a better, tenser plot. Perry's struggling ruling the Tides, who don't accept Aria or his leadership as the Aether storms get worse. (We also get really good world building sections explaining what the Aether and the Unity are. HUZZAH! What's more, we get to see more of what life for Aria was like, or would have been like, in the pods, which was a primary complaint of mine in UtNS.)

A grieving Aria, after some struggly things happen (awful struggly things that make me gasp and moan), goes off on an adventure with my boyfriend Roar to visit/rescue Liv, Perry's sister and the woman standing between me and my future with Roar. If you recall, she was married off to another Blood Lord, Sable, who is his own fascinating character and whom I sadly cannot say a word about. We finally get to meet Liv for the first time in the series, unless you've read Roar + Liv which you absolutely should. My review of it will be going up soon, and it's brilliant, you guys. You'll definitely want to read it because TTEN. It'll give you all the Roar feels like I needed any more.



And besides, it's through this adventure that my favorite relationship of all evolves into... well, my favorite relationship of all. Roar and Aria. Oh, I've never shipped a friendship like this one. Roar and Aria.  Excuse me while I go cry somewhere over how much I adore them. They go through some tremendous crap in this book, but my god, is their (TOTALLY PLATONIC NO REALLY PLATONIC) friendship absolutely beautiful. And somehow their (TOTALLY PLATONIC I PROMISE I REALLY PROMISE) love strengthens Aria's relationship with Perry, which is also deepened and developed in this installment.

And then of course Rossi personally victimizes you and reaches into your chest with her authorial claws and pulls your our soul and feeds it to the sharks with laser beams on their heads and pulls out your heartstrings and chops them into bit and WHYYYYYYYYYYYYY.



(Oh, but it's so good. But still whyyyyyy.)

Generally in trilogies, the second book pales a bit compared to the first. The reader somehow loses momentum, or the plots slow down, or the shine wears off. Not so at all in this one. The stakes get higher, the characters develop, and you become so much more invested. I think I would have lost my mind if I didn't have the chance to jump right into Into the Still Blue upon finishing this. It left me hungry and desperate for me. I had to see if my babies were all right after all that went down in TTEN and all that was set up to come.

Oh, and really do read Roar + Liv first. It just might be the best thing Veronica Rossi's ever written,--which, considering how incredible Through the Ever Night is, is really saying something.

Review: Being Sloane Jacobs by Lauren Morrill

Review: Being Sloane Jacobs by Lauren Morrill
Goodreads 
Release date: January 7th, 2014
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Series: No
Source: ARC
Rating: Fun, breezy, and guaranteed to lighten even the most rotten of moods.



Meet Sloane Emily Jacobs: a seriously stressed-out figure-skater from Washington, D.C., who choked during junior nationals and isn’t sure she’s ready for a comeback. What she does know is that she’d give anything to escape the mass of misery that is her life.

Now meet Sloane Devon Jacobs, a spunky ice hockey player from Philly who’s been suspended from her team for too many aggressive hip checks. Her punishment? Hockey camp, now, when she’s playing the worst she’s ever played. If she messes up? Her life will be over.

When the two Sloanes meet by chance in Montreal and decide to trade places for the summer, each girl thinks she’s the lucky one: no strangers to judge or laugh at Sloane Emily, no scouts expecting Sloane Devon to be a hero. But it didn’t occur to Sloane E. that while avoiding sequins and axels she might meet a hockey hottie—and Sloane D. never expected to run into a familiar (and very good-looking) face from home. It’s not long before the Sloanes discover that convincing people you’re someone else might be more difficult than being yourself.


What a delightful read this was. I read this in two sittings and giggle through most of it. If you can get past a wildly improbably concept (which, of course I could, as I love wildly improbably concepts), then Being Sloane Jacobs will most likely charm the skates right off of you.

Fun Gillian fact: I adore ice skating. I may be the worst skater on the planet, but I love watching it and reading about it and pretending I am graceful and athletic and dedicated. The Cutting Edge is one of my favorite movies of all time, so I basically flipped my lid when I found out BSJ features a lot of ice sports. In fact, this book a perfect mash up of The Cutting Edge and The Parent Trap. A hockey player trying to skate pairs. A lookalikey switcheroo. And if that doesn't entice you, then I fear you cannot be helped.

Sloane Emily is a figure skater. She's burnt out, stressed out, and fed up. Her senator dad is forced Sloane to keep a horrible secret, her mom is exerting all kinds of pressure on her, and Emily can't take it. The last thing she wants is to be sent to skating camp in Montreal to prep for her big comeback. It'll be two long months of torture and humiliation.

Then there's Sloane Devon. She's Sloane Emily's opposite: fiery, opinionated, and less than privileged. She's a hockey player with an attitude problem and a shooting problem. Basically, she freaks out every time she has the puck. The last thing she wants is to be sent to hockey camp in Montreal so she can choke in front of everyone.

These two Sloane Jacobses would never cross paths in a million years. UNTIL, OF COURSE, THEY DO. AND THEN OH, WHAT SHENANIGANS ENSUE.

Sloane Emily is all this:

 

Sloane Devon is more this:

 

They don't meet-cute, either.

 

On the surface, they've got nothing in common (besides vaguely similar looks). On the inside? Well, on the inside, they both want one thing: To get away. To not be them any more. To escape from the reality of there lives for just one second. So they decide to switch places.

It was so much fun watching the two Sloane's adjust to their new realities and discover so much about themselves while trying to be someone else. Sloane Emily tries to live up to Sloane Devon's fearlessness, roughness, and freedom. (Plus she romances a totally adorable boy named Matt). Sloane Devon soon realizes that figure skating is basically the hardest sport on the entire planet, but she dedicates herself to it anyway. (Plus she romances a totally adorable guy named Nando).

I loved both of the Sloanes so much. I related very much to Sloane Emily, and found her to be really incredibly funny and slightly neurotic. Sloane Devon is awesome and brash and no nonsense. THe way she sticks it to Ivy, the mean girl at her camp, was so priceless I guffawed. Yes, guffawed. And seriously, I'm writing down some of her comebacks to use one day. But I truly fell in love with these girls because of the troubles they're dealing with inside. They felt like fully rounded, individual characters, and I enjoyed being in their heads and watching them come into their own.

Of course, the lies pile on top of each other, it becomes more stressful to keep their switcheroo secret, and eventually it all goes to pot, but in a very entertaining manner. It was really lovely reading about the two Sloanes coming together as friends and fixing things with their families, even if the book didn't go into tremendous amount of depth in any other direction (their secondary friendships, for example, were a bit shortchanged, and the romances could have been developed a little bit more. But they were still super cute). I absolutely loved the details of the camps, though. I felt like I exercised by proxy, reading about the Sloanes skating and running and lifting things from the comfort of my couch.



The ending is convenient, tidy, and wrapped up in a neat little bow--just the way I wanted it. It's exactly what I wanted from this type of read. Bonus: there are some truly perfect pop culture references, which is always a win for me (though, Sloane Devon--objecting to skating to Hedwig's Theme? Really? Judging you).

If you like cute contemporary, you can't miss Being Sloane Jacobs. I will cut someone with a skating blade to get my hands on Lauren Morrill's next book. DON'T YOU STAND IN MY WAY. I'll hipcheck you and freeze your sports bra.