Book Review: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Anchor (c) 2011

Paperback

An Original Fairytale

Reviewed by Leah

The Night Circus on Amazon

There are few books in my life I have considered a favorite before finishing. They are so few that I cannot recall which book last made the list.

I will not forget this one.

To give it one word of perfect praise it would be this: Enchanting.

To add more, I would say: atmospheric, comforting, passionate, humble, lyrical, and beautiful.

For more words that would better help you determine your likelihood of reading it, I will explain what little my mind can conjure after leaving the circus.

This is a book for dreamers. It is a book that does not depend (almost at all) upon its characters. While the challenge begins with Celia and wraps around Marco, it encompasses a creation all its own. And that's what the circus is: its own.

Normally, you can categorize a book based upon if it is plot-oriented or character-centered. This is the first book I have ever come across that discards both and has a deep-rooted setting base. You are here for the circus. Marco and Celia's stories are certainly interesting, but between the moments when they are on screen, you are living for their own love letters. That love letter happens to be the circus. Every tent, every attraction, every design is a signature from one to the other and that is what captures you as a reader.

If you are a person who prefers fast reads, this book is not for you. If you are a person that does not savor the tiny details, this book is not for you. If you are a person that likes action with their romance, this book is not for you.

If you are a person that enjoys the enigmatic pull of marvelous prose woven into exceptional scenery while being caught up in a love letter of epic proportions...

Then welcome to The Night Circus. Opens at Nightfall. Closes at Dawn.

Book Review: Grayghost by Tamara Grantham

Grayghost by Tamara Grantham

Crimson Tree Publishing (c) 2018

ARC e-book

Fantasy

Reviewed by Leah

Grayghost on Amazon

This is the last book in the Olive Kennedy, Fairy World M.D. series. You may commence crying.

Summary:

Theht is gone, but so are the portals. For the past four years, Olive Kennedy has been separated from her husband and deprived of the life she was meant to have in Faythander. But at least she didn't destroy the world, right?

Desperate to get back to Faythander, but also pay her bills, Olive has teamed up with her ex, Brent Sanchez, to solve crimes of the more ... unusual sort for the Houston P.D. When one of their mysteries lead them to a broken mirror with traces of magic, Olive is all over it. There's a darkness growing stronger in Faythander, and it's beckoning her home.

Review:

Okay, I can't do a real review because spoilers. While I would love to break down characters and plot and setting, I feel like I have said it all before.

Faythander is one of those magical places that, once you've read about it, makes your everyday life on Earth sorrowful. Does collecting these books count as a symptom of having been to Faythander and needing a half-elf to come diagnose me?

As far as the characters here, they hit you with all the feels. There are so many emotions rocking through you during this tumultuous time, and yet you can't give up on them. We've got new friends, old enemies, and a love story that defies all the odds. I am honored to have endured such grand adventures with such a worthy group.

Alas, at the end of the day, this was a finale. All of the loose ends have been tied, the plot holes filled in, and the mysteries solved. Now it's time to set it aside and enjoy the memories of our Faythander days. For this wonderful marvel is everything we could have wished for the ending of Olive Kennedy's story.

Book Review: Deathbringer by Tamara Grantham

Deathbringer by Tamara Grantham

Crimson Tree Publishing (c) 2017

ARC e-book

Fantasy

Reviewed by Leah

Deathbringer on Amazon

Okay, so I can't do a normal review on this, because of reasons. That being said, I'm going to do my best. (However, I still require a moment to say: LOOK AT THAT COVER! ISN'T IT PURRRRTTTYYY?)

If you've been with Olive on this long journey, then you understand the title and what that means for our heroine. Will she destroy the world or won't she? A prophecy spoken ages ago declares that billions will die at her hands, and it just may be true.

Theht is coming. Olive is more aware of it day after day, and her ability to hold off the goddess diminishes at the same rate. Yet, her stubbornness isn't dead yet, nor is her determination to save everyone she loves from disaster.

There may be a sword for that. And she kind of owes Kull a new one, anyway.

What it means, however, is that she will have to travel to lands unknown and hope Theht doesn't smell blood in the water.

With all of that in mind, I don't think I was expecting the amount of adventure I found in the book. I mean, I should have known better, but I guess I wasn't expecting a trek into enemy territory in search of a druid and a sword. Which made me all the more anxious every time something (invariably) went wrong. With the anticipation heightened due to the title name and the very real consequences that I knew were to unfold, every moment before then just upped the ante for me.

It was fast paced and involved a lot of emotional pull. Having been on this journey with Olive all through the previous books, the realities of this one hit you hard and fast, and it's liable to break your heart.

You are forewarned.

Book Review: Silverwitch by Tamara Grantham

Silverwitch by Tamara Grantham

Crimson Tree Publishing (c) 2016

ARC e-book

Fantasy

Reviewed by Leah

Silverwitch on Amazon

Pretty, pretty cover!

Summary:

Olive has saved Faythander quite enough.  So what's one more stop-the-world-from-ending quest?  It's more than she bargained for.

Taking refuge in Earth Kingdom after the unexpected ending of the bloodthorn, Olive has been dealing with a lot.  Which is why she has avoided returning to the place of her birth for so long.  There are secrets she would rather not share, and realities she would just as like to avoid.

All of which comes crashing down when Fan'twar, her dragon step-father and Sky King of Faythander, knocks on her door and requests that she go on an Arthurian-type quest for a magick weapon.

There's just one problem with that request.  The weapon they need is guarded by Silvestra, the silverwitch dragon.  In a race against the elves, Olive and co. will be hard pressed to retrieve the weapon and make it out alive.

At least Olive is used to desperate times and even more desperate measures.

Initial Thoughts:

Olive has the worst luck.  I mean, really, she does.  This poor girl.  On the plus side?  More adventures for us in Faythander!  I'm game.

Characters:

Olive is still an emotional wreck.  This time it has nothing to do with Kull, and everything to do with an evil Goddess invading her consciousness.  With visions of her destiny taunting her, it's all Olive can do not to push away those who care about her, while still clinging to the hope that she will prevail.  This new adventure only adds to her worries, however, as she faces a dragon with a penchant for riddles and the daily reminder that she could lose everyone she loves.

Kull is King, and he's got problems.  The stability of the Wult Kingdom is fracturing as the conflict with the elves grows closer and his own people begin to turn against him.  All the while the poor guy is just trying to help his girlfriend save the world.  Again.  But new realities settle into him this round and a true fear takes root inside of him.  Thanks to the Silverwitch, Kull changes right before our eyes, and it's heartbreaking.

Also, Heidel has her own things to work through in this storyline, that we thankfully get a closer up view of in the novella Goblinwraith.  I encourage you all to go forth and read it.

Plot & Setting:

We get to see a lot more of Faythander this time as we're dragged around by light rail to the desert country known for nefarious deeds.  We're also uncomfortably aware of our imprisonment in the Silverwitch's castle.  Oh, and a brief glimpse of the much-changed-since-we-first-saw-it capital of the elves.  Lots of hopping around here, and it's all as fantastic as the previous books have led us to expect.

That being said, there's not a lot I can give you about the plot without spoiling all of it.  However, I was pleased.  It was fast-paced.  Olive's luck is awful.  Kull's works desperately to balance it out.  And heartbreak occurs.  All as we've come to expect.

Writing Style:

I will say it with absolutely no shame that I am in love with Ms. Grantham's writing.  Her characterization is always spot on and she keeps true to the reactions her characters have for the situations they find themselves in.  I'm also never given a moment to take a breath as her pace keeps pushing us forward, looking to overcome the next obstacle.  It is a style that I appreciate a lot in my fantasy and why I keep coming back to her books time and again.

Overall Opinion:

Silverwitch kept digging claws into all of the sensitive parts of me, and I enjoyed it.  These books make you endure everything Olive is going through, and they feel no qualms about taking your emotions along for the ride.  In this one, it introduces new fears to our beloved characters as well as to the readers.  Olive's destiny is drawing closer, and everyone is looking to change it.

Book Review: Time Warper: Fated by Peggy Martinez

Time Warper: Fated by Peggy Martinez

Clean Teen Publishing (c) 2015

Kindle Edition

Urban Fiction

Reviewed by Leah

Time Warper: Fated on Amazon

This book and I had zero chemistry.  That saddens me.

Summary:

When Sage Hannigan picked out the pendant in a little store, she had no idea that she was picking out a key to her own powers.  A dream-filled night full of sleepwalking soon lands her in the early 1900s with no idea how she got there.  Thanks to a sudden rescue from a vampire attack, she's introduced to a group of people eager to inform her of the world she's entered.

Sage is a Time Warper, and she's got a big event to deal with before she can make it home.  Dealing with a certain Head Vampire as well as several other preternatural creatures isn't easy, yet it seems far more simple than trying not to fall in love with a man one hundred years in her past.

Initial Reaction:

This book and I lacked chemistry so much that I put it on hold for months after getting only 4% into it.  Though the beginning of the book offers action and mystery, it did not hold my interests.  This is the type of novel I believe you have to be in the mood to read, or else your experience is far less enjoyable.

Characters:

Sage Hannigan was a hit and miss for me.  She had snarky, lippy, sarcastic moments and thoughts that I enjoyed to the fullest.  What she also had was a tragic, touched-upon history that I barely paid attention to.  She also had an incredible ability that she worked hard on controlling that wasn't nearly as cool to see in action as I hoped it would be.  Along with the fact that she has an instant attraction to one man right off the bat.  Add in another 'bond' with a vampire and my feelings for her hit a straight 'meh' streak.  For the most part, there wasn't anything really wrong with Sage, but nor did she inspire me to continue her journey.

Dr. Aldwin Blake felt like an archetype.  There was very little personality to him, in my opinion, other than what we see in several other YA novels.  He was scarred (physically as well as emotionally) and moody throughout much of the novel.  Many of the tender moments he had with Sage gave us very little in the way of his personality or allowed the reader to know why Sage felt so strongly for him.  And the moments that could have given us bigger clues were given more as snapshots instead of as full scenes.

Elaine is one of those characters whose last name I can't remember.  She's a strict, take-no-prisoners, dedicated member of Cerebus–a secret society keeping the preternatural world a secret.  It is her job to train Sage how to fit in with early 1900s society.  With rogue vampires on the loose, her stress level is a little high, and so are her expectations for Sage.

Travis and Phoebe are also cohorts in this little mission, but damned if I know more about them than key plot points that I don't feel like spoiling.

Soren is perhaps one of my more liked characters.  He is a head vampire that knows a thing or two about the way the world works.  His is a cool, calm facade equalized by his passionate nature.

Plot & Setting:

This is a first person perspective novel, so I wasn't expecting much in the way of setting.  What I was treated to, however, felt authentic.  It felt like a girl got dropped into another century and had no way to figure out what in the world was happening.

As far as the plot goes, I felt like it was predictable.  Not in a way that I knew everything that would happen next or even that it felt regurgitated from every other YA novel.  There was just a feeling that, when I was reading it, there was no suspense to it.  The love interests were predictable.  The ending was predictable.  Much of the storyline gave little to feed the imagination.

Writing:

I don't know what to say.  I think the best made up word I can say is: unengaging.  Despite the action scenes, or the emotional ones, I never felt invested in the story.  The writing didn't draw me in, but it also didn't repulse me.

Overall Opinion:

Meh.  I think this is a clear lack of chemistry.  Do I think other people will like it?  Yes.  Should you try it for yourself?  Absolutely.  I just think you need to be in the mood for this.  Even when I was enjoying the book, I still wasn't invested.  So this is something you really have to decide for yourself.

Book Review: Bloodthorn by Tamara Grantham

Bloodthorn by Tamara Grantham

Crimson Tree Publishing (c) 2016

ARC E-book

Fantasy

Reviewed by Leah

Bloodthorn on Amazon

This cover does not disappoint.  I am content.

Summary:

After ten months of nursing a broken heart, Olive Kennedy no longer believes in fairy tales.  Which would be just fine, if the fairies didn't arrive on Earth with the tale of a creature no one is certain exists.  A creature that feeds off of dark energy, and might be a shapeshifter committing the murders of Olive's unique set of clients.

Working at the Texas Renaissance Festival in the hopes of scraping together enough to live off of, Olive never expected for bodies to drop in her lap, Fairies asking for her help on the recommendation of her stepfather, the Sky King, or that her ex––King Kull of the Wults––might be playing bodyguard to her royal guests.  None of which will cease plaguing her life until she retrieves the Fairy Starstone––an object that absorbs all of the dark magic uttered by Fairies, so that they can cast nothing but good, pure spells.

As the death toll rises, and a new drug reveals itself in every case, Olive learns that this mysterious creature, the bloodthorn, has set its eyes on her and her magic.  Feeling like a piece moved about on a game board, Olive knows that not all is as it seems, but she can't figure out how to break the pattern.

Even Kull's luck might not get her through this time.

Initial Thoughts:

Well, I mentioned the cover, right?  Okay, then we're good there.  My initial reaction was, of course, utter glee that I was able to read this as an ARC.  Then it was a whole new refreshing experience being able to immerse myself in the Olive/Kull/Faythander adventures once more.

Characters:

Olive is an emotional wreck in this installment.  If you've read Spellweaver then you know why.  She has good reason to be angry all the time.  Even if it does last ten whole months, and her employer is beginning to question her ability to help clients when she's so unwilling to help herself.  Add a dash of magic disobedience, and she's not in the best of moods.  Throw in the man who broke her heart and another demand to save Faythander, and Olive is a little on the weary side.  And it brings out a whole different woman than the one we've dealt with before.

Kull has also undergone dramatic psychological shifts in the past ten months.  So much so that the people who once worshipped him now avoid him like the plague.  Having inherited the crown of the Wults, he has to think politics all of the time.  Though being on a rough-and-tumble adventure for the sake of the Fairies, it brings out a little more of his old self.

(As a nod to a brief side character that I am praying I see more of, I'd just like to say that Grandamere is fabulous!)

By the way, I am waiting for Brent to reveal his bad guy status.  Even though he might prove to be an ally at some point, and not all that evil, I still dislike him.  Very much.  For eternity.  I don't care how much he proves me wrong.

Plot & Setting:

The setting is once more basking in Texas while melding with Faythander.  Wherever Olive is, you're there.  You feel the change when she goes from Earth Kingdom to her home world, and it's the little things that let you journey with her.  Setting is very important, and this is always done well in these books.

The plot here was very specific in what it had to do, and it did it.  As Olive followed her leads, she did so with a single-mindedness of a desperate woman.  The answers she needs are within reach at all times, and she knows it well.  Of course, there are also new questions that need answering by the time this journey has reached its end.

Writing Style:

I chose to do a reread of Bloodthorn while I was coming off of an Ilona Andrews binge.  Wise move on my part.  While the voices are different, there is a bit of a similarity in style that made this the perfect 'hair of the dog'.  Olive could have been best friends with some of the snarky, witty, ferocious women in the Andrews universe.  Though there are so many darker moments in this book than in previous experiences, Olive still has a witty retort, or exacerbated remark at hand to fight back.  Even when she is struggling, it is always with the idea that she'll keep moving forward.  It is a style of writing and characterization that I absolutely love.

Overall Opinion:

This book offers more sides to both Olive and Kull, and even a few side characters, than we have previously seen, which brings with it a whole slew of emotions.  The adventure and mystery surrounding them carry the reader away and leave them hungering for more.  It is a book I very much enjoyed, and one I will always recommend.  (After you read the first 2.)

Book Review: Spellweaver by Tamara Grantham

Spellweaver by Tamara Grantham

Crimson Tree Publishing © 2015

Kindle Edition

Fantasy

Reviewed by Leah

Spellweaver on Amazon

Okay, first of all: let the drooling commence over that absolutely gorgeous cover!  It is a worthy successor to the cover of Dreamthief.

Summary:

As if Olive Kennedy didn't have enough problems, now she is required to save Faythander.  Again.  From goblins.  Again.  So much for the peaceful fairy world of her childhood.

Tracking goblins would have been easier if Olive wasn't surrounded by a bunch of Wult warriors, she imagined.  Yet, she stuck with them for one Wult in particular: Kull.  Having proven himself a remarkably lucky companion during her Dreamthief escapades, Olive has committed herself to helping track the goblins in order to rescue Kull's sister.  Except, his sister is in love with the goblin leader, Geth, who is on a mission to destroy magic in Faythander.

When Geth succeeds in destroying the Everblossom–a tree containing the last vestiges of pure magic in either world–it is Olive's job to restore the magic to the fairy realm, or watch every magical creature die a slow and painful death.  A point that is driven home the moment she returns to the dragons and seeks her stepfather's advice and finds the Sky King in mortal peril.

Relying more heavily on her Earth Kingdom magic, Olive must locate the Everblossom's last bloom and find where it belongs before all of Faythander's magic is extinguished.  Each step of the way, she fights against Geth's interference, and a few personal obstacles that involve a boyfriend that needs to be slapped with an 'ex' label, and a mother whose mind is clearing by the day now that the spells on her memories are losing their hold.

Perhaps worst of all, however, is the decree that the Wult King has made: that Kull and Olive can never be.  For the Wult Prince's marriage must have political significance, and he does not consider Olive worthy.  And she can't decide if it is better or worse that Kull is eager to discount threats of his inheritance in order to be with Olive.

Being a savior is a tough gig.

Initial Thoughts:

I love Olive.  Kull is hilarious.  The plot is never ridiculous or tests my patience.  And the writing is superb.  This is a series I very much want more of.

Characters:

Olive Kennedy is a desperate woman who doesn't get paid enough to do what she does.  After saving Faythander once before from the threat of the return of the Goddess Theht, she was kind of hoping for some down time.  That didn't happen.  A simple rescue mission turns into another save the world escapade.  And does she flinch from that responsibility?  Hell no!  This woman rolls her shoulders back, gives a sigh that sounds like a muttered 'not this shit again,' and does her job.

She's snarky and realistic.  My love for Olive is unnatural and a bit pathetic.  But it's true: I am in love with Olive's character as a whole.  This is one woman you can count on to do the right thing, no matter the cost.  And sometimes the costs are high, but she does what she needs to anyway.  I really love this aspect to her.

Kull is still his cocky, arrogant, brash, bold self, and damn is it a treat reading about him.  Loyal to the point of stupidity, sometimes, while pushing boundaries he shouldn't at others, Kull is a warrior through and through.  Most compelling is his passion when on a mission.  He has no qualms about charging into danger because danger is where the fun is at.  And his luck often works to counteract Olive's ability to court catastrophe.  They're a perfect pair.

Again, other characters could be discussed at length, but when you have these two, there's really no need.  This is a 'you'll have to read it to understand … so go read it already!' kind of deal.

Plot & Setting:

Magical fairy realm mixed with a little Texan flare.  That's our setting, as Olive moves between the worlds and gives us a very detailed explanation of just what the hell is going on.  It's neither overdone to the point you choke on the details, but nor is it a blank canvas that you have to provide all the details for.  A perfect balance, in my opinion.

As far as the plot…  How do I describe this without spoilers?  This is difficult…

Okay, so the plot is packed with a lot of questions, sporadic answers which induce more questions, and a double dosage of 'don't trust anyone.'  There's intrigue and life-threatening adventure.  Each step makes sense and each plot point drives home the reality of their situation should the magic not be restored.  It's fast-paced and addictive.  And I loved every minute of it.

Writing Style:

If you're not sick of this word yet, I'm going to make you sick of it, because I LOVED the narration and storytelling ability put into this book.  Olive's voice is engaging and serves to cement her character in your mind.  The mark of a damn good writer, in my opinion.  Again, this book was as fun as its predecessor, without losing any of the seriousness that the situation calls for.  At times it was also just plain heartbreaking.

My biggest compliment to this author is her ability to create separate story lines for each novel, while maintaining that single strand of 'underlying cause' that connects the books.  To me, this is how every series should be, though I know they are often not.  I truly enjoy books that seem as if they are a standalone, when really you're given the opportunity to continue the journey with these characters.  Which is why this is easily becoming one of my favorite series to date.

Overall Opinion:

I loved it.  Do I really need to say more?

Book Review: Crushed by Kasi Blake

Crushed by Kasi Blake

Clean Teen Publishing © 2015

Kindle Edition

Urban Fiction

Reviewed by Leah

Crushed on Amazon

A standard love story between the stereotypical popular genius and the bad boy with secrets.  This book didn't irritate or anger me as much as it could have, but only because I found it incredibly boring.  On a positive note, however, that cover is freaking gorgeous!

Summary:

Every year of high school, the Noah triplets have played a game: Crushed.  Born witches, it took help from their grandmother to learn what they should know about their powers, since neither of their parents were magically gifted.  However, the girls have their own idea that what Grandma Noah doesn't know won't hurt.  Which is why they keep the love spell game Top Secret.

The other reason they have to keep their game a secret is because the revelation that they are witches would mean the instantaneous loss of their powers.  Yet, that doesn't stop the game.

When Kristin Noah is dared to crush Zach Bevian, however, she's going to get a whole new taste of what dangers the game presents.

Initial Thoughts:

I would love a book about witches that was about the magic more than the love story.  Sadly, I am unable to find said book.

Characters:

I'm just going to say one word and it will cover everyone: Stereotypical.

Kristin Noah was the popular girl who cared only about her reputation, grades, and future.  She was irritatingly organized and had never been on a date in her life.  Poor, poor Kristin.

Her sisters, Brittany and Cyndi are referred to as 'the twins' because they're identical out of the triplets, where Kristin is not.  Britt is the typical bad girl who wears baggy band shirts and pajama bottoms to school.  Cyndi is the sister that likes peace and calm and wears identical clothing to Brittany's so that she can pretend to be her whenever she needs to cover her twin's ass.

Zach is typical bad boy with a heart of gold.  He's a loner at school who can't stand the Noah sisters and their misuse of magic.  Until, OF COURSE, he realizes there's something "different" about Kristin.  *Gag me.*  He is also a bit of a naive idiot.

Morgan is the only interesting character out of the whole book and I can't even say why because it's a massive spoiler.  Just … be prepared.

Plot & Setting:

No real setting here other than mansions and school.  No details really given or needed there.

As for the plot, it was decent but predictable.  There's a realism in Kristin not understanding what is gong on, and also a realism in Zach's determination to keep it that way.  They're both harboring secrets, and those lead to some disastrous results.

Writing Style:

I'm not sure what to say here.  This is a run-of-the mill paranormal romance.  There was nothing spectacular about this book or anything that stood out as unique or different.

Overall:

This was a boring read.  Nothing engaged me and so I slogged through it the best I could.  For a predictable, easy read that is a stand alone novel (though it's part of a series, each character group is different per book) then I say go for it.  But if you wanted more, then this book didn't deliver.

Book Review: Reluctant Guardian by Melissa J. Cunningham

Reluctant Guardian by Melissa J. Cunningham

Clean Teen Publishing © 2013

Kindle Edition

Urban Fiction

Reviewed by Leah

Reluctant Guardian on Amazon

***SPOILERS AND SWEARING BE HERE***

When I first read the prologue, I thought I was going to love this book.  For one brief moment, I thought this book was going to show everyone what it felt like to be suicidal.  To explore exactly how much you didn't want to feel anything anymore, while at the same time harboring the inability to feel anything at all.  That prologue gave me hope … which the rest of the book stole from me.

Summary:

Alisa Callahan is a sixteen-year-old girl who has survived a horrific childhood, only to be left alone.  Despite having a family that loves her, nothing can compare to the lives that were already lost.  With her grandmother gone and her best friend and fellow victim having died recently, she feels that she has nothing else to live for.  The pain caused by her past is as fresh and painful as if it happened yesterday.  Left without a comforting voice to guide her, Alisa decides it isn't worth it to live anymore.

She takes her own life.

An action that comes with a price.

The only way to atone for this sin is to help someone in a way that she couldn't help herself.  Assigned to Brecken Shaefer as a Guardian, Alisa naively believes that a few days will earn her an after-lifetime of peace and happiness with her grandmother and best friend in a place she cannot go.  That is until she actually meets Brecken.

Born with gifts of his own and a life that isn't all that great, Brecken wants nothing to do with another Guardian.  Least of all the smart-mouthed, irritating, goody-two-shoes Alisa.  He doesn't want anymore lectures or interference on how he does things.  The way he sees it, he's taking care of his family and anyone else who thinks differently can bite him.

Yet, despite their initial reactions to one another, the two are drawn together.  The relationship that forms causes far more complications than either of them anticipated.  There are consequences for every action, and they're about to figure that out the hard way.

Initial Reaction:

This is the kind of book that pisses off everyone who is/has ever been suicidal.  The feeling of hopelessness and disgust with yourself and everyone around you completely vanishes after the prologue.  This is not a book about a girl who committed suicide.  It is a love story about some stupid dead girl and an even stupider 'bad boy with a heart of gold.'  I regret ever picking up this book.

Characters:

Alisa is a spoiled, arrogant, ignorant little twat.  I would try to tone this down for a review, normally, but I can't.  This girl is the very definition of a naive moron.

Let me fill you in on depression a little bit, and thus what Alisa should probably be feeling at some fucking point throughout this story: you hate everything.  Yet, you loathe nothing like you loathe yourself.  Your lack and failure light up behind your eyes like neon signs and you're forced to see each mistake you've ever made with glaring clarity every single day.  You feel hopeless and useless in ways you didn't think a human being was capable of.  You look at the world around you and all of the obstacles standing in your way and you realize that you were never capable of changing a damn thing.  Your world is the way it is and you are powerless to do anything about it.  There is no hope.  Nothing to live for.  You're stuck between a rock and a hard place and there's nowhere to go.  It is the knowledge that your life is meaningless and nothing you do will have an affect on anyone or anything, so why should you bother?  At the same time, you want to be useful.  You want to prove you're not a waste of space so desperately that you become a nuisance to your family, friends, and anyone else who cares about you.  Yet, you can't make yourself get off that computer, or go out and have fun, or even drag yourself out of bed when no other obligation throws you into a panic attack over what must be done.  Depression is knowing that you mean nothing, and the world wouldn't care that you're gone.

Do you think, for one solitary second, that Alisa felt this way at all?

If you said no, you would be correct.  This girl is naive and stupid in all the worst of ways.  When she commits suicide, she has expectations of what death is going to be.  She pretty much demands that she be allowed to float around with her grandma and friend in chapter one.  When she learns that she can read minds, she is excited.  Death, apparently, has resolved all those years of psychological self-mutilation for her.

Yeah, I'm calling bullshit.  Especially when the world she arrives in is more conducive to making her depression stronger rather than weaker.  I mean, if you're expecting nothing but relief from all of the fucking pain, and you wind up with assignments and classwork, all within the realm of purgatory … yeah that's going to cure you all right.

Also, the reason for her so-called depression: she was molested as a child.  A fact that is literally dropped on us in a passing fashion.  No build up.  No lingering horror to plague the pretty little ghost.  Only one tiny hint in the prologue before we're ten chapters in and are hit with that fact like a brick to the face.

Alisa is a jackass to everyone around her, and especially to her charge.  Not that he's anything special … oh wait…

Brecken Shaefer is a special snowflake.  In the cosmic, angels hath no fury, kind of way.  He has gifts that allow him to hear and sometimes see his Guardians.  He's also got a healthy dose of 'I have to do everything myself, which is why I don't take my sisters to my aunt's, even though she could take much better care of them than I can' along with 'must steal to survive, even though I feel guilty about it every single time I break into someone's house.'  He was such a worthless character to read about.  I felt nothing for him, almost as if he were a cut and paste trope.  Actually, having read this months ago, I don't even remember him that well…  So we'll be moving on now.

Plot & Setting:

Otherwise known as: ridiculous & non-existent.

I know this was trying to make a new spin on the whole 'life after death' scenario, but damn did it fail.  Especially where the suicide came in.  If you want to read a decent book with a suicide-city type of portrayal, then read Sanctum by Sarah Fine instead.  It has a more realistic view of what depression can do to a person, and a grittier version of what suicide gets you in the afterlife.

The plot according to this book was a love story.  That's it.  Anything else happening around it was just fodder.  Everything that occurred within this novel was for the specific contrivance of having Alisa and Brecken fall in love.  Again: ridiculous.

The setting here failed at doing anything.  There are brief glimpses of a place Alisa isn't allowed to go to, a half-assed description of the place she's stuck in, a better description of the place she could wind up if she fails, and that's about it.  I don't even care enough to attempt remembering it.

Writing Style:

All telling, no showing.  Immature characters, especially for the themes touched upon.  Inability to decently handle the themes brought into the novel.  This author is not for me and I will not be reading any further works.

Overall Opinion:

I regret reading this book.  As someone intimately familiar with depression, suicidal thoughts, and the knowledge of what sexual abuse can do to a person, I am pissed off with the portrayals of any of these throughout this novel.  Everything was handled with such a cavalier attitude and none of it actually affected the characters who were supposedly consumed by it.  So no thanks.  Fuck this.  I'm done.

*Note to Authors*

If you are going to touch on any of these sensitive subjects, do them justice.  They are not a plot device or an excuse for why your character acts the way they do.  These are real conditions that do have real life damaging results.  Talk to anyone you know, and you will find out, because they are far more common than you think.  Then ask them what damage these conditions have done.

Now try and write a stupid love story where these are merely plot points.

Book Review: Dreamthief by Tamara Grantham

Dreamthief by Tamara Grantham

Crimson Tree Publishing © 2015

Kindle Edition ARC

Fantasy

Reviewed by Leah

Dreamthief on Amazon

To put it simply, Dreamthief is fun.  The voice of the narrator and exchanges between characters were snarky, sarcastic, and full of wit.  I absolutely adored it.


Summary:

Olive Kennedy doesn't make a lot of money as the only Fairy Wold psychiatrist, but she helps people.  Repressed memories of Faythander are her specialty, and she takes pride in helping those who were failed by everything else.

Yet, it is a painful truth that she cannot help everyone.  Kids, in particular, are not yet ready to face what has been repressed.  But what if the problem isn't repressed, but ongoing?

Olive faces this very reality when dark magic steals the soul of her godson, leaving his body as a withering shell.  And he's not the only one.  Now, Olive will team up with a viking-esque Wult named Kull to save her godson … in exchange for a dinosaur's skeleton.  No one said this was going to be easy.

Initial Thoughts:

I had no idea what I was getting into with Dreamthief but it was worth all the hours of neglecting everything else.  And for the record: reviewing something you liked is infinitely harder and takes twice as long to do because you're trying trying to put into words everything that made you like something that much.  That is what I'm attempting to do here, and it's why it has taken me so long to put it into words.

Characters:

I loved Olive.  She was hands-down the most real character in the entire book.  Her emotions and thought process (okay, we're exempting Bill Clinton and Albert Einstein's voices, because that was just weird) were on par with what a woman in her situation would be feeling/thinking.  For the most part, her goals were in the forefront of her mind and very rarely were there situations where you felt like shouting 'really?' at her.

Kull was also a bit of a treat.  His traits are nailed down in the terms: proud, cocky, and snarky.  In that order.  He doesn't see a threat as anything more than an obstacle.  There's a determination in him that makes getting a job done a little bit easier, as long as there's compensation to go with the risk-taking he's doing.  Again, he really helped make this book the fun it was.

There were several other characters that added to the dynamics of all of this, but these two are truly memorable.


Plot & Setting:

Faythander was amazing!  Not overly detailed to the point it got boring; none of the description took away from the action in the moment, and it felt like a completely different world.  As far as setting goes, I don't think you could ask for a better balance of the right elements.  It was thought out and it was an experience to be there.

As far as the plot goes, it was--in its own way--believable.  Everything Olive goes through is in direct relation to the overall arch of the story, so you never forget what is at stake and what needs to be done in response.  There were times where it seemed a little scattered, what with all of the traveling and different locations it takes us to, but it all wrapped up in a neat way at the end.

And I have to say this to the author: Thank you so much for a real ending!  I know that this is part of a series, but I'm grateful to have one part of the story wrap up at the end of a book, instead of hitting us with a cliffhanger that is really just the end of 'part one'.  So thank you for that.


Writing Style:

The book is told in first person perspective, so everything was focused on the narrator.  That was a good choice.  Because it's told with Olive's snarky humor and brass-tacks directness, we're given a fuller image than we might otherwise have gotten.  So for being a character oriented FPP novel, the writing style is spot on.  You really have to be in tune with your MC in order to pull this off, and Tamara Grantham did.


Overall Opinion:

Dreamthief isn't a heavy-hitter.  There's no big agenda to make you think.  It's a story about a woman who has all sorts of personal issues as well as the responsibility to change the world.  She also gets to meet a hulking cute guy along the way who is just as snarky as she is.  Again, this novel is very fun and very enjoyable.  A reread is definitely in its future for me.

Book Review: Descendant by Nichole Giles

Descendant by Nichole Giles

Jelly Bean Press © 2013

Kindle Edition

YA Romance

Reviewed by Leah

Descendant on Amazon

I remember downloading this on a day when it was free.  Thought: you know what, it looks decent so I'll give it a shot.

I wanted to like this.  Really, I did.  Alas, it was not meant to be.

Summary:

Abigail Johnson is considered Gifted, but it's more like a curse.  A Healer who has never healed another person who also has visions of the past that somehow passes for Sight, she's a bit of a mess.  That doesn't change when she moves to Jackson, Wyoming.  Suddenly, it seems as if destiny has led her directly to this place and time, where Gifted wander around in groups, and the local heartthrob has eyes only for her.

But Jackson isn't safe for everyone, and Abby especially has a few new problems to work out.  Along with Kye--the boy she feels she's known forever, yet only a day--she must take on a mission from the Fairy Queen.  A mission that reveals the past, layer by layer, and threatens the future with each passing second.


Initial Thoughts:

I really had no initial thoughts for this one.  I got it for free without doing more than skimming the blurb--or maybe that instalove wouldn't have hit me so hard--and just decided that it was time to read it. For the beginning, I got through it without too much eye-rolling, but then it declined and by the end, I was swearing a lot more than I should have been.


Writing Style:

I have to start with this one, because I feel it will set the premise for the rest of the not-so-good review.  In a single word: immature.  None of the characters were fleshed out, at all.  Everyone was a one dimensional caricature of something that existed before.  Though nothing was worse than the absolute lack of detail concerning the villains.  They were there because they needed to be, but they had no motives or thoughts or codes of their own beyond the basest forms of depravity that the author could give them.  More or less, they are the shadows in the night that your mind forms into a bogey man … but is still a shadow; meaning it lacks any substantiality.  This, for me, was the most unforgivable aspect of the book.  It was bad enough having walk-in secondary characters, but to have shadows for villains was unacceptable.


Plot & Setting:

I liked the general idea of the plot.  Where Abby slowly discovers what the visions mean and has to deal with those as they come while revealing the past to herself and others.  That aspect of it was cool and intriguing.

Yet, it had no bearing on the actual plot.  In fact, the story itself was all over the place.  I understand that these two teenagers are out to save the world … but they need several distractions from that very thing.  And instead of making sure they lay low and stay safe after getting the things they need, they expose themselves at every opportunity to danger.  It was maddening.  While, at other times, we waste pages and pages on their lackluster (more obsessive than endearing) love story while they flounce around NYC like a couple of dumb tourists.  It was maddening.

As far as the setting goes, I don't even feel like going into it.  Suffice it to say: lack of descriptions.  Though I'm usually okay with this--and it didn't really bother me this time--I still have to chalk this up to my less-than-acceptable reading experience.


Characters:

Oi vey.  I hated them all.  (Here there be SPOILERS.  You are FOREWARNED.)

Abby was the innocent.  She was naive, ignorant, and an emotionally stunted pain in the ass.  She is very much the definition of TSTL (Too Stupid To Live).  There were so many times in which I was praying for the villains to kill her.  (Except they would have to be competent in order to do anything at all.  More on them later.)  Abby was the number one reason I began to loathe this book.

Kye wasn't much better.  Like Abby, he is nothing more than a caricature of his role.  He's made out to be the gorgeous, noble princeling-type who happens to have a heart of gold that allows him to communicate with animals.  Gag me.  Mister Perfect meets I Wish I Had A Brain.  For some reason, he has skills and equipment that no teenager would normally have and he works for the Fairy Queen.  He saves the world constantly and knows that nobody will ever know about it.  But he's okay with that because he's good for the sake of being good.  Again: gag me.  He was unrealistic, ridiculous, and almost as innocent as Abby--though there were some innuendoes dropped by other characters to make him seem like a "player".  (Please, this baby boy doesn't know the meaning of the word.)

All Side Characters were walk-ins only.  They served their purposes to very minimal degrees and were asked to exit the stage immediately so that the main leads could have more time to make kissy faces, disturbingly quick declarations, and realize all their potential as true loves.  Nothing else mattered in this book at all.  Especially other characters.

All the Villains were in the same boat.  As previously stated, they were stick figures and place holders.  Meant to do and say despicable things to Abby, but without ever actually succeeding in doing anything at all.  They were incompetent, ignorant, and useless.  And the main bad guy was just so ridiculous that reading his dialogue made me want to gouge my eyes out.  It was truly horrendous at the end there.


Overall Opinion:

I can't even.  I'm so happy to be done with this and moving on to another book.  Either the books in YA are getting worse and worse, or I'm just outgrowing them more and more.  One way or the other, I still don't think this book would make anyone's cut.  But that's just my opinion.  You know, the only one that matters to me.

Book Review: Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning

Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning

Dell © 2010
Paperback
Urban Fiction
Reviewed by Leah
Darkfever on Amazon

Thanks to a litchick's GRs updates while rereading this, I found myself anxious to delve into this series and see what she was raving about.  Well, the one time a year I go to Barnes&Noble (none close to my house, unfortunately) in search of two other books, I end up walking out with the entire Fever series instead.  And I BETTER love every single one of them! *squinty glare for the woman who knows what I'm talking about*


Summary:

MacKayla Lane is a true Georgia Peach.  She loves warmth and sunshine, bright colors, fashion, and music.  And it is as she is enjoying all of the above that she gets a phone call that causes her world to come crashing down.

Her sister, Alina, has been mutilated and murdered in an abandoned alley in Dublin, Ireland.  Studying overseas at Trinity College had been Alina's dream come true.  Now that decision was Mac's worst nightmare.

When the case hits a freezing chill due to lack of leads, a desperate Mac takes her new cell phone and books a one-way ticket.  Her mission?  Reopen her sister's case with the hauntingly chilling message Alina left on her voicemail the day of her death.

Dublin has more in store for Mac than she realized, however.  All too soon, she is drowning in a world where the Fae are real, and far more deadly than she could ever have believed.  Gifted as a sidhe-seer, Mac is capable of finding the truth behind the glamours thrown by most Fae.  And it freaks her out.

A chance encounter with Jericho Barrons staples them at the hips before she's able to detract herself from the situation.  All too soon, Mac is forced to realize that her hunt for her sister's killer has dropped her into a world that she can no longer escape.  And she desperately wants to.


Initial Thoughts:

The opening paragraph was as intriguing as all those editors tell you yours must be.  It grasped my attention right away and I could hear this very cynical voice narrate the prologue in such a way as to make me think that my journey with Mac would not be a disappointing one.

While my care for the narration somewhat lessened, I found that the adventure which followed the prologue was not one I was willing to detach from for much longer than an hour or two.  In my opinion: a good read.


Characters:


MacKayla "Mac" Lane is a lovely southern belle with beautiful blonde hair, gorgeous green eyes, and the fashion sense to show it all off in a way that drops every male mouth in the vicinity.  With an eye for detail and a penchant for describing her clothes at any given opportunity, she was easily getting on my nerves.

We are nothing alike.

Obsessed with her appearance at almost any given moment, it was hard not to want to reach through the book and shake her a little bit.  All the while yelling, "Focus!  FOCUS!" in her ears.

There was also the fact that she felt strangely sympathetic towards a gang of men intent on killing her--with the added bonus of possible torture and/or rape prior to that event--when something far more menacing takes them off her hands.  To me, it's strange that she actually wonders if they had families and whether or not someone would be missing them.  And then to be angry at Jericho for doing the only thing he could to ensure their survival…  That was too bloody much for me.

She's a pink tornado of emotions and sunshine and angst that did not sit well with me for a lot of this book.  And her lack of swearing appropriately made me just want to wave the book in the author's face and say, "Really?  She works in a bar but she couldn't pick up how to properly swear?  Yeah, because that's totally believable."

Yet, Mac has a few redeemable qualities.  Like her bloodthirsty desire for vengeance on her sister's killer.  Or her stubborn streak that allows for her to stand her ground (even when she shouldn't, in some cases).  And then that inquisitive streak that probably gets her in more trouble than it's worth, but allows the story to proceed at a great pace.

Jericho Barrons is an alpha male in a way that makes all other pretend alphas shrink against a wall and piss themselves.  This man is cruel, abusive, cunning, and selfish.  He has no regards for another's feelings.  If someone can be used to suit his purposes, he will be the first to throw them into a dangerous situation.  And if stalking you is something he feels he needs to do, he won't hesitate to do so.  No man is more self-confident, arrogant, or unapologetic than Jericho Barrons.

And I loved him for it.  I loved that he was an unapologetic asshole with his own agenda.  The man is on a mission and why the fuck should he care about anyone else?  Particularly if they're a threat to his goals?  The fact that he physically assaults Mac doesn't make me cringe or cry out with outrage.  (Possibly because I'm more on the violent side than not, and I understand that he did all of this to scare her so much that she would run for her life.  Despite how it looked, he did it to save her.  It's just rather too bad that Mac didn't listen.)

I enjoy characters who have clear, defined goals and who allow nothing to stand in their way.  Evil or benign, I will always appreciate someone who does whatever it takes; no matter the cost.  If what they desire is that important, I don't care how they go about achieving that goal.  To do anything less would make them seem weak-willed and pathetic in my eyes.  So for Jericho to be a complete asshole … that was not a let-down.  And while my panties didn't drip the moment his name appeared on the page, I do have a deep admiration for him that is more like the respect of comrades rather than an urge to make him my sex slave.


Alina was the social butterfly who enjoys stuffy classrooms, peaches-and-cream candles, and Beautiful perfume.  All of that changed roughly four months after her arrival in Dublin, and nothing else seemed more important than the world she now found herself neck-deep into.  The world where the Fae walked around in fierce forms that no one else could see, and she had to find the Sinsar Dubh before they did or else the whole world would be swallowed into darkness.

Even though Alina is already dead from the very beginning, I feel like you get to know a lot about her just by what you experience through Mac.  Like her love of learning and the amount of ambition she had.  Her resourcefulness was remarkable, and her acting skills commendable since she tricked her whole family into thinking she was absolutely fine up until she no longer was.  Alina definitely seemed like the sister to take charge and get things done from the moment she realized there was an issue.  And that's why she's on this list: because I liked her as a person, even if the reader only sees her through memory.


V'lane makes any woman want to climb out of her clothes the moment she lays eyes on him.  Literally.  A Seelie Prince, V'lane has no desire to completely obliterate the human race, unlike his Unseelie counterparts.  Instead, the Seelie have a very specific and rewarding use for humans: sex.  And just being in the presence of V'lane can assure his success.  Except when it comes to Mac … barely.

This Fae…  Damn.  Just … DAMN!


Plot & Setting:


The setting here was Dublin, Ireland.  And I got no feel for it whatsoever.  Being a old world nut, I love stories set in Ireland.  Gaelic is one of those languages you could listen to forever and scenes of the Emerald Isle are alive and well in all forms of media.  But this book didn't add to them.

And I don't blame it for that.  When you're in a first person narrative, anything the character isn't likely to think isn't going to be put in print.  And your character definitely isn't going to think more than a few things about the architecture or atmosphere of certain places, and they're not going to describe the entire city in detail down to the last bit of cobblestone on the road.

I like when books are like that.  When they don't stretch the suspension of disbelief by throwing in a lot of details the character wouldn't normally notice.  And it gives me room to create the rest of the scene for myself, with all the furnishings I so desire.  Just as Mac said in the beginning of the book:

"Movies tell you what to think. A good book lets you choose a few thoughts for yourself."

This was a good book.  No info-dumping, intriguing lay out of the Fae society and history, and a general realness that doesn't derail into the land of unbelievable.

I'm not sure exactly how to explain the plot without giving away too many spoilers.  So I won't.  There's only one shift in the plot that Mac didn't count on: her responsibilities shifting from being her sister's avenger to the world's protector.  Only she is capable of sensing the lethal Dark Book, the Sinsar Dubh and that makes it her responsibility to find it before the Unseelie get their dangerous appendages on it.  It's a duty she did not sign up for and one she tries to delude herself into believing she can ignore it.  Even though her sister died for this.


Writing Style:


I felt like I was in Mac's head the entire time I was reading.  This book never read like it was someone throwing words on pages.  It was the reminiscences of a young woman who was naive and frightened in a foreign country where everyone she met seemed intent on killing her.  Not a single detail deviated from this image, meaning that the writing was spectacular because no amount of the author's own personality (that I could tell) dripped in to drown out Mac's.


Overall Opinion:

Though Mac and I are very dissimilar creatures, her voice had that dry type of narration that I find completely human.  And the adventure she's on is certainly intriguing enough to where I will continue reading the series with high hopes that maybe some of her obsession with fashion is toned down a bit more and a little badassery is stapled into her frail frame.

And I'm getting more of the perfectionist asshole that is Jericho Barrons.  Excuse me while I end this review and go back to reading...

Book Review: Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

Henry Holt © 2011

Hardcover

Urban Fiction

Reviewed by Leah

Ruby Red on Amazon

In the beginning, I adored this book.  By the middle, it had settled into a more firm liking.  At the end, I slammed it shut and threw it.

Summary:

Gwyneth Shepherd thought the hereditary time-traveling would pass her by, since she wasn't born on the right day and her cousin Charlotte clearly was.  So it comes as quite the shock to everyone when Gwyneth takes a spinning dip in the past while Charlotte suffers only from phantom symptoms brought on by high expectations.

The only person the family has to blame is Grace, Gwyneth's mother.  Having lied to everyone these past sixteen years, it made it impossible for Gwyneth to be properly trained.  Now, she's got to stumble her way through a secret society--who still won't induct her into their mysteries, despite her being the Ruby--with an arrogant nineteen year old, Gideon de Villiers, who has had his time-traveling duties for two years now.

It's no surprise, therefore, when Gwyneth finds herself with a bit more than reservations about all of this.  Especially when she meets the creator of the society, the formidable Count Saint-Germain, sometime in the eighteenth century.  Her mother's warnings not to trust anyone are beginning to seem a lot more valid and the questions mount with each passing hour.

Even Gideon, who is becoming less arrogant and more considerate as their mission proceeds, is a lot more dangerous than he seems.  A fact Gwyneth really does not want to believe, since she's falling in love with him.

Initial Thoughts:

I loved Gwyneth's voice.  Her relationship with her best friend was real and energetic.  And the mystery surrounding the time-traveling gene was something to sink my teeth into.  The beginning of this had me really loving it, but about mid-way through I was beginning to see the flaws.  Once we hit that ending though…  *shaking my head*

Characters:

Gwyneth was a little immature, it's true.  Everything she knows about history typically comes from a film she and her friend Lesley watched.  And while the name dropping of films caught my attention at first, it eventually got to the point of redundancy.  She was also lacking in a serious backbone, but I can't say that much of it was unrealistic.  In the same situation, when it was supposed to be her cousin and not her, it would make sense the amount of fear and confusion that pervades her mind.  The biggest problem was that she did nothing to clear the confusion and she just accepted that no one was going to tell her anything.  That shit is not okay.  I'd have pitched a fit from here to high heaven before I decided to do as these people asked of me.  And when your mother is that adamant about you not meeting someone and won't say why in front of all these people, you can bet your ass that it is a BAD IDEA!  Gwyneth, on the other hand, ignores all such warnings and decides to go through all of this as if they really can protect her.  Moron.

Lesley would have been fun to see a lot more of.  She's about the only person with real common sense, even if she has a lot of quirks.  And her dedication to helping Gwyneth is shown in the thick file of research she does at her friend's bidding, in the hope to keep Gwyneth safe from the baddies.  Again, she's a bit immature, but I know that you never act more immature than when you're with your best friend.

Grace Shepherd…  I'm just going to quote a passage from Khanh's review of Witch Song to describe exactly what I think of this woman:

"Her mother has a condition that many mothers in literature suffer. It is called lol-i-ain't-telling-u-nothin-bitch-itis.

Lol-i-ain't-telling-u-nothin-bitch-itis: symptoms may include...

- not telling you daughter a single fucking thing about who she is despite the fact that the Big Terrible Secret might kill her

- keeping everything a secret like your life depends on it...oh wait, your life DOES depend on it

- ignorance is bliss: because if your daughter doesn't know that there are people out to kill her, it means she's totally fucking safe, right?!"

That, exactly, covers everything wrong with Grace's character.  She informs no one that her daughter has likely inherited the gene … in order to protect her.  Are you fucking serious?  There's no excuse for this shit and authors really need to stop doing this with parental figures.  I understand wanting to take the MC by surprise, but this could easily have been solved by people not factoring Daylight Savings Time and have Gwyneth actually born on the 8th of October.  Simple fix.  UGH!

Gideon de Villiers is an awful character.  He is not consistent in any way, and that irritates me more than anything in this entire book.  When he first meets Gwyneth, he's an arrogant, angry ass.  I understood that.  Because of Grace, the girl he's been training all this time with is now clearly not what they thought she was and now he has to deal with someone who will be playing catch-up through everything.  He has a right to be angry.  Gwyneth is unprepared and now the entire plan is altered.  That's fine to think Gwyneth is inadequate and unhelpful, because she is.  What is not okay is to drop the arrogant facade the moment they travel back in time and become nice to her all of a sudden.  And he stays that way.  Even after kissing her cousin on the cheek, sending Charlotte away beaming with happiness, and then turns around and acts all worried over Gwyneth's safety.  And (SPOILER) for him to up and declare that she's not just an "average" girl to him and that she's special in the end there, I wanted to punch him in the face.  I literally THREW THE BOOK when they kissed, because he hadn't acted the slightest bit interested the entire fucking novel, and now he's all but declaring himself to her.  What a little twatwaffle!

Lucy and Paul were the pair I really wanted to get to know.  In the prologue and the epilogue, they are the most endearing characters and I really enjoy Paul's tone of voice.  And the way he calls Lucy 'Princess' makes the reader think it's almost sarcastic, but that's just his voice and the context.  After a while, you realize that it really is a pet-name and denotes affection rather than sarcasm.  The fact that his voice was that easy to establish in my mind makes him my favorite character, hands down.

Plot & Setting:

Okay, the setting here was next to nothing.  But I understand that when you consider most of the focus was on the dialogue or the events, rather than where they took place.  However, when your premise is that your characters can travel back in time, I need some details.  Telling me what era it is and giving me the dress code does not bring that era to life.  Half the fun with time-travel is that it can take place in any time and your character gets to experience it all.  So give us an experience, would you?

Plot wise, this book missed the mark by a wide margin.  Why?  Because there wasn't a full arc at all.  We have the beginning and an initial event, but that is all.  Everything from there on out was rising action only.  And then the book ended abruptly with that stupid (SPOILER) declaration of specialness and a kiss.  This was not A book.  This was PART of a book.  Which just makes me all the angrier at authors and publishers who think this shit is okay.  It's not.  If it's a series, that's fine.  A trilogy is okay.  But ONLY if you have distinct books with their own plots that happen to fit into the main plot.  Come on people, the Harry Potter series should have taught you better by now.

As I said, this was all rising action.  This was about Gwyneth discovering she's been lied to and ends up being the gene-carrier.  It's about her having some very scary experiences in the past and having Gideon to comfort her.  It's about her using modern technology to try and figure out who she's dealing with.  And it's about her having a crush on--what appears to be--her cousin's boyfriend, only for the tables to turn and Gideon ends up (SPOILER) kissing her.  There is no climax (though there's a poor imitation of one), no resolution.  Nothing.

Writing Style:

Despite the issues contained within, this was a book I could not put down.  It was a beautifully polished piece containing little to no superfluous information and no editing errors that I am aware of.  Which is always worthy of a gold star.  And the writing flowed so well that I truly did not wish to put down this book.

Overall Opinion:

Hmm.  You wouldn't think, after reading this far, that I actually loved this book in the beginning.  I even still like it enough to buy the sequels and finish off the series.  Obviously, it has issues.  Lots of them.  But they were brought together in such a way that I still want to know what happens from here.

Odd, isn't it?  Since this sounds like such a negative review…  But I enjoyed Gwyneth as a narrator--though she wasn't the brightest bulb in the chandelier.  Gideon had his dashing moments that I liked, despite his personality disorder.  And Lesley…  C'mon.  It's Lesley.  She's pretty cool and served as comedic relief rather well, I thought.  I also completely understand why Grace is intent on keeping her secrets, so that was alright even.

My biggest issue was the instalove on Gideon's part.  (I can't say on Gwyneth's because at least the reader can see that she's attracted to Gideon.  And she doesn't get all mushy about him in a way that denotes love, so much as attraction.  Hers is a crush that could become more, but it's not to the point of love yet.  Gideon on the other hand…)  That is literally what made me throw the book.  Right up until the very end, I still liked the book well enough to gladly pick up the second two seconds after I was done reading (if I had it), but once I hit that end, it took me a minute to even read the epilogue.  Of course, I think it was Lucy and Paul's epilogue that saved this book from my 'burn it with the fire of a thousand suns' list.  *shrug*

Okay, I'm done.  Other stuff to do today and I can't think of any more comments about this book.  So go forth and read, people.  Whether this or another novel that takes your fancy.