The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Summary: Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

Review: So this is actually a reread for me; I read it for the first time last year, while I was taking a blog break. My first impression, those many moons ago, was that it was just ok, but I admitted that I did get emotionally invested enough to cry.

This reading was a little different, maybe because I was enough removed to observe more. I didn't cry this time around (a point of pride, perhaps?), but I did appreciate the wit more. (Side note: I've watched so many vlogbrothers videos in the last year that the first couple pages were narrated in my head by John Green himself. Which I found to be hilarious.)

I liked everything better pre-Amsterdam, which makes sense because everything after Amsterdam is a huge downer.

Also, I understand that "Okay, okay" is like their Thing, or something, but pointing out that something is poignant doesn't really make it so. Maybe it just bothers me because the first I ever even heard about this "Okay" thing was in the comments of a Lizzie Bennet Diaries video, and I resented the fact that what sounded to me like perfectly normal dialogue that I myself have used HUNDREDS of times in my life is all of a sudden some special reference just for Special John Green Fans. Like, ok, nerdfighters are great and stuff, but now you OWN the word "Okay"? Seriously? So then I read the book to find out what all the fuss is about, and as explained by the book, it's pretty much a huge letdown. Because they just say "Okay" to each other all the time. That's literally all there is to it.

ANYWAY, another thing I liked was how Augustus talks about Hazel looking like Natalie Portman, because the movie just came out (I haven't seen it yet, but I hear it's good) and Shailene Woodley, who plays Hazel, totally does look like Natalie Portman. Good casting, guys. Way to go.

So all that being said, if you like sad books about kids who have cancer and fall in love, or if you like clever, snappy dialogue and don't mind sad books about kids who have cancer and fall in love, you should give it a read.

Goodreads Shelves: addictive, bechdel-test, funny, i-have-the-ebook, is-a-movie, is-this-a-kissing-book, my-kind-of-woman, thought-provoking

Rating: 

Losing Logan by Sherry D. Ficklin

Summary: What if the one thing you never meant to hold on to, is the one thing you can’t let go of?

Normally finding a hot guy in her bedroom wouldn't irritate Zoe so badly, but finding her childhood friend Logan there is a big problem. Mostly because he’s dead.

As the only person he can make contact with, he talks Zoe into helping him put together the pieces surrounding his mysterious death so he can move on.

Thrust into his world of ultra popular rich kids, Zoe is out of her element and caught in the cross-hairs of Logan’s suspicious ex-girlfriend and the friends he left behind, each of whom had a reason to want him dead. The deeper they dig to find the truth, the closer Zoe gets to a killer who would do anything to protect his secrets. And that’s just the start of her problems because Zoe is falling for a dead guy.

Review: Ok first let me just say, I liked it. I did. I read it in like a day and a half, and it was a fun read and stuff. And I was proud of myself for figuring out who the murderer was long before the characters in the novel did.

However, if you want to read a review about the good things in this book, you can go do that somewhere else.

Because I have to get a few things off my chest.

So... she decides to join the popular group, and then she just... does? Just like that? Admittedly, going out with the (as far as I can tell) Alpha Male helps. But then all of a sudden the girls just all want her to be their leader? No infighting or jostling for position as the new Queen Bee?

And another thing. How is it that she talks so much about how flip she is, how sarcastic and mean, but then it's so easy to stop being that way once Logan tells her to? Being sarcastic is a habit; I know from personal experience. And that kind of habit is hard to break. I wish I'd seen her make more of an effort and slip up more. Plus, her new boyfriend Bruno TELLS her not to change that part of herself, but she does anyway? And she tells him she won't change, but then is nothing but nice to all of his friends? Also, Zoe! You can be sarcastic and snarky while still being nice! Use your powers for good! Don't be a Stepford just because you're trying to make friends!

And... I guess Logan accepts that he was an a-hole before he died? Why does he never push back and place some of the blame on Zoe for their friendship falling apart? I kept wanting him to yell back and explain it from his side, which was that when Zoe came back from (ugh, something. I read the book a while ago and the details are getting fuzzy) during the summer, she was mean to his new friends and didn't even want to give them a chance. It takes two to drift apart, sweetheart.

Also, I'm sorry, but I found the ghost premise (once it was "explained") to be fairly ridiculous.

That all being said, I think I did in fact like it. Promise.

Goodreads Shelves: addictive, bechdel-test, fluffy, is-or-would-be-a-good-movie, is-this-a-kissing-book, my-kind-of-woman

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Guest Review: Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale

This review is brought to you by my amazing sister, Kelli. You can find her on her blog and on Goodreads.

Summary: Based on a classic Grimm’s fairy tale, this is the story told by Dashti, a maid from the steppes of a medieval land, who sacrifices her freedom to accompany her mistress into exile.

Imprisoned in a remote tower after Lady Saren refuses to marry the man her father has chosen, the maid and the lady have almost nothing in common. But the loyalty that grows between the two, the man they love in different ways for different reasons, and the lies they tell because of and in spite of each other, combine to evoke the deepest bonds, transcend the loneliest landscapes, and erupt in a conclusion so romantic, so clever, and so right that no reader will be left dry-eyed.

Review: I finally found a Shannon Hale story I can recommend to friends.  I didn't get what the big deal was with Princess Academy.  Goose Girl and Enna Burning were pleasant enough at times but left me overall underwhelmed.  But Book of a Thousand Days was enchanting.  Part of it was listening to the audiobook and hearing the songs, but the narration really drew me in.  I generally dislike first person narration, but the journal format worked perfectly.  The growth of the friendship between Dashti and Lady Saren is well-paced and believable.  As is the romance, despite the love triangle.  One I will definitely encourage my daughter to read, if I ever manage to have a girl-child.

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Guest Review: Against the Tide by Elizabeth Camden

This review is brought to you by my amazing sister, Kelli. You can find her on her blog and on Goodreads.

Summary:  As a child, Lydia Pallas became all too familiar with uncertainty when it came to the future. Now, she's finally carved out a perfect life for herself--a life of stability and order with no changes, surprises, or chaos of any kind. She adores her apartment overlooking the bustling Boston Harbor, and her skill with languages has landed her a secure position as a translator for the U.S. Navy.

However, it is her talent for translation that brings her into contact with Alexander Banebridge, or "Bane," a man who equally attracts and aggravates her. When Bane hires Lydia to translate a seemingly innocuous collection of European documents, she hesitantly agrees, only to discover she is in over her head.

Just as Bane's charm begins to win her over, Lydia learns he is driven by a secret campaign against some of the most dangerous criminals on the East Coast, compelled by his faith and his past. Bane forbids any involvement on Lydia's part, but when the criminals gain the upper hand, it is Lydia on whom he must depend.

Review: As soon as I finished this book, I texted a friend and instructed her to drop everything and read this.  It left me feeling... content.  It was a well-written, compelling story, and it was stand-alone!  The heroine is plucky and honorable.  The hero is mysterious and driven.  There's a bad guy who makes me feel ill, and the good guys are out to get him.  Add in the historical information about orphanages and opium use, not to mention that the heroine is a translator, and I found the whole story riveting.

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Agent of Change by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller

Summary: Once a brilliant First-in Scout, Val Con yos'Phelium was "recruited" by the mysterious Liaden Department of Interior and brainwashed into an Agent of Change—a ruthless covert operative who kills without remorse.

Fleeing the scene of his latest murderous mission, he finds himself saving the life of ex-mercenary Miri Robertson, a tough Terran on the run from a team of interplanetary assassins. Thrown together by circumstances, Val Con and Miri struggle to elude their enemies and stay alive without slaying each other—or surrendering to the unexpected passion that flares between them.

Review: So I have this habit when I read books, which is that I get about three-fourths of the way through them, and then I get online and look at reviews. I guess... I dunno, I'm trying to figure out whether my impressions so far are correct? Whether people agree with me, when I like certain characters or whatever? Maybe I'm trying to see how I should feel about what I've read so far. (I should probably stop letting other people tell me what I think.)

That being said, one of the reviews I looked up for this book pointed out that within the first two chapters or so, both main characters have killed enough people to definitely count as serial killers. And I thought... yeah. Pretty much. Which doesn't necessarily reflect poorly on the book, per se, because I've certainly killed plenty of random bad guys playing Legend of Zelda. So basically, this book has tons of storm troopers. Random, faceless, expendable Bad Guys.

Besides the senseless violence, there was a love story that took me a while to get into. I dunno... the description of the book told me that Val Con was this heartless assassin, which I found to be kind of a misnomer? I mean, at the beginning, he's fairly heartless, but pretty much as soon as he meets Miri (like, in chapter two) he becomes a Really Decent Guy who has Skills. Like, if Jason Bourne, instead of getting shot  and losing his memory, just met a cute redhead. So if he's such a decent guy, why was he assassinating someone in the first scene? And if he's so heartless, why is he suddenly abandoning the government that controls him?
All of which, to be honest, can be explained (to me) by the fact that the book was written in the eighties, when complex back story and world building were not necessary to make a book enjoyable. (For instance, this book, and this one. Both excellent.) I guess I'm expecting more characterization and interplanetary politics in later books.

One part of the book that I did love, though, was the turtles. Think about it. A culture of giant 8-foot turtles? Who are slow and live for centuries and are super polite and sweet? And grow knives like crystals? I loved them so much. I want a tribe of turtles to be my older brothers. Please tell me they show up in later books.

Goodreads Shelves: addictive, bechdel-test, fluffy, is-this-a-kissing-book, my-kind-of-woman

Rating: 

PS If you want to read it for yourself, it's in the Baen Free Library! Download the ebook here.

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

Summary: "Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness.
Elisa is the chosen one.

But she is also the younger of two princesses, the one who has never done anything remarkable. She can’t see how she ever will.

Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs the chosen one, not a failure of a princess.

And he’s not the only one who needs her. Savage enemies seething with dark magic are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people’s savior. And he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake.

Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young.

Most of the chosen do."

Review: So I wanna get this out of the way as soon as possible, but am I the only one who was bothered by the Stockholm Syndrome? Admittedly, this seems like a case of people with a just cause who were forced into extreme measures, but still. Kidnapping. Stockholm Syndrome. The principle of the thing.

That being said, it was a cute book. I liked having a protagonist who isn't a waif, and isn't one of those girls who is super beautiful but "doesn't know how pretty she is." And I like how confident she became, although her love/hate relationship with food was resolved a little too easily, in my opinion.

Goodreads Shelves: bechdel-test, fluffy, is-this-a-kissing-book, my-kind-of-woman, nook-ya

Rating: 

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

Summary: It's a new school year, and Greg Heffley finds himself thrust into middle school, where undersized weaklings share the hallways with kids who are taller, meaner, and already shaving. The hazards of growing up before you're ready are uniquely revealed through words and drawings as Greg records them in his diary.

In book one of this debut series, Greg is happy to have Rowley, his sidekick, along for the ride. But when Rowley's star starts to rise, Greg tries to use his best friend's newfound popularity to his own advantage, kicking off a chain of events that will test their friendship in hilarious fashion.

Review: So... I don't think I liked it? I mean, it's realistic, but hopefully not too realistic? Because Greg is pretty much a jerk. Like, super obnoxious. (So basically, a 13-year-old boy.) He lies to his parents, lets his friend get in trouble for something he did, refuses to own up for ANYTHING he does wrong, and is incredibly selfish at all times. Are all 13-year-old boys like that? (Oh my gosh... are all 13-year-olds like that? As a new mother, I'm officially worried about 13 years from now...)

Confession: I did like the drawings. They're pretty funny.

Goodreads Shelves: fluffy, funny, is-a-movie

Rating: 

Split Second by Kasie West

Summary: Addie has always been able to see the future when faced with a choice, but that doesn't make her present any easier. Her boyfriend used her. Her best friend betrayed her. So when Addie's dad invites her to spend her winter break with him in the Norm world, she jumps at the chance. There she meets the handsome and achingly familiar Trevor. He's a virtual stranger to her, so why does her heart do a funny flip every time she sees him? But after witnessing secrets that were supposed to stay hidden, Trevor quickly seems more suspicious of Addie than interested in her. She wants to change that.

Laila, her best friend, has a secret of her own: she can restore Addie's memories . . . once she learns how. But there are powerful people who don't want this to happen. Desperate, Laila tries to manipulate Connor, a brooding bad boy from school—but he seems to be the only boy in the Compound immune to her charms. And the only one who can help her.

In the suspenseful sequel to Pivot Point, Addie tries desperately to retrieve her lost memories and piece together a world she thought she knew before she loses the love she nearly forgot.

Review: I liked it! I mean, I read it in approximately two days, so clearly.

I like Trevor. He takes the whole Supernatural Abilities thing really well, like we all wish we could, and is basically the most chill guy ever. (Like Oz from Buffy. Anyone remember how super chill that guy was?) I was pretty surprised by how cool he was with Addie's admission about being in love with him in an alternate timeline, but I guess since he already had a thing for her, he was able to take it in stride.

Laila's storyline took me a little more time to get into. Connor's whole Teddy Bear on the Inside thing didn't really do it for me... I feel like a disproportionate amount of angry guys turn out to actually be sensitive sweet guys in books. N'est pas? (And is he in the first book? I don't remember his deal.)

Overall, it was a pleasant way to spend two days or so.

Goodreads Shelves: addictive, bechdel-test, fluffy, is-or-would-be-a-good-movie, is-this-a-kissing-book, my-kind-of-woman

Rating: 

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Summary: Mara Dyer believes life can’t get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.
It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can’t remember that killed her friends and left her strangely unharmed.
There is.

She doesn’t believe that after everything she’s been through, she can fall in love.
She’s wrong.

Review: Okay! So... that happened.

So the first half was AWESOME. I LOVED all the crazy hallucinations she has from her PTSD. It was creepy and unsettling, and I really really liked it.

I wasn't really into Noah, though. Lots of "creepy stalker boy" type behavior, although that kind of gets explained later? Maybe? But Mara starts off all kick-a and totally not interested in him, and then all of a sudden... what, he has eyes? He has magical biceps?... and she just kind of loses all her willpower and self-respect and stuff. And was it necessary to indulge in the Rude Boy is Insanely Rich trope? Because that one gets old. Speaking of tropes, though, this book played with the Supernatural/Immortal Boy/Man Falls For Normal Teenage Girl trope in a way I rather liked.

And later in the book... I dunno. It picked up speed, that's for sure, and I liked how the narrative played with my mind -- I knew what was going on, but I could also recognize when something had turned out to be false.

Overall, I like the way the book plays with narratives, and although I'm not sure how I felt about the plot, I like how we got there.

Goodreads Shelves: addictive, bechdel-test, fluffy, is-or-would-be-a-good-movie, is-this-a-kissing-book

Rating: 

For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund

Summary: It's been several generations since a genetic experiment gone wrong caused the Reduction, decimating humanity and giving rise to a Luddite nobility who outlawed most technology.

Elliot North has always known her place in this world. Four years ago Elliot refused to run away with her childhood sweetheart, the servant Kai, choosing duty to her family's estate over love. Since then the world has changed: a new class of Post-Reductionists is jumpstarting the wheel of progress, and Elliot's estate is foundering, forcing her to rent land to the mysterious Cloud Fleet, a group of shipbuilders that includes renowned explorer Captain Malakai Wentforth--an almost unrecognizable Kai. And while Elliot wonders if this could be their second chance, Kai seems determined to show Elliot exactly what she gave up when she let him go.

But Elliot soon discovers her old friend carries a secret--one that could change their society . . . or bring it to its knees. And again, she's faced with a choice: cling to what she's been raised to believe, or cast her lot with the only boy she's ever loved, even if she's lost him forever.

Inspired by Jane Austen's Persuasion, For Darkness Shows the Stars is a breathtaking romance about opening your mind to the future and your heart to the one person you know can break it.

Review: I feel like I have to do this in two parts: Not Compared to Persuasion, and Compared to Persuasion.

Part I: Not Compared to Persuasion

So wow. I have to say, I'm a fan of her post-apocalyptic premise. The class system that is created is... interesting. And the concept of the protocols is a logical one, given the history of their world. Of course, I feel like the history as told by the survivors of this story has to be filtered through a big fat reminder that the kind of people who eschewed technology and hid in caves for several generations are probably rather like the crazy uncles of the world who have bomb shelters on their property out in the sticks and are ready for the zombie apocalypse any day now. Survivalist types, ya know? They exist on the fringes of society now, so it can't be a big surprise that even though they start the new society in the future, their way of thinking becomes a little extreme then, too.

I found the resolution a little convenient. Big moral dilemmas that occupy Elliot's mind for most of the book are suddenly swept under the rug because Kai bats his eyelashes at her? Seriously? Oh, the guy who turns out to be a huge villain (surprising no one) all of a sudden gets retribution? Although now that I think about it, that one came about because of deus ex machina, so I'm actually gonna overlook it, because how often do I get the chance to talk about deus ex machina?

I do like the letters they exchange. It's a cute method of establishing their earlier relationship, as well as slipping in some (SUPER useful) exposition for the readers.

Part II: Compared to Persuasion

Full disclosure: Persuasion is my favorite Jane Austen novel. I have a tumblr called Then He Looked at Me Twice, and there is literally a plot point in Persuasion that centers on the fact that a guy looks at Anne twice. I am not kidding. So yeah, I'm kind of in love with it.

So that being said, let's compare. Let's start with Elliot. One of the things I love about Anne is that she plays it cool. Like, super cool. Pretty much the entire book, she's in constant agony whenever she so much as thinks about Wentworth, but nobody can tell that they even knew each other before. She's that composed. Elliot, on the other hand, is more of a typical teenager: doesn't mind yelling and glaring at Kai a little. While I like that she's got the "in over her head" thing going on a little, I do wish she were a little more reserved, like Anne. Plus, Elliot kind of whines about how alone she is and how she has to do everything by herself, despite the fact that TONS of the Posts who work for her are fiercely loyal to her and constantly go to the mat for her. Anne actually IS alone, because the class distinctions of Austen's novel are much more rigidly adhered to than this one, AND she doesn't whine about it all the time.

And Kai. So in Persuasion, Wentworth doesn't really actively hate Anne. I mean, he does, but he's in denial about it. So his tactic, instead of being super mean to her, is just to ignore her out of existence. He talks to her as little as possible, looks at her as little as possible, and pretty much just pretends she's not there, all the while watching her out of the corner of his eye to make sure she's noticing how COMPLETELY OVER IT he is. And when he does talk to her, he's SUPER polite, hiding his true feelings behind formality. Kai, on the other hand, is a big fat jerk. He's willing to have one-on-one conversations with Elliot, pretty much for the sake of making her feel like crap. He puts her down in front of other people, and he actively encourages other people to dislike her. It makes his reversal later less believable, even accepting the premise that hate is sometimes an expression of love (an unhealthy one, but still). It also makes me respect Elliot less, when she's willing to forgive everything pretty much at the drop of a hat.

Also, Anne knows Wentworth isn't in love with the Louisa Musgrove. She knows what's going on there. I mean, she thinks he's gonna marry her, but she totally knows he's not in love with her. She also realizes that Wentworth being so flirty towards the Musgroves partly for her benefit, to highlight how cold and distant he is towards her. Elliot, on the other hand, believes that Kai IS in love with Olivia. She doesn't know how Kai really feels until the end of the book, whereas Anne has a pretty good handle on Wentworth throughout (except for his still being in love with her early on, but he was fooling everyone at that time, including himself).

So in conclusion, I'm sorry but it looks like the biggest effect this book had on me was to make me want to read Persuasion again.

Goodreads Shelves: addictive, bechdel-test, fluffy, is-or-would-be-a-good-movie, is-this-a-kissing-book, my-kind-of-woman, nook-ya

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