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REVIEW: #96 Hereafter by Tara Hudson

May 10, 2011 By 3 Comments

Book Cover

Title: Hereafter
Author: Tara Hudson
Pages: 416
ISBN: 978-0062026774
[Rating:3]

Synopsis:

(Taken from Amazon.com)
Can there truly be love after death?

Drifting in the dark waters of a mysterious river, the only thing Amelia knows for sure is that she’s dead. With no recollection of her past life—or her actual death—she’s trapped alone in a nightmarish existence. All of this changes when she tries to rescue a boy, Joshua, from drowning in her river. As a ghost, she can do nothing but will him to live. Yet in an unforgettable moment of connection, she helps him survive.

Amelia and Joshua grow ever closer as they begin to uncover the strange circumstances of her death and the secrets of the dark river that held her captive for so long. But even while they struggle to keep their bond hidden from the living world, a frightening spirit named Eli is doing everything in his power to destroy their new found happiness and drag Amelia back into the ghost world . . . forever.

Thrilling and evocative, with moments of pure pleasure, Hereafter is a sensation you won’t want to miss.

Review

I had high hopes for this book. Though about a quarter of the way into it, I curled my fingers around my iPad, looked up to the Heavens and exclaimed, “WHY OH WHY?!” Another great idea turned into a instant-love romance that makes me roll my eyes. Now, don’t get me wrong. I am a typical Pisces — I love me some sweet things and gestures. But, my God, love is not instant. (And yes, I totally found my true love when I was a teenager, 15 years old to be exact) so I am open to the idea of teenagers knowing love. But to lead kids on to believe that it happens in a blink of an eye is completely misleading. Plus Amelia was completely void of true character.

I feel a rant coming on but I will hold that rant for another day; another entry.

We are introduced to Amelia. Amelia is a ghost who doesn’t know much about her life before except her first name and where and how she died. She knows she drowned by falling off a high-bridge overpass but she, herself, doesn’t know why. Was she murdered? Was it suicide? She certainly doesn’t feel suicidal. But then again, Amelia doesn’t feel much of anything. Amelia is as empty as you can make a lead character. It’s like she died, lost her memories, and forgot how to be interesting.

Amelia is stuck wandering our world trying in vain to get someone alive to talk to her. We understand very quickly just how lonely life after death has made her (oh isn’t that so comforting?) So when Joshua comes along, a drowning boy who also happens to be her age, Amelia is drawn to him. When he awakens to her presence, he’s not scared. Oh no. Even when she tells him she’s a ghost. What does this “normal” 17-18 year old boy do? Why he invites her to go to school with him? Oh gag. Come on! I love the supernatural. I believe in the afterlife, but if my grandfather (who I know and love) were to appear before me, I sure as heck would scream (at least just a little.)

The story was interesting enough to continue reading and wonder what would happen. I wanted to find out who Amelia was and how she died. But as for the little love thing between Joshua and Amelia — eh, I could not have cared less. I didn’t believe it. This wasn’t a believable romance, even in the supernatural sense. Joshua was too perfect; much too perfect for a teenaged boy. I guess I can’t really complain too much about him, as he’s not stalking her in her sleep or giving her a black eye during lovemaking sessions, and he certainly doesn’t want her blood. But, still.

Will it be a popular book in the genre? Sure. It’s hard to go completely wrong in YA paranormal romance. You give the kiddos what they want and this is the kind of stuff they want whether or not it makes love unbelievable. Is it something that will win awards, absolutely not. But I am sure it’ll win the attention of thousands.

Filed Under: 3 Stars, Books, Genre, Paranormal, Reviews, Romance, Young Adult Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

REVIEW: #95 Ultraviolet by R.J. Anderson

May 8, 2011 By 2 Comments

Title: Ultraviolet (ARC)
Author: R.J. Anderson
ISBN: 978-7613-7408-4
Pages: 304
Price: $17.95 (HC) $12.95 (EB)
★★★★★

Synopsis:

(Taken from back of book) Sixteen-year-old Alison wakes up in a mental institution. As she pieces her memory back together, she realizes she’s confessed to murdering Tori Beaugrand, the most perfect girl at school. But the case is a mystery. Tori’s body has not been found, and Allison can’t explain what happened. One minute she was fighting with Tori. The next moment Tori disintegrated — into nothing.

But that’s impossible. No one is capable of making someone vanish. Right? But Alison has always been different. Nobody seems to see the world quite the way she does ..

Ultraviolet is genre-bending paranormal YA in which Alison discovers that everything she’s believed about herself and the world is wrong– and that she’s capable of far more than anyone else would believe.

Review:

I received this book from the publisher as a digital ARC. I have never heard of R.J. Anderson as of that moment but my eyes and ears are open now. She has caught my attention. Ultraviolet was very easy to get into and I was hooked from the very beginning. It was such a relief to be able to start a book and not be able to put it down until the end. Even at the end I wanted to read more. I really hope that Anderson is currently writing a sequel.

Alison is a young girl of 16 and she wakes up in the hospital, in the psych unit. She can not remember how she got there; not right away, at least. When the memories return, they don’t make sense. Was she really capable of murder? Weeks had passed since Alison had been admitted to the hospital before she woke up. Now that she has calmed down, she is admitted to Pine Hills Mental Hospital into the Red Ward, for those who are in danger of committing violence against themselves or others. That is, until she is fit for the yellow ward.

Everyone thinks Alison killed Tori, but no one can explain how it happened in the supposed time span. How could a young 16 year old murder another girl her age and hide the body within minutes before returning home? Things just do not ad up. Alison does know that one minute she is fighting with the Tori and the next Tori is being pulled apart in a painful, excruciating way. Then she disappears. Is Alison crazy? No one just disappears. More importantly, did Alison do it? Is this some hidden power manifested within her own being?

I felt that Ultraviolet was done very well. R.J. Anderson put a lot of thought and research into the novel, having bits of truth put in. I have never heard of some of the issues Alison faces, the phenomenons, but they exist. To find out what I am talking about, well — you’ll have to read the book. Those who enjoy paranormal YA will definitely enjoy R.J. Anderson’s, Ultraviolet. I found nothing wrong with the book other than the fact that it ended with me wanting more.

Filed Under: 5 Stars, Books, General, Genre, Paranormal, Ratings, Reviews, Romance, Science Fiction, Suspense, Young Adult Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

REVIEW: #94 Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

May 7, 2011 By 4 Comments

Title: Anna and the French Kiss
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Pages: 372
ISBN: 978-0525423270
★★★★★

Synopsis:

(Taken from Amazon.com) Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris – until she meets Etienne St. Clair: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he’s taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.

As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near – misses end with the French kiss Anna – and readers – have long awaited?

Review

I decided to read Anna and the French Kiss because it seemed as if everyone was saying how much of a sweet and adorable read it was. Realizing I am more into chic-lit than I lead myself to believe, I figured I would give it a shot. Anna is the daughter of a world famous author. Her father writes books that are likened to Nicholas Sparks in romance and tragedy and Anna doesn’t think much of him.

Anna is whisked away to study at the School of America (Paris) also known by the students as S.O.A.P. to finish off her remaining year in high school.  Having to leave her best friend, Bridgette behind in America, as well as the boy who could have turned boyfriend, Anna is more than reluctant to study abroad. What upsets her even more is that she never even had the choice.

Anna meets a fellow schoolmate, Etienne St. Clair (who everyone calls St. Clair). St. Clair is half-French, half-American was born in the states to an American mother but grew up in England with his French-father, whom he hates.  Anna is torn between her life at home and the boy she left behind, and the friendship she’s formed with taken St. Clair.

Anna and the French Kiss takes place in one of the most romantic countries in the world and is filled with mentions of the wonderful Parisian foods and locations with a little bit of history in the mix. Although I didn’t find the novel to be life-changing, it was what it was, a cute story in the heart of France. I never felt really attached to the book with the nagging urge to continue reading, but I did find it an enjoyable read. What bugged me, though, was the emotional affair that plagued St. Clair while he was attached to a long-term girlfriend. There were things that happened, that I won’t get into for the sake of spoilage, but it’s not something that was truly understandable. It wasn’t an emotional affair I could sympathize with. I think St. Clair behaved rather selfishly and Anna was too innocent and naive to stay out of it. Normally I hate infidelity in novels, and so it bugged me that infidelity was an issue. It’s very hard to root for a relationship that starts from lies. While I felt affairs were more justifiable in Something Borrowed, I don’t believe it was as easy to accept in Anna in the French Kiss.

That aside, I think it would be a perfect read for a rainy day or an afternoon on the beach.

 

If you have read Anna and the French Kiss, and reviewed it — you may link to your review using the linky tool below:


Filed Under: 3.5 Stars, Books, Chic Lit, Genre, Reviews, Romance, Young Adult Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

REVIEW: #92 Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin

April 24, 2011 By 1 Comment

Title: Something Borrowed
Author: Emily Giffin
ISBN:978-0312321192
Pages: 352 pages
★★★★★

Synopsis: (Taken from Amazon.com)
The smash-hit debut novel for every woman who has ever had a complicated love-hate friendship.

Rachel White is the consummate good girl. A hard-working attorney at a large Manhattan law firm and a diligent maid of honor to her charmed best friend Darcy, Rachel has always played by all the rules. Since grade school, she has watched Darcy shine, quietly accepting the sidekick role in their lopsided friendship. But that suddenly changes the night of her thirtieth birthday when Rachel finally confesses her feelings to Darcy’s fiance, and is both horrified and thrilled to discover that he feels the same way. As the wedding date draws near, events spiral out of control, and Rachel knows she must make a choice between her heart and conscience. In so doing, she discovers that the lines between right and wrong can be blurry, endings aren’t always neat, and sometimes you have to risk everything to be true to yourself.

Rating:
I happened to stumble upon the trailer last week and thought, “Okay.. NOW I have to read this.” Normally I don’t find myself gravitating towards chic-lit. However each time I do read something chic-lit, why is it that I always absolutely love the read? Am I really a chic-lit lover in denial? On top of the whole this book being chic-lit, it also centered around infidelity. Infidelity is a big time pet peeve of mine.

But.

Low and behold — I am routing for the very girl who slept with her best friend’s fiance. WHY OH WHY?! This book was this amazing, immoral, dirty little secret and I loved every second of it.

On another note, I really hate starting books. To me, starting books is like walking into school on the first day and not knowing anyone. You have no real bond to them and you can take it or leave it as far as a second day return goes. You have to really push yourself to go back and to give these people another chance and hope that someday being there will feel natural and you will wonder what life was like without these people in it. Starting books suck, especially for those (like myself) who are scared of change. However, I found that Emily Giffin makes it quite easy to walk in to her story and feel total comfort in the story’s surroundings and an immediate bond to her central character (regardless if you agree with the character’s choices, or not.)

Rachel, the main character, is quite likeable. Even though she’s slept with her best friend’s fiance (who she did know first) she seems to have her head screwed on straight. She has spent years being walked all over by Darcy, her best friend since.. well.. forever. Now that Rachel has turned 30, it was time for her to step out of her friend’s dominate shadows and take charge of her life and really go for what she wanted — even if that was sacrificing her own friendship.

I really enjoyed Something Borrowed. It’s definitely a great beach read and even a great book for a book club as there are a lot of “what if” questions that really dig into morals and worth a good discussion.

Movie Trailer:

Filed Under: 5 Stars, Books, Chic Lit, Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

REVIEW: #91 Delirium by Lauren Oliver

April 21, 2011 By 9 Comments

Title: Delirium
Author: Lauren Oliver
Pages: 448
ISBN: 978-0061726828
[Rating:4]

Synopsis: (Taken from Amazon.com) What if love were a disease? There was a time when love was the most important thing in the world. People would go to the end of the earth to find it. They would tell lies for it. Even kill for it. Then, at last, they found the cure. Now, everything is different. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the government demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Haloway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy. But then, with only ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable.

Review:

Delirium was written by award winning author Lauren Oliver, who wrote popular YA novel Before I Fall. I have heard a lot of wonderful things about Lauren Oliver’s work and have owned Before I Fall for months now, yet Delirium was my first true experience with this new author. When I heard that Delirium was a dystopian novel, I had to read it and pushed it to the front of my “to be read” pile. Delirium was a bit different as it wasn’t a focus on futuristic devices as I’ve seen in many other dystopian novels. Delirium plays with your mind, making a very realistic world and made the thought of such a strict government all the more scary. What is America without its freedom? In the future, the United States of America is extremely regulated and partnerships are made; and made without love You see, love is a disease and a disease to be feared.

The book is about a naive young girl named Lena (short for Magdalena) and she is preparing for her evaluations. She has never had a boyfriend, nor has she ever had any real interest in having one. Gender mixing is not allowed, not until people are “cured” but even then, they are usually already paired and married; destined to spend their life with a stranger. The evaluations are a time to impress the judges as they will set up each person with a fitting partner as well as decide what their future careers will be. The evaluations are meant to impress and people spend a long time in preparation for this special event.

What bothered me most about this dystopian world is the relationship between parent and child. When the government removes the feelings of love from a person’s brain through “the” operation, this also prevents loving feelings for their own children. Although the children grow up with the capacity to love, they grow up not feeling it in return. Isn’t that absolutely horrific? Lena was, in a sense, blessed. The operation failed on her mother and Lena grew up very loved and had a very different relationship with her mother than was normally allowed.

Years after Lena’s mother’s suicide — she begins to question everything. Enter Alex — a cured. Is life without love really a life worth living?

Although it took me a while to really get into the book — once Lena meets Alex and they begin to spend time together, I couldn’t put the book down. Lena’s transformation and character growth is amazing. Delirium is a thought provoking read and worth the add to your “must-read” dystopian collection. Although the beginning is stuffed with background information, it is worth pushing through and getting to the real meat of the story. I recommend picking up Delirium. You will love it.

 

Filed Under: 4 Stars, Books, Dystopian, Reviews, Romance, Suspense, Young Adult Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

REVIEW: #88 Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

April 10, 2011 By 6 Comments

Title: Outlander
Author: Diana Gabaldon
Pages: 656
ISBN: 978-0385319959
★★★★★

Synopsis: (Taken From Amazon.com) Unrivaled storytelling … unforgettable characters … rich historical detail … these are the hallmarks of Diana Gabaldon’s work. Her New York Times bestselling Outlander novels have earned the praise of critics and captured millions of readers.

Here is the story that started it all, introducing two remarkable characters, Claire Randall and Jamie Fraser, in a spellbinding novel of passion and history that combines exhilarating adventure with a love story for the ages….

The year is 1945. Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon — when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient stone circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach — an “outlander” — in a Scotland torn by war and raiding Highland clans in the year of Our Lord … 1743.

Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire is catapulted into intrigues and dangers that may threaten her life … and shatter her heart. For here she meets James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, and becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire … and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

Review: This is actually the second time I have read this book. That is right, the second time. Very rarely in my adult life do I ever re-read books. The first time I discovered Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, I was a senior attending Florida Gulf Coast University. My roommate, Gina, was sitting on her bed with the book in her hands and reading away. Every time I would pass by her room, she was reading. Being the book worm that I was, we got into a conversation about Outlander and she insisted that I had to read it.

Initially, I wasn’t sure I wanted to. After all, I am not a huge fan of period pieces or fantasy or even romance for that matter. But for some reason, I did. From the beginning, I could not put it down. I believe at the time I read it in two days flat (all 600+ pages) . I am amazed that I enjoyed it as much as I did.

Very rarely can something pull me in with such depth of attachment that I physically feel for these characters. Claire Beauchamp Randall has just returned from World War II serving as a combat nurse, having spent the entire time away from her new husband, Frank Randall. Finally reunited again after the wear, they decide to go on a honeymoon to a little bed and breakfast in Scotland. However while observing a mysterious ancient rock formation, Claire finds herself whirled back in time – the 1700s to be exact.

At first Claire thinks she must have stepped foot into some sort of war reenactment but after run ins with the Red Coats, one the horrible Black Jack Randall (a long time ago relative of her very own husband, Frank) Claire realizes that much to her surprise, she has stepped over the boundaries of time.

I loved Outlander because it was obvious to me that Diana Gabaldon did much research into the time period. The characters spoke with a mixture of Gaelic and Scottish-dialect, making it an impressive and really immersive read. Then there is James Fraiser. Oh, wonderful Jamie Fraiser. Some of the things he says are so off the wall amazing that I just want to put them into a cup and drink them morning, noon, and night. (Might I remind you that I am no romance-genre fan) I absolutely loathe cheese and the stereotypical dashing hero lover — but somehow Jamie surpasses all preconceived notions and everything he says just seems genuine, and right.

I know that many people have had issues with moral values in the book; specifically the fact that Claire and Jamie develop an unmistakable intimacy when she is supposedly grieving for the loss of her husband in another time. It’s hard to justify infidelity. In fact, I am hugely against it and often find myself rolling my eyes and huffing over any form of infidelity in movies and I absolutely hate the fact when hollywood romanticizes it. But for some reason, it makes absolute sense. After all their connection was born from political necessity and for her own safety in a land much more dangerous than present day Scotland.

There are other moral issues present, specifically with male-female roles, however when readers read this they have to remember the time is in the 1700s and what Gabaldon has done is painted us a beautiful picture of what life was most likely like during that time. I also think, for what its worth, that Claire (a present day heroine) did a wonderful job of showing everyone she is worthy of respect, regardless of her mysterious arrival into their world and the fact that she is female.

Even if the idea of reading a period piece makes you yawn, or a romance for that matter to roll your eyes — I insist that you give it a try. It is beautifully written and I cannot wait to continue reading the rest of the series to find out what is in store for two of my favorite characters of all time.

Filed Under: 5 Stars, Books, Historical, Reviews, Romance, Science Fiction Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

REVIEW: #78 Dear John by Nicholas Sparks

May 5, 2010 By 2 Comments

Title: Dear John
Author: Nicholas Sparks
ISBN: 0446567337
Pages: 352
[Rating:2]

Synopsis: (Taken from Amazon.com)
An angry rebel, John dropped out of school and enlisted in the Army, not knowing what else to do with his life–until he meets the girl of his dreams, Savannah. Their mutual attraction quickly grows into the kind of love that leaves Savannah waiting for John to finish his tour of duty, and John wanting to settle down with the woman who captured his heart. But 9/11 changes everything.

John feels it is his duty to re-enlist. And sadly, the long separation finds Savannah falling in love with someone else. “Dear John,” the letter read…and with those two words, a heart was broken and two lives were changed forever. Returning home, John must come to grips with the fact that Savannah, now married, is still his true love–and face the hardest decision of his life.

Review:

After too many pages about collecting coins — I had enough of the book. The whole coin collecting thing — was it necessary to open up an entire novel boring me about such a collection? I want to say “no”.

Well, to be fair — I got all the way up until he met this chick and then thought, “boring”. It’s not as if this book was written horribly, as it wasn’t. It just simply wasn’t engaging enough that I had to know what happened with these characters. They were boring and lacked dimension or personality (at least in my opinion). But, that’s just me. I rated it as a two indicating that it just “wasn’t for me”. I am sure others would disagree with the rating, but then again — *shrug*. I just didn’t consider this a romance to remember.

It may be one of those cases where the movie is (in fact) better than the book. I sure hope so.

Filed Under: 2 Stars, Books, Chic Lit, Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

REVIEW: #74 Remember Me? By Sophie Kinsella

April 16, 2010 By 4 Comments

Title: Remember Me?
Author: Sophie Kinsella
ISBN: 0440242401
Pages: 448
[Rating:3.5]

Synopsis: (Taken From Amazon.com) When twenty-eight-year-old Lexi Smart wakes up in a London hospital, she’s in for a big surprise. Her teeth are perfect. Her body is toned. Her handbag is Vuitton. Having survived a car accident—in a Mercedes no less—Lexi has lost a big chunk of her memory, three years to be exact, and she’s about to find out just how much things have changed. Somehow Lexi went from a twenty-five-year-old working girl to a corporate big shot with a sleek new loft, a personal assistant, a carb-free diet, and a set of glamorous new friends. And who is this gorgeous husband—who also happens to be a multimillionaire? With her mind still stuck three years in reverse, Lexi greets this brave new world determined to be the person she…well, seems to be. That is, until an adorably disheveled architect drops the biggest bombshell of all. Suddenly Lexi is scrambling to catch her balance. Her new life, it turns out, comes complete with secrets, schemes, and intrigue. How on earth did all this happen? Will she ever remember? And what will happen when she does?

Review:
On the surface, it’s another superficial Sophie Kinsella novel. But whose to say it’s not enjoyable? Sure Kinsella is unable to write about any “normal” person not in the upper class, able to spend a lot of money — but I still enjoyed the book and read it in about a day.

The novel also had some British slang inconsistencies. I realize that it was written first in the UK and then “translated” to the US (because, you know — us Americans are unable to catch on to slang other than our own..) but other than that (and the superficiality thing) it was an enjoyable read.

Remember Me?is the sort of read that would be perfect for the beach, or on a vacation of some sort. Nothing that requires a lot of thought and if you’re in the mood for a light, fluffy read. I found the concept of losing a big chunk of memory pretty interesting. One minute Lexi’s in a bad relationship, broke, partying with her friends — and the next, she’s married, a successful professional, and with money to spare! Watching the protagonist piece her life back together was quite interesting! I recommend it to anyone who wants something easy to read.

Filed Under: 3.5 Stars, Books, Chic Lit, Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

REVIEW: #55 Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater #Book

January 4, 2010 By 3 Comments

MAGGIE_STIEFVATER-SHIVER

Title: Shiver
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
ISBN: 978-0545123266
Pages: 400
[Rating:3.5]

Synopsis: (Taken from Amazon.com)

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf–her wolf–is a chilling presence she can’t seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human . . . until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It’s her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human–or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

Review:

It took me about a month (??) to finish this book. 80% in part due to the lovely thing I call “morning sickness”. It sort of creates an apathetic feeling towards doing anything that you’ve enjoyed doing it before. Luckily I am feeling better and was able to finish the book this week – finally.

Grace has this odd fascination by wolves, even though she was almost killed by them as a young child. Even though one pulled her from her swing one day in her backyard and savagely started biting her – she recovers quickly only to have this obsession with watching them, especially one wolf with yellow eyes, who she believes saved her from the others who attacked her.

The wolf is Sam, a boy her age who is werewolf. When the temperatures are hot, he is able to take his human form again, but when they drop below 50 degrees, he changes into his wolf counterpart and watches Grace from afar. The part I did enjoy about this  book is that it showed it is possible to develop a connection with a species other than yourself. Something that involves mutual respect and understood boundaries.

What I didn’t understand is how (psychologically speaking) she was drawn to the wolves after her attack. Why and how did she not get some form of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder? Personally, after almost being run off the road by a Winnebago last February on Valentine’s Day, I still have a terrible visions of almost running into a cement wall. When cars drive too close, or begin to sway towards my direction, my heart starts beating fast and I verge on freaking out – as if I am going to relive it all over again. What I don’t get – is, how does Grace not have some sort of anxiety with the wolves?

I hope that Maggie Stiefvater has some sort of explanation for this in the book that is to follow. Over all, Shiver was an enjoyable (although not particularly thrilling, suspenseful or life altering read). It was simply – entertaining. The characters were a bit flat.. as Grace did not seem to have much of a personality, and going in between view points between Sam and Grace was difficult as there were no particular differences in voice.

I enjoyed Shiver, but more than likely will look into borrowing the sequel from the library rather than purchasing it.

If you have read & reviewed Shiver, please feel free to add to Mr. Linky below. Please keep in mind that I am using the more modern Mr. Linky on this review which requires that you leave a comment and click on the box that will include you in participating in this Mr. Linky.

Filed Under: 3.5 Stars, Books, Paranormal, Reviews, Romance, Young Adult Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

REVIEW: #1 – The Time Traveler’s Wife

August 5, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Book Cover

Book Cover

Synopsis:

Henry DeTamble is not your average librarian. A disorder he was born with, titled “Chrono-displacement” causes him to time travel to varying points in his life (both past & future) with out any warning or choice as to where he lands. When Henry travels, he arrives in his destination naked, nauseous, and often famished with ultimate hunger. Living with this disorder since he was very young, he wasn’t completely surprised when (in his 30s) a beautiful, young woman named Clare Abshire finds him and shares obvious excitement in their reunion. Henry, as far as he knows, has never seen her before in his entire life. Claire, on the other hand, has known him since she was six.

Review:

Niffenegger manages to take a science fiction idea (i.e. time travel) and write it into a fiction novel that makes the idea of time travel almost realistic.  Time travel goes from nerdy-geek to romantic-chic. The Time Traveler’s wife draws you into the story almost instantly and keeps you there until the very end.

The story is split between two different point of views (Henry and Clare). Each chapter takes place in a different time and place and point of view. While (at first) it’s confusing keeping track of the dates and ages – it all seems to wrap up by the very end and make perfect sense.  To be honest, however, I found parts to be lacking. For one – when Henry meets Clare in his present day, he is currently in a troublesome relationship with a troubled soul named Ingrid. One date with Clare and he dumps Ingrid flat and is instantly transformed by his love for Clare. Personally, if I was on a date with someone I have never met before and they were telling me all about how much they loved me and how we would eventually marry, it would sort of creep me out. At this point in time Henry is something of a “womanizer” and a bit of “trouble”. I couldn’t imagine Henry at his present day on a date with a woman, hearing her stories, and thinking, “Wow! Let me stop sewing my wild oats and drop everything and be with this woman!”

Their relationship, although full of passion and romance,  seems (at times) masochistic.  While Henry disappears at random times, Clare is expected to just sit and wait for his return. Sometimes the dynamic between the two main characters just seemed down right dirty. Although all interactions between Henry (age 30-something) and his future wife (as a child) were G-rated – the idea that he was there to see his child-bride seemed sort of.. off. Much like the interactions with Jacob and Baby Renesme in the Twilight Series. Something about it was just “icky”.

Overall the book was engaging and intriguing although not without fault. Niffenegger managed to take a difficult concept and tie things together so that questions did not go unanswered. The characters lacked impressive growth, but still likeable enough to continue reading without a second thought. Although this novel was far from perfect, it was still an interesting read and something I will recommend to others.

★★★★★
Filed Under: 4 Stars, Mainstream Fiction, Romance, Science Fiction Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,