Wildlife by Fiona Wood

Note: I received a free advanced copy of “Wildlife” by Fiona Wood from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When I requested “Wildlife”, a story about two teenage girls named Sibylla and Lou and their school term at an outdoor education program, I did not realize that it’s basically a sequel to another book that featured Lou. I actually didn’t realize that until now, over a week after I finished the book, when I happened to see that it was listed as ‘book 2’ on Goodreads.

Now I know that sometimes it doesn’t really seem to matter whether or not you’ve read the first book and I doubt it would have changed “Wildlife” all that much for me but I think it might have helped enough for me to rate this a bit higher.

I enjoyed the duel perspectives, the naïve Sibylla and Lou who had experienced so much (most likely in the first book I’m guessing) although at first I didn’t pick up on the whole multiple narrator thing and was very confused. Which was probably pretty stupid of me since some chapters were written in diary form while others were just first person but since narrator names weren’t mentioned for a few pages I got lost.

What I did like about the story was that some parts of it were very realistic. Lou’s depression was understandable and I liked that she merely isolated herself and observed instead of behaving more erratically like fictional characters often seem to do. But where I liked Lou I found Sibylla very flip floppy. Sometimes she had some great common sense and observations while other times, whenever her best friend and her new boyfriend were involved, she was horribly naïve.

All in all it wasn’t a bad story but it wasn’t really all that amazing either. Not much happened and I didn’t get pulled into the characters as much as I have in other books though I did like bits and pieces of the character’s personalities.

Salt & Storm by Kendall Kulper

Note: I received an Advanced Reader Copy of Salt & Storm in exchange for an honest review.

Salt & Storm was the story of the Roes, specifically Avery Roe, who belongs to a family of witches who keep Prince Island safe with their magic.

For hundreds of years the Roe family passed the magic from daughter to daughter, using it to help the whalers who populate the island they live on. Their magic comes with the cost of pain and a life span and a shortened life span. Most of the witches in the family line took up the mantle but Avery’s mother chose not to, leaving her aging mother to care for her daughter until her circumstances change. That’s how the story starts.

The majority of the story seemed to revolve around the relationships between Avery, her mother and her mother’s mother as well as the Roe family’s relationship to island. Avery makes it very clear that she wants to be the Roe witch but it’s not long into the story that she has a dream that reveals that her own death is imminent so she tries to find a way to prevent it from happening. That way ends up involving a boy.

Although I liked it well enough this book was not all that memorable. I’m finally writing this review about a week after I finished it and I’m struggling to remember all the details. From what I can remember my favorite part of the story was the history of the Roe family. It was kind of neat to read about what powers the other women had and so on.

And the major thing that bothered me was that there wasn’t really much of a resolution. The question of Avery’s imminent fate was answered but certain relationships weren’t resolved. I expected more and didn’t find it.

Sway by Kat Spears

“Sway” by Kat Spears is, if we’re taking it down to a bare bones comparison, a retelling of the story of Cyrano de Bergerac. The main character is Jesse, a high school student with connections and pull with many different people (you call him when you want drugs or alcohol, if you want a fundraiser to be successful, if you’re the principal and you want a trouble student out of your hair). So when popular kid Ken Foster offers him two hundred dollars to help him get a date with the nice, beautiful Bridget, Jesse agrees. What Jesse doesn’t expect is that by getting to know Bridget he’d end up falling in love with her as well.

I ended up really liking this book mostly because the high school that was featured wasn’t one of those stereotypical schools that only exist in fiction. I mean, how often do we end up reading stories or watching movies where all the kids get along and nobody drinks or ever does anything wrong?

Well these characters were real and they were raw. Jesse deals drugs but has a conscious about it (he warns his new friend, who is Bridget’s brother, that he shouldn’t rely on drugs to feel good at parties). Bridget is a good girl who likes to volunteer her time but also likes to go out at night. All the characters show a full range of emotions and are snarky and annoying at times and loveable at others. It was nice to see a less idealistic version of high school and high school students.

My only issue with the book is exactly how many different things Jesse had a hand in. Drug deals, fake ID’s, friends with DJ’s and cheerleaders and bowling alley owners and he’s not even a senior in high school? At one point he even has the principal coming to him for help which seemed to me like it was a little bit of “movie magic” so to speak (suspension of disbelief).  But all in all I liked it and will be following Kat Spear’s career.  

Rant: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Beware! There will be spoilers for Mockingjay, the final book in the Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins.

This isn't exactly a typical book review, it's more of a rant/complaint in a way.

Okay, okay, I'll admit that I didn't start paying attention until the Hunger Games series until they decided to make it into a movie. But once I started I felt like I caught on fire! I whipped through that book series in a little less than three weeks and, like I almost always do when I've read a book or series that I feel strongly about one way or another, I went into the book reviews and message boards on Goodreads to see what others were saying about certain plot points.

Boy was I surprised when I looked at the one about Mockingjay! Let's go through the list of things many people found fault with and why their negative opinions were a little unfounded. Because honestly I think some of the people complaining must not have read the same book I did.

1: People who thought Katniss was annoying and mopey.

We all read the first two books in the series, right? By Mockingjay Katniss is only seventeen but yet she's been thrown into two Hunger Games, she's unwillingly killed a slew of people because it was a killed or be killed situations, and she's been made a symbol of the rebellion even though she doesn't want to be. She was, in a way, responsible for the annihilation of her entire district through her actions in the second Hunger Games. She is broken and suffering post-tramautic stress disorder and yet I saw tons of reviews where people thought she shouldn't have been moping, freaking out, or fighting against being made "the Mockingjay." What?! She's been through so much and yet you don't think she deserves freak out time?

2: People who think the deaths of Finnick and/or Prim shouldn't have happened or were upset because the characters didn't take the time to grieve.

Mockingjay was set during a rebellion, during a war. In war people die completely insensible deaths. There is no time to mourn when it happens. Yes after Finnick's death they ended up camped out in the clothing store that same night but guess what? They still had to focus on staying alive the next day so it only makes sense that Katniss would be thinking about her choice between Peeta and Gale (something she'll only have to think about if they all survive) and thinking of Finnick and death. Personally I'd rather think of life.

And Prim's death. Although I liked Prim, she was a sweet girl, her death was necessary. Without it Katniss would not have taken a stand against Coin. And, what with the vote Coin had them make on having another Hunger Games, we can only assume that Coin would have been a horrible leader as well. Which leads me to my final point of contention.

3: People who thought Katniss voted for another Hunger Games and meant it.

The surviving victors were given a choice of whether or  not to hold a Hunger Games with the Capitol children. This is after Katniss has already started to wonder what kind of person Coin is and it makes her realize how much of a tyrant Coin could be. The main clues are when she wonders if Haymitch will understand what she's doing (meaning her yes doesn't just mean yes) and when she says "yes, for Prim" (there is no way Prim would want the deaths of more children). That, to me, meant one thing: Katniss wanted to get revenge for Prim and so she says something that will ensure that she will be next to Coin and holding a weapon at what was supposed to be Snow's execution. She said yes not because she wanted another Hunger Games but because she wanted to take out Coin.

And that's part of the reason why I shouldn't read reviews, sometimes I just get way into them and can actually feel myself getting mad. Maybe it's part of being an English major, being trained to look deeper into things as I read.

The House of the Four Winds by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory

Note: I received an ARC of “The House of the Four Winds” by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

First I’m going to share a little story. I don’t remember when it was for sure but a few years back I stumbled upon a paperback copy of “The Fairy Godmother” by Mercedes Lackey. Even though I’ve been an avid reader of fantasy fiction since even before reading “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” in the late 1990’s I hadn’t read of Mercedes Lackey. But I read “The Fairy Godmother”, absolutely loved it, and made that I got my hands on the rest of the Tales of the 500 Kingdom books that have published so far.

This is what that series has taught me to expect of Mercedes Lackey: action, adventure, and kick ass heroines. Three great qualities in books of any genre. So when I was browsing NetGalley and saw the first book of a new series, one that promised to feature even more powerful female characters (what with a series title of One Dozen Daughters) I was intrigued. Then I started the book and I was captivated.

“The House of the Four Winds” starts out in Swansgaard, a small kingdom with too many daughters to afford their dowries. This means that once the girls turn eighteen they are free to venture out on their owns and make their own fortunes. The first book starts with Clarice, an accomplished swordswoman, deciding to take a ship to the New World. There she meets a motley crew of seamen, including the dashing Dominick. But the thing is, Clarice is masquerading as Clarence Swann, a wealthy gentleman.

The plot runs quickly with a normal sea journey turning into a story of mutiny, pirates, treasure, and then romance enters the scene. The characters were lively and well written and the intrigue was great. There was even some humor thrown in!

So, even though I have a feeling that the next novels in the series won’t be following Clarice (I am hoping there will be mentions of marriages, children, etc.) since there are eleven other daughters to follow the lives of, I will still be looking forward to getting my hands on the books.

Recommended for anyone who has read and enjoyed Mercedes Lackey books, likes fantasy and strong female characters.

Suffer the Children by Craig DiLouie

Note: I received an advanced copy of “Suffer the Children” from NetGalley but although I did get the Kindle version the title was deleted from my NetGalley dashboard so I won’t be able to post the review on their website. Not sure what happened there but oops.

Now on to the actual review and what a bumpy ride it was!

If you want to take it down to bare bones “Suffer the Children” is a vampire/zombie book but it’s so much more than that. The premise is that after being introduced to several different characters (a couple with two children, a single mother who sometimes resents her son, and a pediatrician with a rough family life) an event happen. That event becomes known as Herod’s Syndrome and results in the death of every child (I believe the designation was that they hadn’t hit puberty yet), even those who are in utero. But then the kids come back and not only do they just wake up but they rise out of their graves in order to do it.

(Side note: the only plot point that really bothered me. Herod’s Syndrome isn’t really explained enough. Yes it only effects the children and it’s said to be something in their DNA or something that got triggered but what exactly was the trigger? It just happens in one place and within a day it’s spread across the rest of the globe. There was nothing that supposedly set it off or anything).

Creepy, huh? But that’s just the beginning because what happens next, or I suppose it just gets more heightened, is the psychological drama. And now I’m going to get a little spoilery. Or maybe a lot spoilery.

Even though I’m not a parent this story bothered me (and it definitely makes me wonder how I’d see this story if I did have children of my own), only in a good way because it made me think and wonder and kind of freak out along with all the characters in the story. Because this is what happens: kids die and the parents mourn, a few days later the kids crawl out of their graves and return home, they spend a few days or hours or something all happy and then the kids suddenly die again. Then, in the middle of the night, they let their parents know exactly what they want with shrieks and moans asking for blood.

Sounds a little cheesy but in the heat of the story it’s actually kind of terrifying, especially once the parents realize that they don’t produce enough blood to keep their children alive for long. That means they have to try different methods because for each time their children die they decompose more and more so they can’t exactly just wait until their own blood supplies replenish. Some parents just try and get as many friends and family members to help out as they can. Others turn to more nefarious methods including murder and prostitution.

And that’s when the division between different types of parents becomes even more obvious because with each time they arise they become more animalistic, more like the traditional stereotypical “vampire”, i.e. increased strength, single-minded want for blood. Some parents want to just let their children go while others decide they’d rather die themselves than do that.

Then the ending that I loved and hated at the same time. I was half afraid it would all be wrapped up in a neat little bow with the fake blood serum being made and distributed and the majority of the characters making it out alive but it did not, boy did it not! There was death and murder and an epilogue where creepy vampire children are roaming the streets and methodically killing everyone with a heartbeat. And while it was a great ending I was also really curious to know more. Would the children really manage to kill everyone? If not would any more children be able to be born what with the whole fact that the disease killed even unborn ones? I just have so many questions!

Just Like the Movies by Kelly Fiore

Note: I received a free copy of "Just Like the Movies" from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. And this review will contain spoilers because the only thing keeping me from giving this book a higher review would be the ending.

"Just Like the Movies" by Kelly Fiore was certainly exactly what the title and the brief blurb would lead you to expect: a story that reads exactly like how a romantic comedy would play out on the screen. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing if you like cheesy romantic comedies, which I do. But, unfortunately, there wasn't necessarily anymore substance than there is in a 90 minute movie.

The gist of the story is that, after a series of random events, the studious and underappreciated Lily and the track star with the hot boyfriend, Marijke end up forging a friendship after running away from a viewing of Titanic. You see Lily has an unrequited crush on a boy who doesn't even really know she exists while Marijke's boyfriend is wanted by every hot blooded female in the school and he seems to like that. So the two girls decide on a plan, to recreate scenes from popular romantic comedies and use them to get Lily's crush to notice her and to get Marijke's boyfriend to finally return those three little words.

One thing I was glad of with this book, the fact that I had watched all but one of the movies they mentioned (and that was one I'd seen recreated on other shows). The references were probably enough that it would have taken away from my enjoyment of the book if I hadn't seen them so that might be a deterrent to some readers. To appeal to more readers perhaps the movie tropes could have been used but without mention of specific titles and movie characters? That way it would have been a need little inside joke if you knew the movie but you wouldn't feel excluded if you hadn't. There are plenty of romantic comedy situations that are used over and over again and would have gotten the same points across.

I figured with the title of the movie and the plot that there would be happily ever afters for both couples involved but I was honestly hoping for something else. The turn around of Lily's love interest was too quick and she accepted it to easily. Marijke and her boyfriends relationship bothered me the whole way through because, as she cited when she finally did break up with him, their love was unequal. She was basically obsessed with him (which rubbed me the wrong way...shouldn't we have more stories where the relationship is healthy?) while he didn't seem to care much for her, only when she got mad and he needed to apologize. I was glad when they broke up and she was able to become her own person. But then they, of course, got back together right before prom. Just in time to be named prom king and queen. Sigh.

I had hoped, and would have given more stars, if the book had broken some of the whole romantic comedy plot lines. By the middle of it I was hoping Lily and Marijke would realize the guys were holding them back and they'd decide to go to prom together, as friends and be very happy with their decision. But that didn't happen and the book became one big, girl depends on guy cliche.

But it was cute and it was a quick read so all in all I did enjoy it.