Hourglass

One hour to rewrite the past . . .

For seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, life is about seeing what isn't there: swooning Southern Belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents' death, she just wants the apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She's tried everything, but the visions keep coming back.So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson's willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future, it may change her past.

Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy, barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she says? Why does an electric charge seem to run through the room whenever he's around? And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death that never should have happened?

Full of atmosphere, mystery, and romance, Hourglass merges the very best of the paranormal and science-fiction genres in a seductive, remarkable young adult debut.
from amazon.com

Beth says 4 Stars…
This book had a relatively normal concept initially that then mutated into something completely different than I expected. I found the change refreshing since I’m always a fan of unexpected directions. There were large portions of the plot that I expected… the arrival of a mysterious, yet attractive stranger. Really? I felt that it also was a bit slow to start, but definitely got into a good flow in the early middle. As far as writing style goes I thought this was a very nice first outing, with a solid base and room to grow. The settings were delightfully lush and well thought out; I could easily picture them with the vivid details given. I liked how McEntire managed to slip in the details without making them obviously placed; they felt natural.

Finally, a heroine I loved reading about! Emerson walked the line between being terrified and courageous extremely well, showing both of those sides in her personally. All of the freaking out that happened tended to the side of completely understandable and never moved into excess. She took things well and in stride, changing when it behooved her without fundamentally altering her personal identity (well, other than her concept of herself and her abilities). Of course Emerson gets into a bit of a love triangle, but it doesn’t take over the story so how odd and silly it is never becomes a major issue. Then there’s Michael, who fills about half of the stereotypes for men in paranormal romance type novels, but has a bit of something extra. Whether it’s the slightly unexpected plot turns or just something about how McEntire writes him, he evolves from the ever-so-obvious tall, dark, and broody male lead into a more interesting character. His interactions with Emerson always managed to entertain in some fashion, no matter if they were silly and casual or intensely revealing. I didn’t want to look away from the page if the two of them were on it together. The peripheral characters seemed interesting enough, and I think that over the course of the series they will deepen and become more of a presence.

Overall I thought this was a solid debut; nothing unbelievable, but very good. The pacing could have been better, but there’s a nice foundation of writing and a fantastic set up (the premise, characters, and setting) to launch a series. There’s some serious potential for epicness here, which makes this a series to watch. This is for people who like paranormal romance, but are tired of reading about vampires/werewolves/whatever else. If you’re in the mood for something that’s just inventive enough this is the book for you! I for one can’t wait for the sequel.

Entice

Zara and Nick are soul mates, meant to be together forever. But that's not quite how things have worked out. For starters, well, Nick is dead. Supposedly, he's been taken to a mythic place for warriors known as Valhalla, so Zara and her friends might be able to get him back. But it's taking time, and meanwhile a group of evil pixies is devastating Bedford, with more teens going missing every day. An all-out war seems imminent, and the good guys need all the warriors they can find. But how to get to Valhalla? And even if Zara and her friends discover the way, there's that other small problem: Zara's been pixie kissed. When she finds Nick, will he even want to go with her? Especially since she hasn't turned into just any pixie. . . She's Astley's queen.
from amazon.com

Beth says 3.5 Stars…
I find this series difficult to describe… I really enjoy reading the books, but know they’re nowhere near amazing. The plots keep getting more and more complicated to the point of confusion. This plot bounced around from one thing to another without emphasizing clarity. I didn’t always know where I was in the story or how the action related to the endpoint of the novel; I actually got a bit fuzzy on the purpose of the story as well. However random the plot might have been, it still managed to be quite entertaining and engaging. The settings could have used a bit of improvement, although I acknowledge the brevity of the characters’ stays in a few locations. I also feel like I haven’t seen any growth in Jones’s writing style, which I rather expected. Not to say that there’s anything particularly wrong with it, but improvement can always happen.

Oh Zara. The angsty conflict that surrounds her grated mightily on my nerves. I really wanted her to make up her mind in her love life, which wouldn’t have had nearly the amount of drama but would have been more satisfactory to me. I also didn’t see an evolution in Zara’s character; she changed more in the first novel than in the second two combined. Nick’s absence caused a large amount of moping and pining, and that was one the biggest sources of angst in the novel. Astley started to grow on me, but I don’t particularly buy their relationship. There’s no heat coming off of the page when the two of them are together, which doesn’t exactly make for the most believable of love triangles. I still love the supporting characters and find them vastly entertaining. The Buffy references slid into the dialogue made me super happy!

I can only recommend this book as fun. It isn’t the greatest literature by any stretch of the imagination and at times falls into mediocrity because of the huge volume of paranormal/fantasy books flooding the market currently. However, I once I started the book I just couldn’t stop reading it. This is a fun and mindless summer series that could work well either on the beach or just sitting attempting to do next to nothing.
Book from Library

family

i have always been broken.
i could have. died.
and maybe it would have been better if i had.

It is a day like any other when seventeen-year-old Melinda Jensen hits the road for San Francisco, leaving behind her fractured home life and a constant assault on her self-esteem. Henry is the handsome, charismatic man who comes upon her, collapsed on a park bench, and offers love, a bright new consciousness, and—best of all—a family. One that will embrace her and give her love. Because family is what Mel has never really had. And this new family, Henry’s family, shares everything. They share the chores, their bodies, and their beliefs. And if Mel truly wants to belong, she will share in everything they do. No matter what the family does, or how far they go.
Told in episodic verse, family is a fictionalized exploration of cult dynamics, loosely based on the Manson Family murders of 1969. It is an unflinching look at people who are born broken, and the lengths they’ll go to to make themselves “whole” again.
from amazon.com

Beth says 4 Stars...

This book made me realize that I really don't like verse form in novels. I'd thought that it could have been a particular author's style, but now I know that it's simply the form. Even though this isn't my favorite format, I have to say that the book was good, particularly if you love verse. I'm not sure if it was just the copy I had, but there were some very odd things with the formatting. The change in the type interrupted the visual flow and fragmented the page. Although it made an interesting parallel to Mel's fractured mental state, I did find it distracting. The setting felt very hazy and indiscriminate, which worked well with the atmosphere of the novel. Since Mel had no real clue or care as to where she existed, it made sense that the readers couldn't be certain of anything either. The plot often became garbled and I had a bit of trouble teasing it out at times. It didn't flow particularly well and if a few well placed items hadn't pointed the direction the story was to head in early on I would have been completely lost. The plot sort of meandered throughout the middle of the novel and then barreled forward at a breakneck pace near the end.

It's almost hard to analyze Mel as a character. I felt that I got a good feel for her mentally, but it's hard really say if I understood her thinking because of the verse form. I'm pretty sure nobody actually thinks in verse and I know that I don't. That made it rather difficult to connect with Mel's thoughts. Another issue I had was that although I felt for Mel I never understood her. Her issues and the effects they had on her are so far removed from my own experiences that I had a bit of trouble relating. Also, Mel exhibited relatively little growth over the course of the book. It seemed to be more of an exploration of her scarred psyche and didn't allow her to evolve. She would have made much more of an impact on me if I had noticed some forward development instead of a regression. On the other hand, Henry was a fascinating character. A large portion of it was due to the mystique he had for Mel and the rest of the "family". I also found him particularly well written... I could feel his magnetism through the page, especially how Mel always referred to Him with a capital H. This emphasized how much of a God figure he was to her and everyone around him.

Overall the book was not quite my cup of tea, but I can't deny that it was good. There were some frightening aspects of it, particularly how someone can be so damaged they let themselves be drawn into anything that feels like meaning. This is perfect for someone who loves verse novels or books with intense break downs of characters' minds.
Book from Publisher

Fixing Delilah

First of all, sorry for the absence. The whole finals and end of semester things took over my life, but now it's summer, which means time to read and blog!

Things in Delilah Hannaford's life have a tendency to fall apart.

She used to be a good student, but she can't seem to keep it together anymore. Her "boyfriend" isn't much of a boyfriend. And her mother refuses to discuss the fight that divided their family eight years ago. Falling apart, it seems, is a Hannaford tradition.

Over a summer of new friendships, unexpected romance, and moments that test the complex bonds between mothers and daughters, Delilah must face her family's painful past. Can even her most shattered relationships be pieced together again?
from hatchettebookgroup.com

Beth says 4 Stars...

I enjoyed Ockler's other novel, but even though I'm enjoying realistic fiction more I still go in hesitant. Once again I found the world she created an interesting place to reside for a brief time. The setting felt relatively real, but I found a few flaws as well. I think that Delilah not being as familiar with the town could have been used to enhance the experience for readers. However, we only got a few half recollected memories without the descriptions needed to bring it fully to life. I honestly just expected a bit more and finished the book disappointed in that sense. I predicted a good bit of the ending... it wasn't terribly original. That's not to say it lacked an emotional punch (I totally cried), but it lacked any real inventiveness.

I still have no tolerance for characters that constantly whine and complain, especially when the story centers on them. Delilah got more than a little angsty at points, which gave me the urge to reach into the pages and shake her. I understand that she had some issues to deal with, but honestly would a little more gumption have killed her? I think not, but the bouts of griping weren't overwhelming. I found Patrick and the romantic component of the story sweet. It didn't become overdone, which I feel is a problem in a fair number of novels. The best part of the novel hands down was how Ockler portrayed the relationships between the Hannaford women. Even though there was the huge, central event/family secret from years before the story felt fractured. Instead of fixating completely on what happened, it focused more on the fallout of an explosive secret. I also appreciated how things never magically repaired themselves and any healing that happened had to be earned.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. It would be perfect for a rainy day curled on a couch alone. I wouldn't recommend it for the beach, particularly if you're near the end and have a predisposition towards waterworks like me. If you're in the mood for an interesting family drama with some darkness that never goes too far pick this one up!
Book from Library

The Mockingbirds

Some schools have honor codes.
Others have handbooks.
Themis Academy has the Mockingbirds.

Themis Academy is a quiet boarding school with an exceptional student body that the administration trusts to always behave the honorable way–the Themis Way. So when Alex is date raped during her junior year, she has two options: stay silent and hope someone helps her, or enlist the Mockingbirds–a secret society of students dedicated to righting the wrongs of their fellow peers.

In this honest, page-turning account of a teen girl’s struggle to stand up for herself, debut author Daisy Whitney reminds readers that if you love something or someone–especially yourself– you fight for it.
from daisywhitneybooks.com

Beth says 4 Stars...
I wasn't sure about this book initially, but decided to give it a try since it's one of the novels in The Contemps Challenge. I'm very glad I did, which makes me love this challenge even more. Without it I never would have picked this up and missed out on an interesting debut novel. The main issue I thought would come up was the subject matter, as date rape isn't something to be treated lightly. Whitney handled it beautifully, and brought up many points I hadn't dreamed to think of. It didn't just deal with the obviously painful aftermath, but instead emphasized more subtle points. The one that really sticks with me is how Alex became afraid to go into the cafeteria because that's a place where she would run into her attacker. I also found it interesting the detail placed into the Mockingbirds system and its processes. I also agree with the statements made in the book about how administrations can turn a blind eye to the wrongs of students, as they shouldn't be capable of doing wrong.

Alex morphed into a fantastic character who carried both strength and fragility in spades. Her ordeal broke her, and she allowed herself to hurt before dusting off and changing her situation. However, she never made an about face, so her changes were gradual and never felt forced. The rest of the cast didn't flesh out nearly so well, which was the main weakness of the novel. There was nothing severely wrong with any others, but they couldn't jump of the page and lacked the three dimensionality of Alex.

Overall this book definitely surpassed my expectations, something I always appreciate. I'd recommend this to people who have any sort of fleeting interest in realistic fiction, or someone who's lived in a residential/boarding school environment. The poignant portrayal of the fallout of date rape in a closed environment is not to be missed, especially for someone living at school.

Tortall and Other Lands

Collected here for the first time are all of the tales from the land of Tortall, featuring both previously unknown characters as well as old friends. Filling some gaps of time and interest, these stories, some of which have been published before, will lead Tammy's fans, and new readers into one of the most intricately constructed worlds of modern fantasy.
from amazon.com

Beth says 5 Stars...

I will make absolutely no effort to hide my absolute adoration of Tamora Pierce here. I've loved her books since I stumbled upon them in my middle school library and refuse to stop reading them now, more than a few years later. Somehow she always manages to make the characters insanely believable without sacrificing the plot. This book is a collection of her short stories, some old and some new. There's one that has no magical elements at all, but the rest fall within the realm of fantasy. I'd read some of these before (The Dragon's Tale rather recently), but that doesn't make the book any less amazing.

I will say that my favorite story was the one about Nawat because it offered a return to the Copper Isles and some beloved characters. Honestly, how can you not love the combination of a crow-man and his wife the spy. I also found it particularly interesting because we finally got to see something from Nawat's point of view. It was definitely different than any other voice I'd read and completely made sense for him. Some of the other stories centered around themes of how to be a woman in an oppressed world, with two girls taking completely different approaches to how to do just that. I really loved the story Lost, which involved a math genius and an adorable Darking. What's not to like? There weren't any stories that I didn't appreciate, but I did find Time of Proving to be rather odd and short. I would have enjoyed it more had it been fleshed out a bit as the characters felt slightly underdeveloped.

Overall this is something that no Tammy fan can miss! As an added bonus there's a brief excerpt from Mastiff in the back, which is just enough to make you want the rest immediately. If there's someone here who hasn't read any of her books, shame on you. Go buy Alanna: the First Adventure as soon as possible, and get on with the glories of Tamora Pierce. Now to begin the agonizing wait for a new book of hers anew...
Book from Library

Glimmerglass

Dana Hathaway doesn't know it yet, but she's in big trouble. When her alcoholic mom shows up at her voice recital drunk, again, Dana decides she’s had enough and runs away to find her mysterious father in Avalon: the only place on Earth where the regular, everyday world and the captivating, magical world of Faerie intersect. But from the moment Dana sets foot in Avalon, everything goes wrong, for it turns out she isn't just an ordinary teenage girl—she's a Faeriewalker, a rare individual who can travel between both worlds, and the only person who can bring magic into the human world and technology into Faerie.

Soon, Dana finds herself tangled up in a cutthroat game of Fae politics. Someone's trying to kill her, and everyone seems to want something from her, from her newfound friends and family to Ethan, the hot Fae guy Dana figures she’ll never have a chance with… until she does. Caught between two worlds, Dana isn’t sure where she’ll ever fit in and who can be trusted, not to mention if her world will ever be normal again…
from jennablack.com

Beth says 4 Stars...

I had tons of fun reading this book. I'd read a good bit of realistic fiction just before this novel, so the fantasy came as a delightful change of pace. I found the setting a nice blend of the real and imagined. I'd never thought of Avalon in the way it appeared here and I enjoyed its unexpectedness. The plot moved along nicely without any major interruptions, but could have had a bit more engrossing. I did appreciate the way Black gave out information; it didn't feel contrived or forced. Instead of simply dumping it all at once she placed small pieces and had Dana constantly asking for more. I also loved the intrigue component of the plot. I'm a total sucker for court drama so that got my attention quickly. I appreciated the levels that were hinted at, including the rigid class structure and conflict between the courts.

I found Dana to be a much more engaging heroine by the end of the book than I initially thought she would be. At first she rather bothered me for some unknown reason. However, after watching her struggle in a completely unfamiliar environment and not break down into a ball of angst, I turned in her favor. Her narrative was well done and helped bring her out of the page. However, she didn't quite strike me as someone who could be real. Perhaps she'll develop more in the later books; I'm holding out hope for that. Dana's relationship with both of her parents could be classified as strained to say the least, so those both had a feature in the novel. I thought that the romantic relationships were confused and really lacked a spark. It felt as if Black couldn't figure out where she wanted the characters to go and didn't know who need to be with whom. In that aspect the book really lacked appeal; the issue was that it tried to put the romance in but didn't do a good job of it.

I enjoyed this book a good deal. It's not the most amazing thing that I've ever read, but it's fun and quick. I'm also excited that Black is an author from North Carolina, so that makes it even better! I'm always glad to see talent that's close to home for me. This would be good for people who find themselves drawn to authors like Melissa Marr, but without a lot of the darkness, or just love faerie stories like me.
Book from Library