Category Archives: Something a Little Different

These are the books with supernatural, paranormal, and fantastical twists.

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Book Review: A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray

Title: A Thousand Pieces of You
Author: Claudia Gray
Series: Firebird
Rating: ★★★

A Thousand Pieces of You

There are a few book themes and topics that can end up making a book amazing or absolutely destroying it. Jumping between alternate realities is one of those. Not only does an author have to create one world where reality jumping is possible, but the other realities must be developed as well. Plus, the science behind the jumping has to at least make a little sense. I picked up A Thousand Pieces of You because I wanted to see if Gray was able to create a book that sounded as good as the book description. While I wished for a little more development in some areas, Gray was able to write a book I really enjoyed.

Marguerite has just lost her father. He’s been killed and she knows who the killer is. So she takes the technology her parents developed, the Firebird, along with Theo. Theo is one of her parents’ research assistants. Together, they take off through alternate realities in search of Paul, another research assistant and the killer.

First things first. The world building. We are dropped right in the middle of Marguerite’s mourning of her father. It’s a bit different from the norm, and in this case it just didn’t work. I wish I could have seen a little bit about Marguerite and her father’s relationship, so I knew where we were starting. I didn’t feel her grief as much as I would have liked. I think maybe dropping the story in a day before everything happened would have given me that connection.

As for the other worlds, I think they were sufficiently described and created. Would I have liked a little more in-depth building? Sure, but I also realize that would have made the book ridiculously long and wouldn’t have served the greater purpose.

I’m a little on the fence about Marguerite as a character. I think she’s incredibly brave for using untested technology to search for her father, but also a little unstable, understandably, for it as well. She also makes a few decisions that left me scratching my head. She believes people in certain situations that most people with common sense wouldn’t believe.

In the end, A Thousand Pieces of You was a good book. It handled the alternate reality well. I just found it a little difficult to fall into the story and connect with the main character. I enjoyed reading it, but it wasn’t the amazing book I’d hoped for.

If you’d like to purchase a copy of A Thousand Pieces of You, you can do so here
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Thank you to Edelweiss and HarperTeen for an advanced copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.

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New Review: Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch

Title: Snow Like Ashes
Author: Sara Raasch
Series: Snow Like Ashes series
Rating: ★★★★★

Snow Like Ashes

Snow Like Ashes has an amazingly built world. The struggles of the different Kingdoms are extremely real. We don’t get to see the “before” in this story. We begin with struggles and those struggles remain and change through the book. Meira struggles to find her place in the world, and the fact that her struggle is all a part of a much larger, more encompassing struggle is what makes this book so wonderful.

Meira is one of a handful of survivors from the Kingdom of Winter. She was only an infant when Spring attacked and destroyed Winter’s magic conduit. Without the conduit, the Kingdom’s magic can’t be accessed and used. A small group was able to escape and have spent the last 16 years trying to find the pieces of their conduit and restore the royal line to the throne. When one half is discovered, it sets off a series of events that changes everything Meira knows about herself and the group of survivors.

I liked Meira. She was a real girl, with fears and insecurities, but she also wanted to make a difference. She wants to be able to help the survivors restore their magic. She’s tired of being kept safe and protected. When she is finally able to go on a mission, she makes sure she shows just how much she wants to help.

Meira is also in love with her best friend, who just happens to be the king of Winter, if there was a Winter to rule over. She knows they can’t have anything, since he must be married to someone equal in status, but she can’t just turn off her feelings.

There is a bit of a love triangle in the book, and I’m not entirely sure where I want it to go. Both guys are wonderful, so far, and it’s clear Meira likes both. I’m not even sure if it’s a full-fledged love triangle yet. It’s more of a swoony feelings triangle. I rather enjoyed this triangle.

I am incredibly interested to see where Raasch takes this story next. The ending of Snow Like Ashes wasn’t a big cliffhanger at all. It only teased at what is to come. I’m looking forward to getting the next book and finding out what is next for Meira to tackle.

If you’d like to read Snow Like Ashes, you can purchase it here:
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Thank you to Edelweiss and Balzer + Bray for an advanced copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.

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New Review: Exquisite Captive by Heather Demetrios

Title: Exquisite Captive
Author: Heather Demetrios
Series: Dark Caravan series
Rating: ★★★★★

Exquisite Captive

I loved this book. I was actually surprised by how much I enjoyed reading it. If I’m being honest, my only real experiences with jinn are those of “I Dream of Jeannie” and Genie from “Aladdin.” Those are not even close to the jinn in Exquisite Captive; Demetrios created an amazing story surrounding her characters.

Nalia is the last jinni of her race. She survived a coup that left everyone she cared about either dead or tortured. She is stuffed into a bottle and sold into slavery. Enter Malek. He is her master. He is abusive. And controlling. And confusing. But he is not a love interest.

I am sure some people will disagree with me on that point. Nalia does have conflicted feelings about Malek, but I don’t believe she ever feels love towards him. Caring? Sure. Sympathy? At times. But not love. Her relationship with Malek is like that of a Stockholm Syndrome victim with his or her captor. Malek has had power and control over her for so long, and has scarred her enough with her bottle, that when his behavior changes, she finds kindness.

The relationship between Malek and Nalia is an abusive one. Nalia recognizes that what she feels for Malek can’t be called love, just as what Malek believes he feels for her is not love. Not once did I get the feelings that I was supposed to want a romantic relationship between them.

On the other hand, Nalia’s relationship with Raif is not abusive. It starts out rough because they each want to use the other for a purpose. Raif wants the ability to save the Jinn races, and Nalia wants to be free from her bond to Malek. However, there is not the same abusive tone with their relationship. They certainly don’t like each other right away, but neither individual abuses the other. They develop their relationship slowly, and I enjoyed every second of it.

I am absolutely enthralled by this story and hate that I have to wait so long for the next book. I want to know what is going to happen next, both on Earth and in the jinn world. There are so many pieces to this story that just as I start to think the book couldn’t get any better, it does.

This is definitely a must read book. Demetrios will draw you right in and, if you’re like me, you won’t be able to put the book down.

If you’d like to read Exquisite Captive, you can purchase it here:
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Thank you to Edelweiss and Balzer + Bray for an advanced copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.

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New Review: Stray by Elissa Sussman

Title: Stray
Author: Elissa Sussman
Series: Four Sisters
Rating: ★★★★

Stray

I was intrigued when I read the description for this book. A new fairy tale? As someone who grew up on fairy tales, I knew I had to read this book.

Aislynn is a princess. She’s not exactly a popular princess, and she struggles with the magical power she’s being trained to control. All her lessons have reinforced the idea that magic is bad, and that to use magic is to stray from the Path. When her magic overwhelms her at the Introduction Ball, where she’s supposed to be introduced to her future husband, she is redirected and becomes a fairy godmother instead.

Fairy godmothers aren’t supposed to feel anything. They are trained to use their magic for specific purposes and to help their master’s control their own magic. But Aislynn is different and she soon stumbles into a secret others at the school are determined to keep quiet.

I wasn’t sure I’d like Aislynn’s character. When she was a princess, I felt very meh about her character. Once she was made a fairy godmother, she started to really question things and I started to like her more. She saw that the way of the world was flawed. She saw that everything she was told wasn’t always correct. She questions the rules and The Path and that made her much more likable, in my opinion.

There’s a hint of romance in this book, but it’s not overwhelming. It was just enough to have little sweet moments and happiness. Each time something happened, I smiled.

The world Sussman built is wonderful. I can easily picture everything in my mind. More than that though, she created a world that made me cheer for Aislynn, even when I wasn’t her biggest fan. The fact that she made everyone, in the beginning of the novel, seems on focused on The Path and how wonderful it is. Not one questioned it. It was the way of the world and didn’t deserve to be examined. Or that’s how it appeared on the surface. Once Aislynn becomes a fairy godmother, she realizes the system should be questioned, and she starts asking.

I’m interested in seeing how this becomes a series. I can see both companion and sequel novels working. I’ll definitely be keeping my eye out for Sussman, and this is a book anyone who loves fairy tales with a twist will enjoy.

If you’d like to read Stray, you can purchase it here:
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Thank you to Edelweiss and Greenwillow Books for an advanced copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.

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New Review: Deliverance by C.J. Redwine

Title: Deliverance
Author: C.J. Redwine
Series: Couriers Daughter Trilogy
Rating: ★★★★★

Deliverance

I have been anticipating this book for a while. Defiance and Deception set the bar high, but I had faith that Redwine would deliver. Something about how well she crafted the characters and created the world made me believe she would be able to not only meet my expectations, but also surpass them. With Deliverance, she did.

Creating a wonderful romance, and then separating the characters might put off some people. It could show the characters’ weaknesses, or even turn them from characters I once loved to characters I find annoying. Yet when Redwine did it, I saw the reasoning. I saw how Rachel wasn’t ready to face Logan yet. I understood how Logan needed to do this on his own first. Their romance was sweet and wonderful first. Deliverance is what made them real.

The rest of the story kept me guessing. These characters constantly found themselves taking one step forward, only to be shoved three steps back. Just when they think they’ve got a plan, someone throws a wrench and their plan has to change. Separately, Logan and Rachel are working with friends to reach an ultimate goal of destroying the tech that controls the Cursed One and removing the Commander from his power.

I think the most interesting thing about Deliverance is that Redwine takes the villainous characters, characters that you don’t want to like, and makes them relatable. You see that the Commander has his weaknesses and vulnerabilities. You see what him the man he is in the story. People aren’t born evil, and Redwine shows that.

I’m sad to see the Defiance series end. I’ve fallen in love with Rachel and Logan. I want to have friends like Quinn and Willow. As much as I wish there was more story to tell though, Deliverance ended the way it should. The story had reached its end and the characters were ready to move on. Deliverance is one of the best examples of how to end a series that I’ve ever read. Definitely put this entire series on your “To Read” list.

If you think Deliverance sounds like a good read, you can purchase a copy here:
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Thank you to Edelweiss and Balzer + Bray for an advance copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: Arcana by Jessica Leake

Title: Arcana
Author: Jessica Leake
Rating: ★★★★

ArcanaArcana started off a little shaky for me. It wasn’t that it was bad, but it didn’t hook me right away. I continued reading, though, mostly because I’m a history nut and this book has some history in it. After the rocky start, things really started to pick up, and I found myself unable to put the book down until I had finished.

Katherine Sinclair is different from most people in more than a few ways. As a girl, she’s completely uninterested in going to London for her debut. She doesn’t really think she needs a husband, and she finds the social rules smothering. She also has the power of the sun inside her. She can call upon this power for magic, and even though she keeps it hidden most of the time, sometimes she can’t help but let her magic flow. On top of this, she is forced to London where the handsome Earl of Thornewood is her companion. She must figure out who is part of the Order whose only goal is to harness the power of Arcana through destructive means, while trying to maneuver London society.

Katherine didn’t connect with me right away. Her character felt a little out of reach. Once she made it to London, where she struggles with keeping her true character hidden behind the picture society paints, I started to like her more. She has a quick wit, and sometimes her mouth runs without thinking. She thinks of her family first, and cares deeply for anyone who she considers close to her. She also knows that she can’t depend on anyone else for her safety. She may not always be ready to fight, but she’ll try to find a way to keep herself from harm.

The two male characters in this novel were interesting. I would have liked maybe a little more mystery about who was good and who was bad, but I’ll take what I can get. It was pretty clear from the moment both characters were introduced how they would be divided. While there’s really nothing wrong with this, sometimes I like to guess.

The plot itself was interesting. I would have liked a little more weaving of the arcana into the story. I think the novel could have easily read as a good book without the magical element. I wanted the magic there, though. Near the end, it became more of the storyline, but I would have liked more throughout the entire novel.

Arcana started off slow, but soon I was completely drawn into the world Leake created. She has a beautiful writing style and she really made me interested in the characters’ lives. It’s a good book, although you’ll have to like historical fiction and debutante politics.

If you’d like to read Arcana, you can purchase it here:
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Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher, Talos, for an advanced copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: Wild by Alex Mallory

Title: Wild
Author: Alex Mallory
Rating: ★★★★★

Wild

I wasn’t sure I would enjoy reading Wild. It is an interesting idea for a novel, but I felt like there were a lot of places things could go wrong. I didn’t want to be reading and enjoying the book, and then be taken completely out of the novel. I gave the book a change, though, and I’m incredibly happy I did.

All Cade has known is life in the wilderness. He lived with his mother and father and was always told viruses had destroyed the world. People were wiped out and anyone left was dangerous. He learned how to take care of himself and live off the land. His parents died, and he had been on his own for three years, when Dara and her boyfriend come to his area to camp. Dara is only the second female he’s ever seen, and is so different from his mother that he wants to meet her. When Cade finally comes out from hiding, it opens doors no one knew existed. Cade is thrown into city life and quickly becomes overwhelmed. Dara is one of the few people he trusts and who believes him. All Cade wants is to get back to the home he knows, but nearly everyone is trying to keep him from going back.

I felt so much for Cade. He has known only one life, but he’s suddenly thrown into a new world, one he thought was gone, and he’s faced with people who don’t believe him and don’t trust him. He risked everything he found comfort in to say hello to Dara because she looked like no one he had ever seen before. Cade is fascinated by the world, but he just wants to get back to the world he knows.

Dara knows that she and her boyfriend are heading in different directions, but she can’t seem to bring herself to put a final end on things. Seeing Cade only makes her more sure that her relationship has reached an end. It’s clear that there’s an attraction with Cade, but both of them don’t acknowledge that, instead focusing on getting to know and understand each other. She’s extremely caring and I enjoyed her character. Her growth from beginning to end was perfect.

I’ll admit I wasn’t sure about a Tarzan retelling. My favorite part of the Disney story was the gorillas, not the actual story. But Wild is so much better. The characters made me care about the story. I wanted everyone to be happy, but knew that’d be nearly impossible for that to happen. But the ending was the most perfect one I could imagine. It’s open, but I still got the feeling that everything ended how it was supposed to. I can easily picture the future for these characters in a way that makes me happy.

Wild was the book I hoped it would be. Everything was handled the way it needed to be, and nothing felt wrong. Cade was the perfect mix of wild and civilized. Dara was the best person to find him. I loved everything about this story.

If you’d like to read Wild, you can purchase it here:
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Thank you to Edelweiss and HarperTeen for an advanced copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: The Vanishing Season by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Title: The Vanishing Season
Author: Jodi Lynn Anderson
Rating: ★★

The Vanishing Season

I’m just not sure about this book. I wanted to like it, to feel worried about the fate of these girls, to wonder about the characters and what was happening. I just never felt it. The writing was beautiful, but the characters and plot just weren’t there for me. It was supposed to be a story about friendship, with some mystery thrown in, but I never felt that.

Maggie moves to a rundown house on a lake in the north. She’s not thrilled about having to leave her life and friends behind her, but because her parents are struggling for money, she accepts it. She makes it work. Pauline and Liam are her neighbors. Pauline’s mother tries to put on appearances, but ever since her husband and Pauline’s father died, she hasn’t been able to feel happy. Liam’s father is the outcast of the town, and his actions make the town think Liam and his father are crazy. Maggie befriends them both, and eventually has feelings for Liam. In the midst of the move, girls begin to disappear and reappear killed. Panic ensues and Maggie and her friends must try to figure out their new friendship while wondering who will be killed next.

Maggie was a fine character, but I think she needed a little bit more of a backbone. I can see a lot of myself in her. I’d sacrifice almost anything for my family. I’m not very confrontational. I tend to think things through and then overthink them. But I can stand up for myself when I need to. And that’s what I wanted Maggie to do. It’s one thing to allow your friends to push you. But when you let them walk all over you, it’s not healthy. I wanted Maggie to stick up for herself.

Pauline was tough to handle. I really have a problem with the acceptance of her character traits. She was pushy and tended to not think of how her actions would affect others. As a foil, Pauline is excellent. Her character makes Maggie’s qualities stand out even more. But as a person, I don’t think I’d be able to have her as a friend. It was difficult to read. Liam wasn’t bad, but he wasn’t great either. I could tell from the beginning how he would play a part, but that didn’t mean I was okay reading it. I understand why things happened the way they did, but I still didn’t enjoy reading it.

I was ready to have a mystery to solve; one that maybe gave me the chills. Instead, the mystery was the background and I never really felt like it was resolved well. I don’t always need a perfect little bow on each open thread of a story, but some sort of resolution is nice. For how much the story would emphasis the mystery at times, much of the story just felt flat. There’d be mystery for a few pages, and then absolutely nothing.

The Vanishing Season is not the book I thought it would be. It has beautiful writing, but that’s about where the great qualities end. It just wasn’t the book I wanted to read, and the characters didn’t make me want to read. I’m sure there are people who will love this book, but I am not one of them.

If you’d like to read The Vanishing Season, you can purchase it here:
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Thank you to Edelweiss and HarperTeen for an advanced copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings

Title: The Murder Complex
Author: Lindsay Cummings
Series: The Murder Complex
Rating: ★★★★

The Murder Complex

I’m a little weird about blood and killing. It doesn’t bother me, really, but gratuitous amounts of it annoy me. So I was a little hesitant that a book with the title The Murder Complex would be one of those books that would overdo it on the killing. And I won’t lie, there is death and blood and killing. But it didn’t feel like it was killing for the sake of it. I enjoyed this book quite a bit.

Meadow lives with her sister, brother, and father on a houseboat. They are getting by on the serving or rations her father earns, but they need more. She has been trained by her father her entire life to protect herself through any means necessary and uses those skills to earn a job in the city. One evening, she comes across a dying Zephyr and for a reason she can’t quite explain, she stops and helps to save his life. From that point on, their lives are intertwined.

Meadow is a fighter. She doesn’t show weakness. It’s the only way to try and survive in the world. When the murder rate is higher than the birth rate, one must always be ready to fight. Her family, however, is her soft spot. She can take any beating, fight any enemy, but her family is where to hit her hardest. I liked Meadow, and I liked her moxie, but I want to see a little more depth of character. She’s got a great beginning and I have hopes that she’ll develop a little more as the series progresses.

I’m not sure about Zephyr. He’s not really my kind of guy, but he works with the story. He’s lived a life of struggles, and has a past that he doesn’t even understand. My only problem with his character has to do with a problem I find common in a lot of novels. The idea of instant love. And granted he has dreamed of a girl like Meadow for a while, but to love a dream of a person is different than loving a person. I’m hoping this idea is explored more going forward.

The story of The Murder Complex is something I haven’t read before. In the genre of dystopian fiction, there can be a lot of repetition or an author can try to be so different that it borders on the unbelievable. Cummings writes a world that paints a dire picture of the world, but adds a unique spin. I’m definitely intrigued by this world and am looking forward to more.

The Murder Complex is a new take on a bleak future. The characters are interesting and have room for growth. This is a series beginning that gives promise of good things to come.

If The Murder Complex sounds like a book you’d like to read, you can purchase it here:
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IndieBound

Thank you to Edelweiss and Greenwillow Books for an advanced copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: (Don’t You) Forget About Me by Kate Karyus Quinn

Title: (Don’t You) Forget About Me
Author: Kate Karyus Quinn
Rating: ★★★★

Don't You Forget About Me

This book messed with my head. In a good way. It’s a complete trip of a book, from beginning to end. Just when I thought I had a handle on what was going on, something would happen that would completely throw me off again.

Gardnerville is a special place. People don’t get sick there. It just doesn’t happen. And sick people who move to the town suddenly aren’t sick anymore. But it comes at a price. Every four years, a teen explodes with deadly consequences. The book begins in the middle of one of these fourth years, just dropping the reader right into the town. Skylar uses pills to forget the past, a past where her sister led teens to their death four years ago. But something finally stops Skylar from forgetting. The secrets she’s held for years have to come out. And as little pieces of the truth appear the story becomes even more confusing and amazing.

Skylar is an interesting character. She just wants to forget what happened to her family. She wants to forget that her sister was the cause of the last fourth year destruction. She wants to forget about the evil that possesses her town. She just wants to forget. But forgetting means she can’t move forward with her life. As her secrets are shown, between flashbacks and the present day, she becomes a great character. It’s clear she knows what she has to do for her town, even though only little pieces are shown at a time.

The town is a character itself. It has a strange power to heal people, but it’s not without a price. The town gives, but it also takes. It really made me think about what price I would pay for complete health. A small connection I made to the novel is that the mother of the book had the same disease I do, cystic fibrosis. Obviously, since she lives in the town, it’s not a problem for her anymore. But it made me think about if living in fear of external death would be enough for me to cure my internal death. I can certainly understand why the mother lives in the town, but her life isn’t perfect. She traded one pain for another. It’s an interesting thought; to examine what price a person would pay for perfect health.

I’m going to be honest. I was completely confused for the majority of the novel. But it was confusion I enjoyed, because it meant Quinn has weaved an intense story. Every little piece she gives you s dropped without much context, leaving you to try and piece it together. It’s like putting together a puzzle that doesn’t have a picture until every piece has found its place. You’re working to solve a puzzle where you can hardly figure out where each piece goes.

This is not a book anyone can pick up and enjoy. You have to be able to suspend reason and take the events that happen for what they are. If you can do that, then (Don’t You) Forget About Me is a fantastic book.

If you think (Don’t You) Forget About Me is a book you’d like to read, you can purchase it here:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
IndieBound

Thank you to Edelweiss and HarperTeen for an advanced copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.