Book Review: A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro

A Study in Charlotte (Charlotte Holmes #1)
by Brittany Cavallaro
Release date: March 1st 2016
Published by: Katherine Tegen Books
Purchase: Amazon

Synopsis:

The last thing Jamie Watson wants is a rugby scholarship to Sherringford, a Connecticut prep school just an hour away from his estranged father. But that’s not the only complication: Sherringford is also home to Charlotte Holmes, the famous detective’s great-great-great-granddaughter, who has inherited not only Sherlock’s genius but also his volatile temperament. From everything Jamie has heard about Charlotte, it seems safer to admire her from afar.

From the moment they meet, there’s a tense energy between them, and they seem more destined to be rivals than anything else. But when a Sherringford student dies under suspicious circumstances, ripped straight from the most terrifying of the Sherlock Holmes stories, Jamie can no longer afford to keep his distance. Jamie and Charlotte are being framed for murder, and only Charlotte can clear their names. But danger is mounting and nowhere is safe—and the only people they can trust are each other.

Equal parts tender, thrilling, and hilarious, A Study in Charlotte is the first in a trilogy brimming with wit and edge-of-the-seat suspense.

Review

I was counting on A Study in Charlotte to be a cool and fun read because Charlotte and James are supposed to be great great great something children of the Holmes and Watson that we all love even today.

Well, okay, so I admit that I don’t really know the original Holmes other than what RDJ portrayed and I don’t know how different he is from the original, so I really shouldn’t be one to talk, but the point is: I didn’t get what I expected here. I wanted a light, easy and fun read. What I got though, isn’t necessarily bad either.

The journey in A Study in Charlotte is, most of the time, deep and heavy and it delves on issues like drug addiction, rape and possibly mental instability. I just wish they discussed the second issue more because it felt like it didn’t get the hate it deserved despite the circumstances.

The story is told from Jamie’s point of view though I really didn’t dig his voice that much. Not to say that I didn’t like him, however. His character was an okay one, but his voice sounded bland most of the time and while it was perfectly understandable why he seemed to fall in love with Charlotte at first sight, I just didn’t like the way he pined after her. Plus points for him though for trying to stay away from Charlotte but you know, it’s love, so.

The boy had been briefed about the Holmes’ family at a young age and is constantly being updated to news about the Holmes’ as he grew up because why not when the Watson’s and Holmes’ go way, way back in the days and Jamie’s father is somewhat of a Holmes fanboy himself.

Charlotte, however, is a difficult character for me. I couldn’t read her at all. She is riddled by a mysterious past and an even more troubled present. I hated her sometimes for using Jamie and keeping him in the dark in their investigations like she didn’t trust him despite everything he did to help her. I did like her deduction skills though.

I liked the mystery the most. If anything, it was the “it” that kept me glued to the book and it left second-guessing the entire time which is just as well because I’d be extremely disappointed if I found out who the killer was before Jamie and Charlotte did.

Overall, A Study in Charlotte has a well-paced plot and with an unpredictable mystery. It could use some more development in the romance and character department, but other than those, A Study in Charlotte was a good read.

Rating: 3/5 stars!

Manga Mondays (5): No Longer Heroine, Vol. 1

Manga Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by Alison @ Alison Can Read

No Longer Heroine (No Longer Heroine, Vol. 1)
by Momoko Kouda
Original Title: ヒロイン失格 (Hiroin Shikkaku)
Demographic: Shojo
Genre: Comedy, drama, romance, school life
Published by: Shueisha

Synopsis:

This could be any girl. Imagine being a heroine of a love story. Hatori also believed that one day she would get married to her childhood friend, Rita.

But that's not how the world works! This is a hilarious comedy that honestly paints a painful unrequited love story of this young girl!

Hatori is a conceited girl who believes that her future is written in the stars, and that is: to be with her childhood friend, Rita, together forever. It has been cemented in her mind that she is the heroine in Rita’s story. Even Rita’s girlfriends in the past never fazed her because she’s 100% sure that they are soulmates. She never even bothered to confess to him. But then Rita gets a new girlfriend, Adachi. At first, Adachi seemed like the most unlikely person to be with Rita: shy, outcast, lame, and not so cute like Hatori, so Hatori initially just shrugs her off until she realized that there’s more to Adachi and she knew that Rita was noticing it too. This is the first time that Hatori legitimately feels threatened by another girl; the time when she started feeling like she might not be a heroine after all, but only a supporting character. So she comes up with plans to show Adachi that only she is suited to be with Rita and not Adachi. However, practically everything she does hilariously backfires on her and only resulted to Adachi getting even closer to Rita.

Hatori is not a likeable person. She’s a fake towards Rita’s admirers and girlfriends. She tries to force Adachi into situations where she will feel bad about herself. She lies to her to make her look silly, and she wants to steal Rita from Adachi. She can be insensitive, rude, and a downright bitch. She is not the typical heroine, instead she's more like the typical villain in shojo manga. Adachi, on the other hand, is more suited to be a heroine. Even after hearing Hatori badmouthing her, she quickly forgave Hatori. Not once holding grudge on her. She is very understanding of Hatori's feelings because she knew that Hatori is in love with her boyfriend and she sympathized with her. Adachi is everything that Hatori is not.

Despite all that, I found it hard not to sympathize with Hatori, though I am by no means justifying her actions. Unrequited love is just something that I automatically sympathize with. She truly believed for the longest time that the love of her life will one day be with her forever and then suddenly, the realization that she's wrong suddenly came crashing down on her. Even if that's idiotic  to begin with, it doesn't change the fact that it hurts like hell.

Her past with Rita is something that should be taken into account too. Their friendship is a unique one that goes all the way back to their childhood. It was fun to see them bond. As well, these are all done in a comic way that I couldn’t help but laugh at her especially since none of the things she did ever did a damage toward Rita and Adachi’s relationship. The art is good too and the author’s portrayal of Hatori’s face when she’s crying or distressed is so damned hilarious. It was so hard for me to take her seriously. However, there is also an underlying tiny bit of sadness that can be felt in spite the exaggerated comedy. 

Overall, this volume is a good start for the manga. It's very comedic but it tends to downplay serious events which kinda makes this seem shallow. Also, Hatori is a severely flawed character, but I would love to see her grow into someone more mature.

Rating: 3 stars

Book Review: The Taking (ARC)

The Taking (The Taking #1)
by Kimberly Derting
Hardcover, 368 pages
Expected publication: April 29th 2014 by Harper Teen
Source: Edelweiss

Synopsis:

A flash of white light . . . and then . . . nothing.

When sixteen-year-old Kyra Agnew wakes up behind a Dumpster at the Gas ’n’ Sip, she has no memory of how she got there. With a terrible headache and a major case of déjà vu, she heads home only to discover that five years have passed . . . yet she hasn’t aged a day.

Everything else about Kyra’s old life is different. Her parents are divorced, her boyfriend, Austin, is in college and dating her best friend, and her dad has changed from an uptight neat-freak to a drunken conspiracy theorist who blames her five-year disappearance on little green men.

Confused and lost, Kyra isn’t sure how to move forward unless she uncovers the truth. With Austin gone, she turns to Tyler, Austin’s annoying kid brother, who is now seventeen and who she has a sudden undeniable attraction to. As Tyler and Kyra retrace her steps from the fateful night of her disappearance, they discover strange phenomena that no one can explain, and they begin to wonder if Kyra’s father is not as crazy as he seems. There are others like her who have been taken . . . and returned. Kyra races to find an explanation and reclaim the life she once had, but what if the life she wants back is not her own?

Review:

The gist: A girl suddenly falls unconscious only to wake up five years later wearing the same dirtied clothes and injuries with no signs of aging and no recollection of what happened in the last five years.

This is the promise that has recently dug its way into my plot weaknesses list so naturally the moment the chance to read The Taking presented itself, I immediately grabbed the opportunity. What made The Taking unputdownable from the beginning is that it has a mystery that grabs at its readers and what's more is that it starts about right off the bat.

As for the characters, I don’t really find Kyra to be a distinct one. She didn’t leave much impression on me and is easily forgettable in the world of YA heroines. She also annoyed me a couple of times. I understand that it’s hard for her to accept the changes that came her way, but what I didn’t like was how she reacted to these. Like with her younger brother who she’s often disgusted with. She also acts as if the world should revolve around her; like it owes her the five years she lost. Tyler, on the other hand, is one of the more likable characters. I love that he is very straightforward. He has feelings for Kyra and he makes sure she knew he was pursuing her. He flirts with her a lot and does so poorly at it (according to Kyra) but instead of becoming awkward, he remains extremely cute. He also talks loudly in his sleep about nonsensical things. He is adorbs!

The romance part developed too quickly for my liking though, but it’s definitely not a love at first sight. The events in the beginning of the book gave me the impression that Austin and Kyra had a really tight and solid relationship, so it beats me why Kyra moved on from Austin a tad too fast and even though she would often mention her heartbreaks about Austin and his new girlfriend, her reactions toward Tyler convey the opposite. I initially thought we were going to have a love triangle here, but it seems Austin was made annoying on purpose to lift the readers’ attention from him. But on the brighter side, I actually find the Tyler/Kyra tandem cute (if a little awkward) given their history together. Kyra has five years ahead of Tyler and as his older brother’s playmate, Kyra had too much time teasing and making Tyler cry a lot when they were younger. Now they’re the same age and both have thing for each other. Talk about awkward.

I love that the action started out early in the book and is kept at a steady pace all throughout. However, as I’m still not entirely used to the concept of aliens in books, I felt uncomfortable with some of the events here. But that aside, Kimberly still presented fascinating ideas in the world of The Taking. And I’m excited to know what happens after the last events in this book because gods, that lady is just cruel!

Rating: 3/5 stars!

Disclaimer: An e-copy was received from the publisher via Edelweiss for an honest review. No compensation of any kind was received in exchange for this.

[Blog Tour] Book Review: Reaping Me Softly

Reaping Me Softly
by Kate Evangelista
Paperback, 220 pages
Published October 30th 2012 by Omnific Publishing
Source: Publicist for (AToMR) blog tour
Buy the book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Book Description:

Ever since a near-death-experience on the operating table, seventeen-year-old Arianne Wilson can see dead people. Just as she’s learned to accept her new-found talents, she discovers that the boy she’s had a crush on since freshman year, Niko Clark, is a Reaper.

At last they have something in common, but that doesn’t mean life is getting any easier. All while facing merciless bullying from the most powerful girl in school, Arianne’s world is turned upside down after Niko accidentally reaps the soul of someone she loves. This sends them both into a spiral that threatens to end Arianne’s life. But will Niko break his own Reaper’s code to save her? And what would the consequences be if he did?

Review:

Grim reapers, you say? I don’t think I’ve ever read a YA about grim reapers, so when the opportunity to read Reaping Me Softly came knocking at my door, I quickly welcomed it with both arms wide open. Plus, that cover! Who can resist a cover that gorgeous?

Ari is a sixteen year old highschool student who has the ability to see the dead. As much as this makes her feel different from other kids her age, she still thrives to live like a normal teenager and survive highschool while trying to avoid the school's queen bee, Darla, who makes her highschool life a living hell. One of the few things that encourages her to go to school is the fact that her longtime crush, Niko, goes to the same school and seeing him immediately lifts up her spirits.

Ari is that type of person who's not easily noticed by people. She's quiet and only opens up to her sister and bestfriend. She gushes alot about Niko to her sister Carrie, who's sick and is confined to the hospital. I love their relationship as siblings. Carrie is a fun character and I wished there was more of her in the book. Niko is the reaper who's in charge of the deaths in Georgia, who's also the guy Ari has been vying for. He disguises as a highschool student and was paired with Ari on a lab experiment. Ben is also a notable character that you'll have to meet. He is Ari's bestfriend and has a thing for Carrie.

I rarely read books with less than 300 pages because I couldn't finish/didn't end up liking majority of such that I've read in the past. Those types of books tend to have plots that are too rushed which make them seem unrealistic. However, in Reaping Me Softly's case, while there were certain aspects that felt too quick to develop, the events didn't seem forced but rather they flowed naturally and spontaneously that makes this for a fast and unique read.

Disclosure: This book was received from the publicist as part of the Reaping Me Softly blog tour (hosted by AToMR Tours), for free in exchange for an honest review. 

Rating: 3/5 stars

About the Author

When Kate Evangelista was told she had a knack for writing stories, she did the next best thing: entered medical school. After realizing she wasn't going to be the next Doogie Howser, M.D., Kate wandered into the Literature department of her university and never looked back. Today, she is in possession of a piece of paper that says to the world she owns a Literature degree. To make matters worse, she took Master's courses in creative writing. In the end, she realized to be a writer, none of what she had mattered. What really mattered? Writing. Plain and simple, honest to God, sitting in front of her computer, writing.

Goodreads | Website | Twitter 

Review: Iron's Prophecy

Iron's Prophecy (Iron Fey #4.5)
by Julie Kagawa
Kindle Edition
Published September 1st 2012 by Harlequin TEEN

From Goodreads:

Meghan Chase is finally getting used to being the Iron Queen, ruler of the Iron Fey. Her life may be strange, but with former Winter prince Ash by her side at last, she wouldn’t have it any other way.

But when they travel to the Summer and Winter courts’ gathering for Elysium, the oracle from Meghan’s past returns with a dire prophecy: “What you carry will either unite the courts, or it will destroy them.” Now Meghan faces a devastating choice that may determine the future of all fey—and her and Ash’s unborn child…

A novella from the bestselling Iron Fey series.

Review:

I had mixed feelings for this novella and the spin-off series of The Iron Fey. I was excited for both but after reading The Iron Knight, I sincerely thought that Ash and Meghan's story could finally be left alone and that any other additional story was unnecessary. The rainbows, butterflies and peace and quiet at the end of The Iron Knight screamed happily ever after to me and now this! Poor Ash and Meghan. Julie can't seem to stop torturing them.

Iron's Prophecy starts off like having a big ball of fluff thrown at you square in the face. Imagine yourself Meghan waking up to see a sleeping half-naked Ash and then you Meghan and Ash coddling...I could feel my toes curling in their sweetness! I was grinning like an idiot while flailing my arms around and kicking the air like a lunatic because of all the emotions I could not contain.

However, on the second part, when I started really noticing things beyond Ash and Meghan's sweetness, I couldn't help realizing how Julie always inject romance wherever she can even when the scene doesn't call for it. After that, all those sweetness between Ash and Meghan seemed forced. It was hard to enjoy their cuteness after. Though of course, Puck and Grim were there to rescue my decreasing interest for the story. Puck's humor was very refreshing however, there were also moments where I found his humor not so very spontaneous. I also loved the detailed descriptions of how Grim did all those cat-like gestures in between the dialogues. So cute!

In the end, I'm still not sure what I think of this novella as an addition to The Iron Fey series. But as an individual novella, I enjoyed pretty much most of it though there were also some parts that I found hard to make sense of.

Rating: 3/5 stars

Book Review: Intangible

Intangible (Intangible #1)
by J. Meyers
ebook, 264 pages
Published January 31st 2012
Source: Author
Buy the book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Summary:

Twins Sera and Luke Raine have a well-kept secret—she heals with a touch of her hand, he sees the future. All their lives they’ve helped those in need on the sly. They’ve always thought of their abilities as being a gift.

Then Luke has a vision that Sera is killed. That gift they’ve always cherished begins to feel an awful lot like a curse. Because the thing about Luke’s ability? He’s always right. And he can’t do anything about it.

Review:

Sera and Luke are no ordinary twins. Sera had the power to heal and Luke, to see the future. After a devastating event that happened with their grandmother when they were younger, the twins both decided that it was best to keep their talents a secret.

Intangible was told from third person point of view that switches among the characters. The book starts with a prelude, an excerpt from one of the interesting events that would happen in the future. The first half of the book was a little dull and I felt slightly detached from all the characters. I would've had a hard time reading this if I weren't holding on to the prelude to finally happen. Plus, Meyers' story-telling was captivating and almost hypnotic. The third person POV also amped the mystery and intrigue factor that even though I couldn't connect with the characters, it was hard to put the book down. The author also didn't seem to have a problem with unfolding secrets after secrets through different character point of views. When you thought that the only secret was that of Luke and Sera's, you'd be surprised what Meyers had in store for you. It gave me the feeling as if I was eavesdropping on the characters' thoughts as they revealed their deepest, darkest secrets. It was intensely distressing, to be honest.

It was unfortunate, however, that even on the second half, I still couldn't connect with Sera and Luke. There was also the problem of insta-love and my dislike for the guy that Sera had her eyes on. I take my OTP very seriously and I tend to get depressed when the guy I like didn't get the girl, so I had to endure all their sexy times together. Ick. But I love the ending. It seemed like the pairing I was rooting for would finally happen in the next book. Well, hopefully.

All in all, Intangible was an enjoyable read with complex characters and spellbinding narration. This sort of reminded me of Tahereh Mafi's Shatter Me and Shelley Workinger's Solid. So if you liked both, I'd totally recommend Intangible to you.

Rating: 3/5 stars

Disclosure: Review copy was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

You may also download Intuition, the prequel to Intangible, on your Kindle for free! It also includes the first chapter of Intangible. :)

Book Review: Sweet Evil

Sweet Evil (The Sweet Trilogy #1)
by Wendy Higgins
Paperback, 454 pages
Published May 1st 2012 by HarperTeen
Source: Bought
Buy the book: Amazon | Book Depository

Summary:

Embrace the Forbidden

What if there were teens whose lives literally depended on being bad influences?

This is the reality for sons and daughters of fallen angels.

Tenderhearted Southern girl Anna Whitt was born with the sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She’s aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but Anna, the ultimate good girl, has always had the advantage of her angel side to balance the darkness within. It isn’t until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage and her willpower is put to the test. He’s the boy your daddy warned you about. If only someone had warned Anna.

Forced to face her destiny, will Anna embrace her halo or her horns?

Review:

When I first met Anna Whitt, I had a feeling I wasn’t going to like her that much. She didn’t seem like an exciting character to me. She was an extreme Ms. Goody Two Shoes, she always told the truth, she cried so easily, she didn’t have vices and she wasn’t even funny. In short, she was boring. In most cases, if a character already bores me not more than 30 pages into the book, I would think twice before continuing to read it. However, in Sweet Evil’s case, my extreme excitement for the book overshadowed my indifference for Anna. Besides, I thought Kaidan Rowe was especially hot.

There’s no argument that Kaidan is a certified YA hottie. Brown hair, blue eyes, cocky attitude, an awesome drummer and oh, British accent, anyone? *Swoon* Too bad that as the story progressed, he became less and less enticing to me. Not that I don't love him as a character anymore (the guy is too sexy to ignore!) but my dislike for Anna dragged him down too.

I was never a fan of insta-romance so I was disappointed to find one in Sweet Evil. This insta-romance also involves a forbidden love, which is something I generally like in my YA books but weirdly enough, something I didn't appreciate in this book. Especially when the relationship of Anna and Kaidan confused me so much. One moment they're so into each other and the next, the other is all we can't be together blah blah. I also didn't like how Anna acted when Kaidan told her off. And though her reaction was quite understandable given that it was her first love, I couldn't help but be irked by it. My respect for her as a girl went couple of notches down then and there. I most especially didn't like how much emphasis was given to Anna's virginity. At first it was funny but then I just got tired of it. Practically every character in this book knows about her virginity. Even the evil bosses are calling her out for it. How weird is that?

Speaking of weird, Sweet Evil has a rather unique but weird concept. Nephs here are taught not to do good things contrary to others where kids are taught not to do bad things. However, I think Higgins's concept for this book is questionable. Wouldn't it be more pleasing to the evil bosses if the Nephs are not following the rules? Because violating the rules is evil, right? (That or maybe Philosoraptor is rubbing off on me.)

But by all means, I genuinely liked reading this book. In terms of plot, Sweet Evil is well-paced. The side characters are likable especially Jay and the other Nephs. Despite Anna's tendency to be annoying and confusing, I couldn't help turning the pages one after the other. I guess in spite of its flaws, Sweet Evil still has that grasping quality to it that makes it hard to put down. And did I mention that Kaidan Rowe is hot? It's just sad that I don't share the same hype that majority of the YA blogging community has for this book.

Rating: 3/5 stars

Book Review: Touch of Frost

Touch of Frost (Mythos Academy #1)
by Jennifer Estep
Paperback, 350 pages
Published July 26th 2011 by Kensington Publishing Corporation
ISBN 0758266928 (ISBN13: 9780758266927)

Summary:

My name is Gwen Frost, and I go to Mythos Academy — a school of myths, magic and warrior whiz kids, where even the lowliest geek knows how to chop off somebody's head with a sword and Logan Quinn, the hottest Spartan guy in school, also happens to be the deadliest.

But lately, things have been weird, even for Mythos. First, mean girl Jasmine Ashton was murdered in the Library of Antiquities. Then, someone stole the Bowl of Tears, a magical artifact that can be used to bring about the second Chaos War. You know, death, destruction and lots of other bad, bad things. Freaky stuff like this goes on all the time at Mythos, but I'm determined to find out who killed Jasmine and why—especially since I should have been the one who died. . .

Review:

I like all kinds of mythologies, but no YA mythology has caught my attention so far. I thought Touch of Frost was going to be 'that' book. It showed a very promising start and I found myself quickly intrigued with Gwen's ability and attached to her character. I like that even though she was an outcast and didn't have a single friend, she was fine with it and she acted as if it was normal. Daphne was a likable character too. She's pretty, bitchy and popular and has a huge crush on a geek. And Logan, oh! I fell in love with him even before the book started.

I really would have given this a four or a four point five but sadly, the plot took a turn into the wrong the direction and then it just got lost to me somehow. I can't exactly point out on what part the story started taking a downspiral however, the romance did help on that.

It's funny because there's not so much romance here but what little of it the book has managed to get on my nerves. The romance was not technically an insta-love or insta-attraction. The supposed falling in love happened about halfway through, but given the fact that Logan and Gwen didn’t meet a lot before it, I guess it did border on insta-love, regardless if it was one-sided. I think it would’ve been okay if it were realistic, but it just didn’t feel spontaneous. It was also hard to buy the other coincidences. Again, I wouldn’t have any problems with it, but the execution of those scenes made for quite hard to believe scenarios.

Towards the end though, the book redeemed itself. The twist was unpredictable. At first, I thought I had it all figured out, so it was a pleasant surprise to have proved myself wrong. Overall, Touch of Frost is a nice quick read that I'm sure will appeal to UF readers.

Rating: 3/5 stars

Book Review: Incarnate

Incarnate (Newsoul #1)
by Jodi Meadows
Hardcover, 384 pages
Expected publication: January 31st 2012 by HarperCollins Children's Books
Source: ARC from NetGalley

Summary:

NEWSOUL
Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

NOSOUL
Even Ana’s own mother thinks she’s a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she’ll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are suspicious and afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

HEART
Sam believes Ana’s new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana’s enemies—human and creature alike—let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else’s life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?

Jodi Meadows expertly weaves soul-deep romance, fantasy, and danger into an extraordinary tale of new life.

Review:

I was hoping to finish my 2011 Dystopia Reading Challenge when I chose to read this. I don't know what got me into thinking that this was a dystopian, but it was more fantasy with a dash of mystery, utopian and weird. But whatever the genres really are, I have mixed feelings about everything in the book. I've read a lot of paranormal books about reincarnation, but the difference between them and Incarnate is that the characters in this book remember their past lives.

Everyone except Anna has been living for thousands of years. Their bodies die but their souls are immortal. The characters just keep being reborn, like they're being recycled. It's weird because there's a chance that your lover from a previous life can be your offspring in another life. Your lover can be reborn into the same gender as you are. And you can be reborn into a different gender. The characters even own both male and female clothings. They also keep journals and even collect their remains from previous lives.

And while others might enjoy the other elements in the story, such as the Heart, sylphs and dragons, I didn't quite enjoy them. I even found myself falling asleep a number of times while reading this. It was a little hard to connect with the characters as well. Sam didn't appeal to me, though I did kinda like Anna. She's eighteen, technically an adult, but compared to the rest of the characters' experience and age, she's still a baby to them. I like how her innocence was portrayed. It was real, but did not border on annoyingly childish.

Overall, I think Incarnate has a great potential. I might have fallen asleep while reading this, but there were also parts that had me alert and on the edge of my seat. And although I have mixed feelings about the characters, I love, love, loved the development in Anna's character and I'm still very much interested to know what will happen to her and Sam as well as how the rest of the story will play out.

Rating: 3/5 stars

Disclosure: This e-galley was received from the publisher (HarperCollins via NetGalley) for free in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: Between Here and Forever

Between Here and Forever
by Elizabeth Scott
258 pages - Hardcover
Expected publication date: May 24th 2011 by Simon Pulse
Source: ARC from Simon & Schuster Galley Grab

Summary: (from Goodreads)

Abby accepted that she can’t measure up to her beautiful, magnetic sister Tess a long time ago, and knows exactly what she is: Second best. Invisible.

Until the accident.

Now Tess is in a coma, and Abby’s life is on hold. It may have been hard living with Tess, but it’s nothing compared to living without her.

She’s got a plan to bring Tess back though, involving the gorgeous and mysterious Eli, but then Abby learns something about Tess, something that was always there, but that she’d never seen.

Abby is about to find out that truth isn’t always what you think it is, and that life holds more than she ever thought it could..

Review:

Between Here and Forever is a powerful novel that delves deeply into the topics of sexuality, racial discrimination and self-acceptance. Abby has been living in the shadow of her sister, Tess, for all her life. In Abby's eyes, Tess is the most perfect girl in town. She has learned how to deal with having a sister who is loved by everyone. That is, by accepting that she is nothing compared to Tess. Although she claims that she is perfectly contented with who she is, it is clear that she is insecure and tries to hide it by flat out downgrading herself.

She also claims that she hates her sister; how she always gets everybody's attention, including the first boy she ever loved. Which could be true but despite whatever she says, it is obvious that she truly loves her sister. She does everything to make her sister wake up; bringing a good-looking boy to her hospital room and making him talk to her. As if his swoon-inducing voice could make her sister magically open her eyes and start conversing with him.

Between Here and Forever has a lot of depth and surprising turn of events, but despite that, this book didn't quite work out well enough for me. The characters and plot were okay. Eli and Abby are not the most likable characters there is. The atmosphere in this book is quite gloomy as well. I didn't like how Abby always sees the worse in herself. Like when Eli told her that Clement called her a 'firecracker', she thought Clement just compared her to 'a thing that people blow up on holidays'. Or when Eli compared her to a dragon, she thought '[I] ...got called a big scaly-firebreathing monster'. It's amusing at first but when you find out that she's actually serious, it suddenly gets annoying..

But nevertheless, the story in its entirety is still worth the read. I finished this in a little over than four hours. This is my third Scott book and although it didn't quite reach my expectations, I'm still on the look out for her future works. And as well as past.

Rating: 3/5 stars

*This e-ARC was provided by the publisher (Simon & Schuster via S&S Galley Grab) in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: The Boys Next Door by Jennifer Echols

The Boys Next Door
by Jennifer Echols
317 pages - Paperback
Published June 26th 2007 by Simon Pulse
ISBN: 1416918310 (ISBN13: 9781416918318)

Summary:

Cute, available, and one cabin over....

Lori lives for summertime on the lake. She spends all season wakeboarding, swimming, and hanging with her friends—including the two hotties in the house next door. With the Vader brothers, Lori's always been one of the guys.

But while Lori and the "baby" brother, Adam, are inseparable friends, she can't deny a secret crush on Sean, the older Vader boy. This year Sean's been paying Lori a lot of attention, and not in a brotherly way.

But just as Lori decides to prove to Sean she's girlfriend material, she realizes that her role as girl friend to Adam may be even more important. And by trying so hard for the perfect summer romance, she could be going way overboard....

Review:

After 15 years of being treated as one of the boys, Lori McGuillycuddy has had enough. At 16, she decided that it was time to girl up and maybe, snag Sean Vader, the boy whom she has been pining after for more than 10 years. But with Adam Vade, the youngest of the Vader brothers, and his ex-girlfriend on the side, Lori’s summer was about to get more awkward than she already thought it was.

I wasn’t too fond of Lori’s character in the beginning. I know the whole point of girling up was for Sean to finally notice her, and maybe, for him to realize that she was a girlfriend material and finally, to hook up together. But I thought Lori’s obsession with this was a little too annoying. Most especially when I found out why she has liked Sean all those years.

Adam, on the other hand, was very adorable. Excuse my weirdness, but having ADHD and refusing to take medications because it would make you feel dead is adorable in my opinion. And he also bounces on his feet! He also never backs down on any dare even if it breaks every bone in his body. He was really adorable and brave, if not stupid. I guess he strikes me as adorable in the little-baby-brother sort of way.

One thing I never understood in the book though was how Lori (and even Mrs. Vader!) often mistook Sean for Adam and vice versa. Even though they have the same hairstyles and facial features, surely, there’s a way to tell them apart? Especially when they’ve been together since they were kids. It gets annoying whenever Lori mistakes one for the other.

I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed Echols’s Forget You and Going Too Far. But nevertheless, The Boys Next Door was still an enjoyable read and definitely worth a go.

Rating: 3/5 stars

Book Review: Afterlife by Claudia Gray

Afterlife (Evernight #4)
by Claudia Gray
386 pages (Hardcover)
Published March 8th by HarperTeen
ISBN: 0061284424 (ISBN13: 9780061284427)

Summary:

The fourth book in this electrifying vampire series has all the romance, suspense, and page-turning drama that have made Claudia Gray’s Evernight books runaway successes.

Having become what they feared most, Bianca and Lucas face a terrifying new reality. They must return to Evernight Academy, Lucas as a vampire and Bianca as a wraith. But Lucas is haunted by demons, both personal and supernatural. Bianca must help him fight the evil inside him, combat the forces determined to drive them apart—and find the power to claim her destiny at last.

Readers have fallen in love with Bianca and Lucas, and they will be thrilled to read this exciting conclusion to their romantic adventure.


Review:

I'm still trying to figure out what I feel about Afterlife. I think it's really odd that I didn't feel any disappointment over how it did not live up to my expectations. The Evernight series is possibly one of my most favorite series but after reading Afterlife, I don't know if it's still on that list. There were parts in the book that pushed me to the edge of my seat, and there were times that I found myself getting bored over some parts. But anyway, all in all, the book was ok. It managed to stimulate the part of my brain which tells me to forget the time and your surroundings and live inside the book. Which is exactly what I like about my books.

The ending was okay. Unpredictable? Yes. Satisfying? Not really. Would I like a better ending? Definitely. But then, it's going to be one of those novels written to please the fans. Besides, I like the idea that Lucas and Bianca's story did not just end there. It implied that there was more to their story than just that. I'm a sucker for those types of ending and so I will happily settle with it.

Rating: 3/5 stars