by Kay | Dec 17, 2010 | Reviews |
Dark Life by Kat Falls
Series: Dark Life #1
Published by Scholastic
Pages: 304
Genres: Science Fiction YA, Young Adult
Source: Purchased myself
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Rating: Ty has lived under the ocean for his entire life. Following global warming and the rise of the seas, his family joined an underwater community in hopes of living in the new frontier of the ocean floor. But When Ty meets Gemma, a girl from "topside", who is searching the seas for her brother, she quickly makes his life very complicated. Together Ty and Gemma face dangerous sea creatures and venture into the frontier town's rough underworld as they search for her missing brother. But the deeper they dig, the more attention they attract, and soon Ty and Gemma find themselves being hunted by a gang of outlaws who roam the underwater territories causing havoc, and who seem to have eerie abilities. But Ty has a secret of his own, living underwater for his entire life has meant he has also developed a "special" power. Can he keep it a secret from Gemma and his family or is it time for him to finally tell everyone the truth?
Thoughts: I adored Dark Life. Lately, I’ve been reading books that have been on my wishlist for eons and have turned out to be extremely disappointing. (The Body Finder is a fantastic example of a book I was in lust with – and like most superficial relationships, it fell apart upon actually reading it.) So, my high expectations for the Dark Life were worrying.
But Dark Life lived up to every expectation. It’s science fiction only, instead of space, we’ve colonised the ocean. The book follows some sort of apocalyptic disaster – the opening of the novel has Ty swimming around what seemed to be the ruins of New York City. But, society had moved on, and the apparent overthrow of the modern world is old news.
Dark Life has action, cool underwater gadgets, a couple of quasi-paranormal abilities and a dash of romance. All the perfect ingredients for a brilliant YA novel. But what made me love it were the things that you aren’t thrown at you. Dark Life deals with some pretty serious social, scientific and political issues without seeming preachy. In fact, they are so subtly handled, they can almost be overlooked in favour of the action.
I love, love, love that. Of course, books which wrap up with a take-away message can be great – but I adore the ones that make you stop and think, whilst gently nudging you in a particular direction. Dark Life is that kind of book.
Bottom line? Faaantastic! Read Dark Life if you are looking for something fun yet thought-provoking. Ooh, it also has a male narrator! Isn’t it sad that that is rare enough to warrent excitement?
by Kay | Oct 5, 2010 | Reviews |
Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs
Series: Fins #1
Published by HarperCollins
Pages: 293
Genres: Middle Grade, Paranormal YA, Young Adult
Source: Purchased myself
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Rating: Lily Sanderson has a secret, and it’s not that she has a huge crush on gorgeous swimming god Brody Bennett, who makes her heart beat flipper-fast. Unrequited love is hard enough when you’re a normal teenage girl, but when you’re half human, half mermaid like Lily, there’s no such thing as a simple crush.
When Lily’s attempt to win Brody’s love leads to a tsunami-sized case of mistaken identity, she is in for a tidal wave of relationship drama, and she finds out, quick as a tailfin flick, that happily-ever-after never sails quite as smoothly as you planned.
Thoughts: Wow, is that summary ever… perky! Let me confirm – the writing in Forgive My Fins is about as cheesy and pun-ridden as its summary. Very cute, and very simple to read. If you know a Middle Grader who wishes she were a teen, well, she’d love this book.
Forgive my Fins was really quite cute. It was as Technicolor as its cover and was set in a fishy world that was extremely unique. Think The Little Mermaid, but in jeans and wearing lip gloss. Fun Fun Fun! I really enjoyed the adorable verse and could have swum right into it, had the pages allowed!
But, God, were the characters – and plot – ever simple: X loves Y who is in love with Z (who is kinda annoying). But wait! Y sees the error of her ways after spending time with X. And they all swim off happily ever after. The End!
Admittedly, this could be done brilliantly, but in Forgive My Fins it was just done… simply. Nothing truly bad ever happens to any of the characters, and reaching the final happy ending simply took patience. No baddies running in to ruin the day, just a girl who needed time to to come to her senses. This – along with the writing – is what made it a Middle Grade book for me.
On the other hand, Lily is actually a pretty fair (albeit fishy) representation of a typical teenager. She thinks she knows what she wants – she even claims to be in love – but she hasn’t a clue. Even though this ended with an OTP, it does remind you that not all teen love is meant to last – half the time it only exists in your head!
Bottom line? Very fun, light-hearted read. If you are looking for something to perk you up, look no further! Just don’t expect a serious discussion about the complete and utter decimation of the world’s fisheries… or a serious discussion about anything, really.
To those of you who have already read it: What was with that last chapter??? Bizarre.
by Kay | Sep 8, 2010 | Reviews |
Kiss of Death by Rachel Caine
Series: Morganville Vampires #8
Published by Allison & Busby, Penguin on 2010-04-27
Pages: 256
Genres: Paranormal YA, Young Adult
Source: Purchased myself
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Rating:
Also in this series: Glass Houses, The Dead Girls' Dance, Midnight Alley, Ghost Town, Bite ClubA new chapter in the New York Times bestselling Morganville Vampires saga. Vampire musician Michael Glass has attracted the attention of a big- time producer who wants to cut a demo and play some gigs-which means Michael will have to enter the human world. For this, he's been assigned escorts that include both a dangerous immortal as well as Michael's all-too-human friends. And with that mix of personalities, this is going to be a road trip from hell...
Thoughts: I remember reading that Rachel Caine had had a 6-book plan set out for the Morganville series when she started out. Kiss of Death is book 8 – and her lack-of-overarching-plan is kinda starting to show.
Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed Kiss of Death. Caine’s verse is as addictive as ever. I love these characters and their angst – so, really, how could I not enjoy another visit into their world? But Kiss of Death was definitely a step down from some of the other Morganville books. If I weren’t such a fan, I probably would have been less than impressed.
Kiss of Death takes place outside of Morganville. This is a first for the series which had had the characters literally confined to the city in previous books. Whilst a road trip might sound like a happy-go-lucky time for the gang, things never work out that way for Claire and co. So, there are plenty of new vamps, some kidnapping and, oh, a car chase or two.
Pretty cool… but also pretty pointless. Kiss of Death felt very episodic and monster-of-the-week. A cool monster, sure, but I couldn’t help thinking “… so?” It was a far cry from the epic cliff-hangers of the first 5 books that literally stopped your heart.
Not to mention the most important failure: the epic lack of Myrinn. *cries softly whilst wearing vampire bunny slippers*
However, I do have hope for Morganville books of the future. Fade Out was friggin’ fantastic (and with plenty of Myrinn goodness) and managed to remain self-contained to a single book.
Bottom line? The Morganville Vampires series is fantastic – I highly recommend it. That said, Kiss of Death was not it’s greatest instalment.
Note to the UK publishers: Did something break when publishing Kiss of Death? My cover was in pieces after one light read – not to mention the book was littered with typos. Not cool.
by Kay | Sep 2, 2010 | Reviews |
The Mage in Black by Jaye Wells
Series: Sabina Kane #2
Published by Orbit
Pages: 326
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Source: Purchased myself
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Also in this series: Red-Headed Stepchild, Green-Eyed Demon, Silver-Tongued DevilSabina Kane doesn't have the best track record when it comes to family. After all, her own grandmother, leader of the vampire race, wants her dead.
So when she arrives in New York to meet her mage relatives, the reunion puts the fun in dysfunctional. Not only is mage culture completely bizarre, but everyone seems to think she's some kind of 'Chosen' who'll unite the dark races.
Sabina doesn't care who chose her, she's not into destiny. But the mages aren't Sabina's only problem. In New York's Black Light District, she has run-ins with fighting demons, hostile werewolves and an opportunistic old flame. Sabina thought she'd take a bite out of the Big Apple – but it looks like it wants to bite back.
Thoughts: I absolutely
adore Jaye Wells. Her writing, her characters,
her blog – everything. She writes snarky-but-serious urban fantasy that is violent but amusing. It is a flawless combination that can hook even the most skeptical of UF fans. Honest to God, if I could only read one urban fantasy author for the rest of my life – it would be this one.
Mage in Black picks up right where Red-Headed Stepchild left off. Wells introduces a dozen new characters within the first few chapters – including Sabina’s long-lost twin and her vampire ex. Both of these characters has serious potential to make me hate them – I mean, really, how could I like a competitor for Sabina’s attention when she has the sexy hexy Adam after her?
That I loved both of these so-easy-to-hate characters? Friggin’ awesome. Her sister is adorable and her ex is – frankly – swoonable. (despite being slightly sociopathic – but hey, on Slade it was hot).
Everything I loved about RHSC was in this book – especially the humour! Demon/Cat!Giguhl is back in action – complete with inappropriately violent funnies (Rule #1! You do not talk about Demon Fight Club!). There is also a ton of Sabina Kane character development. She is still the gritty, distrusting and jaded Sabina from RHSC – the words “emotionally traumatised” have nothing on this girl. But she is fundamentally good – or, well, at least not-evil – and watching her start to get that was amazing to read. I am relatively certain that one day she will have a rock-solid moral code.
Until then, this is the Sabina we get to enjoy:
“Believe it or not, there are plenty of ways to satisfy your need for blood without harming anyone.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, but where’s the fun in that?”
– Chapter 6, The Mage in Black
One of the things I love about Wells’ writing is that the humour is just so natural. It doesn’t feel like she is trying to write a “funny” book – instead, she’s writing a book with funny characters. That’s how the series manages to remain an oh-so-serious!UF/Horror novel and not a chick-lit paranormal comedy. Wells can make you want to cry and then have you in hysterics a few pages later.
Even though I gave RHSC 5 stars, I’d say this book is even better than the first. 5.5 stars, if you will. Ok, there’s not as much Adam (*woe is me*), but the villain was 100x more badass and Sabina’s character development goes into the sky-high levels of awesome.
Bottom line? The Mage in Black is gritty, bloody, painfully tragic, kick-ass and hysterical. GO BUY IT. And then lament the fact that the third book in the series, Green-Eyed Demon, doesn’t come out til March 2011.
Give this book to a boy! If you are looking for male-friendly UF, try Jaye Wells on an unsuspecting guy. Unlike a lot of UF out there, Sabina has no one-twu-wuv waiting at home. And no one could claim Sabina was at all “girly” about her feelings.
At least, not without getting their ass kicked.
by Kay | Aug 28, 2010 | Reviews |
Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan
Published by HarperCollins on 2009-02-19
Pages: 240
Genres: Contemporary YA, Young Adult
Source: Purchased myself
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Rating: This is the story of Paul, a sophomore at a high school like no other: The cheerleaders ride Harleys, the homecoming queen used to be a guy named Daryl (she now prefers Infinite Darlene and is also the star quarterback), and the gay-straight alliance was formed to help the straight kids learn how to dance.
When Paul meets Noah, he thinks he’s found the one his heart is made for. Until he blows it. The school bookie says the odds are 12-to-1 against him getting Noah back, but Paul’s not giving up without playing his love really loud. His best friend Joni might be drifting away, his other best friend Tony might be dealing with ultra-religious parents, and his ex-boyfriend Kyle might not be going away anytime soon, but sometimes everything needs to fall apart before it can really fit together right.
This is a happy-meaningful romantic comedy about finding love, losing love, and doing what it takes to get love back in a crazy-wonderful world.
Thoughts: This was a lovely book. Short, sweet and, well, lovely.
When I bought Boy Meets Boy I was somewhat skeptical. I wasn’t sure I would enjoy a book where the world was happy! with sunshine!and flowers! But, luckily, Levithan must have had the same thought. Because although Paul’s high school is a gay kid’s dream come true – the rest of the world in the book is certainly not like that. What Paul considers “normal” is a luxury to everyone else – including his new boyfriend Noah. I think this scene between Noah and Paul kinda sums it up:
“Have you always known?” he asks. I know immediately what he’s talking about.
“Pretty much so, yeah,” I answer. “You?”
He nods, […].
“Has it been easy for you?”
“Yes,” I tell him, because it’s the truth.
“It hasn’t always been easy for me,” he says, then says no more.
– Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan, pg. 49
So while watching Paul come to the realisation that dude, did he ever luck out – there is also plenty of drama without all that pesky coming-out business. Guys can be idiots, even when they are dating other guys. And just because you don’t have to worry about getting bashed doesn’t mean you can’t royally screw up. Which Paul does. Very successfully.
I was also very impressed by Levithan’s writing style. This is a short novel, filled with a rich and diverse cast of characters – Levithan made each of them shine bright. Not to mention his writing style is elegant as hell and some of his ideas are out of another world. The book opens with the boys dancing on a night out – in a bookstore. Honestly, how brilliant is that?
Bottom line? This is a lovely, elegant tale. Short and sweet, I was loath to put it down.
