January Mini-Reviews

Title: Since You've Been Gone
Author: Mary Jennifer Payne
Publication Date: February 17, 2015
Genre: Contemporary

Is it possible to outrun your past? Fifteen-year-old Edie Fraser and her mother, Sydney, have been trying to do just that for five years. Now, things have gone from bad to worse. Not only has Edie had to move to another new school she's in a different country.

Sydney promises her that this is their chance at a fresh start, and Edie does her best to adjust to life in London, England, despite being targeted by the school bully. But when Sydney goes out to work the night shift and doesn't come home, Edie is terrified that the past has finally caught up with them.

Alone in a strange country, Edie is afraid to call the police for fear that she ll be sent back to her abusive father. Determined to find her mother, but with no idea where to start, she must now face the most difficult decision of her life.

Puns, Whales, & Tattoos: Review of Salt & Storm

Title: Salt & Storm
Author: Kendall Kulper
Publication Date: September 23, 2014
Genre: YA Paranormal

A sweeping historical romance about a witch who foresees her own murder--and the one boy who can help change her future.

Sixteen-year-old Avery Roe wants only to take her rightful place as the witch of Prince Island, making the charms that keep the island's whalers safe at sea, but her mother has forced her into a magic-free world of proper manners and respectability. When Avery dreams she's to be murdered, she knows time is running out to unlock her magic and save herself.

Avery finds an unexpected ally in a tattooed harpoon boy named Tane--a sailor with magic of his own, who moves Avery in ways she never expected. Becoming a witch might stop her murder and save her island from ruin, but Avery discovers her magic requires a sacrifice she never prepared for. -Goodreads

3 Stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown for this copy, which did not affect my review in any way.

Salt & Storm was weird as hell. Whether that's a good or bad thing is completely debatable.

There are those books that no matter how many battles, how many risks they take, how much danger they're in, the reader knows that in the end, the characters will end up all right. Sure, there is always that near-death moment where the author tries to convince us that the protagonist is about to die and we should be gripping the book for fear of this, but if you've read a variety of YA books you can easily see through this ploy.

Mini-Reviews: If You Find Me, and The Diamond Thief

Title: If You Find Me
Author: Emily Murdoch
Genre: Contemporary
Publication Date: March 26, 2013

There are some things you can’t leave behind…
A broken-down camper hidden deep in a national forest is the only home fifteen year-old Carey can remember. The trees keep guard over her threadbare existence, with the one bright spot being Carey’s younger sister, Jenessa, who depends on Carey for her very survival. All they have is each other, as their mentally ill mother comes and goes with greater frequency. Until that one fateful day their mother disappears for good, and two strangers arrive. Suddenly, the girls are taken from the woods and thrust into a bright and perplexing new world of high school, clothes and boys.

Now, Carey must face the truth of why her mother abducted her ten years ago, while haunted by a past that won’t let her go… a dark past that hides many a secret, including the reason Jenessa hasn’t spoken a word in over a year. Carey knows she must keep her sister close, and her secrets even closer, or risk watching her new life come crashing down. -Goodreads

3 Stars

I hadn't anticipated the depth and power of If You Find Me when I first acquired it. I didn't expect it to be such a dark, deep novel. It tells the story of a girl who has lived in the woods her entire life, along with her sister and drug-addicted mother. She is completely disconnected from society, and has trouble adjusting into the life of a normal teenager.

Review: Time After Time, by Wendy Godding

Title: Time After Time
Author: Wendy Godding
Genre: YA Paranormal/Historical Fiction
Publication Date: April 1, 2014

She has died countless times before, and she is not going to let it happen again.

Abbie Harper dies just before her eighteenth birthday. It has happened before, more times than she can remember — and always at the hands of the same man. Her dreams are plagued with past lives, cut short.

But this latest dream feels different. Her past life as Penelope Broadhurst — an English pastor’s daughter in 1806 — keeps bleeding into her present life in ways both sinister and familiar. As Penelope meets and falls in love with the dashing Heath Lockwood, so too does Abbie meet the brothers Marcus and Rem Knight. One wants to love her; the other to kill her.
Time is running out for Penelope, but as Abbie mourns her inability to change the past, she chases the slim chance to save her future. To survive, she must solve the puzzle of an ancient love story…and Penelope just might be able to help. -Goodreads

1 Star

*Thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book.*

When I see this book:

This book was horrible. It epitomized the word horrible.

Review: Second Star, by Alyssa B. Sheinmel

Title: Second Star
Author: Alyssa B. Sheinmel
Genre: Contemporary
Publication Date: May 13, 2014

A twisty story about love, loss, and lies, this contemporary oceanside adventure is tinged with a touch of dark magic as it follows seventeen-year-old Wendy Darling on a search for her missing surfer brothers. Wendy’s journey leads her to a mysterious hidden cove inhabited by a tribe of young renegade surfers, most of them runaways like her brothers. Wendy is instantly drawn to the cove’s charismatic leader, Pete, but her search also points her toward Pete's nemesis, the drug-dealing Jas. Enigmatic, dangerous, and handsome, Jas pulls Wendy in even as she's falling hard for Pete. A radical reinvention of a classic, Second Star is an irresistible summer romance about two young men who have yet to grow up--and the troubled beauty trapped between them. -Goodreads

1 Star

You'd think a novel set so very locally to me would instantly make it appealing. You'd think.

You'd think a novel with such a compelling blurb would call to me. It did. And boy, was I displeased.

I think I shall dissect that synopsis sentence by false sentence just for the fun of it.

"A twisty story about love, loss, and lies, this contemporary oceanside adventure is tinged with a touch of dark magic as it follows seventeen-year-old Wendy Darling on a search for her missing surfer brothers."

Was there love? No. Was there loss? Only if you count a loss of my precious time. Were there lies? Sure, but I don't see how this helps market the book. There was NO adventure, only whining about everything that can possibly be whined about.

Stacking the Shelves (12)

I haven't done a STS in a whiiiile. But, I'm back!

Here is ze showcase:

FOR REVIEW:

1- Time After Time, by Wendy Godding
2- The Truth About Alice, by Jennifer Mathieu
3- Second Star, by Alyssa B. Sheinmel

FROM THE LIBRARY:

1- This is What Happy Looks Like, by Jennifer E. Smith

2- Tarnish, by Katherine Longshore (review to come!)

3- A Soldier's Secret, by Marissa Moss

BOUGHT:

1- The Golem and the Jinni, by Helene Wecker
2- A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens
3- Cress, by Marissa Meyer (review to come!)

What's on your STS?

Stacking the Shelves (11)

Hosted by Tynga's Reviews

For Review:

1- The Queen's Choice, by Cayla Kluver

2- Queen of Hearts, by Colleen Oakes

3- The Long Way, by Michael Corbin Ray and Therese Vannier

4- We Were Liars, by E. Lockhart 

5- The Winner's Curse, by Marie Rutkoski

From the Library:

1- Unhinged, by A.G. Howard

2- Finnikin of the Rock, by Melina Marchetta

Bought:

1- Jane Austen Collection

2- Arabian Nights

Make sure to link below so I could check out your STS!

Stacking the Shelves (10)

Bought: 

The Madman's Daughter, by Megan Shepherd

Library:

1- This Song Will Save Your Life, by Leila Sales

2- Scarlet, by Marissa Meyer

3- Lola and the Boy Next Door, by Stephanie Perkins

4- The Fiery Heart, by Richelle Mead

Won: 

Thank you Macmillan and First Reads! *dies 5 times*

For Review: 

We Were Liars, by E. Lockhart

Stacking the Shelves (9)

Library haul!

1- Dark Triumph, by Robin LaFevers

2- No and Me, by Delphine de Vigan

3- Cinder, by Marissa Meyer 

Bought:

The Harry Potter Special Edition Book Set! *dies*

1- Stardust, by Neil Gaiman

2- World After, by Susan Ee (read the review here)

3- Tiger Lily, by Jodi Lynn Anderson (review to come)

From Netgalley:

Granada Gold, by S A Carney

On a side note, I'm looking for a co-blogger, so if anyone is interested, fill out the form here.

Review: Defy, by Sara B. Larson

A lush and gorgeously written debut, packed with action, intrigue, and a thrilling love triangle.

Alexa Hollen is a fighter. Forced to disguise herself as a boy and serve in the king's army, Alex uses her quick wit and fierce sword-fighting skills to earn a spot on the elite prince's guard. But when a powerful sorcerer sneaks into the palace in the dead of night, even Alex, who is virtually unbeatable, can't prevent him from abducting her, her fellow guard and friend Rylan, and Prince Damian, taking them through the treacherous wilds of the jungle and deep into enemy territory.

The longer Alex is held captive with both Rylan and the prince, the more she realizes that she is not the only one who has been keeping dangerous secrets. And suddenly, after her own secret is revealed, Alex finds herself confronted with two men vying for her heart: the safe and steady Rylan, who has always cared for her, and the dark, intriguing Damian. With hidden foes lurking around every corner, is Alex strong enough to save herself and the kingdom she's sworn to protect?

1 Star

*Thank you Scholastic for sending me this copy via Netgalley.*

Blergh. DNF at 85%.

Stacking the Shelves (8)

From the Library:

    

1- The Piper's Son, by Melina Marchetta

2- Saving Francesca, by Melina Marchetta (review to come)

3- The Sky is Everywhere, by Jandy Nelson

4- The Knife of Never Letting Go, by Patrick Ness

5- Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Bought:

  

1- Thin Space, by Jody Casella

2- All the Truth That's In Me, by Julie Berry

3- I Am Malala, by Malala Yousafzai

Netgalley: 

 

Defy, by Sara B. Larson

What's on your Stacking the Shelves? Link up!