Bookish Recap

I'm joining Tynga's Reviews' meme Stacking the Shelves and The Story Siren's In My Mailbox meme today. Thanks for hosting Tynga and Kristi!

On the Blog This Week

Manga Mondays:

Skip Beat vol. 9 by Yoshiki Nakamura

Reviews:

Where Things Back by John Corey Whaley

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

Read Outside the Box:

Best Adult Historical Fiction

Books I Read This Week

Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
-Oh my gosh...So incredible!!!!

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
-Finally reading this one. It's great so far.

Books Received This Week

Library Stash

-I really shouldn't have gotten anything at the library with all my BEA books at home, but I couldn't help myself.

Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels by Ree Drummond

Off Balance: A Memoir by Dominique Moceanu, Paul Williams, Teri Williams

-A must read for any gymnastics fan. Sure makes the Karolyis look bad.

Books For Review:

The Kingmakers (Vampire Empire #3) by Clay Griffith and Susan Griffith

-Thanks to Prometheus Books! Did a happy dance when this one arrived.

  Songs Bought




Eyes Wide Open by Gotye



Some Nights by Fun.
-Same group that sings "We Are Young." I like this song much better. That's putting it mildly. I am wildly in love with this song!!! The video is great too.



Carry On by Fun. 
-The video is acoustic. I actually like the acoustic version a little better than the album version.

Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley

Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley
Release Date: May 3, 2011
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Source: Library

Summary

Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?

Just when seventeen-year-old Cullen Witter thinks he understands everything about his small and painfully dull Arkansas town, it all disappears. . . .

In the summer before Cullen's senior year, a nominally-depressed birdwatcher named John Barling thinks he spots a species of woodpecker thought to be extinct since the 1940s in Lily, Arkansas. His rediscovery of the so-called Lazarus Woodpecker sparks a flurry of press and woodpecker-mania. Soon all the kids are getting woodpecker haircuts and everyone's eating "Lazarus burgers." But as absurd as the town's carnival atmosphere has become, nothing is more startling than the realization that Cullen’s sensitive, gifted fifteen-year-old brother Gabriel has suddenly and inexplicably disappeared.

While Cullen navigates his way through a summer of finding and losing love, holding his fragile family together, and muddling his way into adulthood, a young missionary in Africa, who has lost his faith, is searching for any semblance of meaning wherever he can find it. As distant as the two stories seem at the start, they are thoughtfully woven ever closer together and through masterful plotting, brought face to face in a surprising and harrowing climax.

Complex but truly extraordinary, tinged with melancholy and regret, comedy and absurdity, this novel finds wonder in the ordinary and emerges as ultimately hopeful. It's about a lot more than what Cullen calls, “that damn bird.” It’s about the dream of second chances. (courtesy of Goodreads)

Review

I finished Where Things Come Back several weeks ago. I'm still not sure what I think of it. I definitely see why it won the Printz award. Does that mean I liked it? I'm not sure. You know the saying that there's a fine line between genius and madness? In books, there's a fine line between genius and really weird. I can't decide on which side of the line Where Things Come Back falls.

Where Things Come Back is one of those books where not all that much seemingly happens. That's not accurate, since there is a strong plot: Cullen's brother disappears and a rare woodpecker is discovered just outside of town. But the book is so wordy and cerebral that the plot feels like a second thought.

Cullen is one of those stereotypical teenage boys who spends most of his time thinking and pontificating on the world around him. Think of Holden Caulfield, Augustus Waters of The Fault In Our Stars, or even Ethan Wate of the Caster Chronicles series. He fancies himself a writer and is always coming up with odd titles for a to-be-written novel or describing his surroundings in witty quips. Part of me loves him for his sensitivity, his intelligence, and his drive to be better than his narrow minded town. Another part of me simply rolls my eyes at Cullen's over-the-top pretentiousness and his unrealistic insights.

Like many literary novels, Where Things Come Back is not a page turner. To be fully appreciated, it should be read slowly, giving the reader time to ponder the underlying context and the amusing brilliance of Cullen's thoughts (whether Cullen's thoughts are brilliant is debatable, as noted). It is a short novel so you can probably get through it in a day or two.

I was ready to dismiss Where Things Come Back as a hoity toity novel until the end when everything came together. The book switches back and forth between the perspectives of Cullen, an African missionary, a college student, and more. This makes absolutely no sense at first, because the characters are entirely unconnected. But at the end, the puzzle pieces magically fit together. This is the only reason I think Where Things Come Back may be worthy of the Printz. It reminded me of how the stories in Jellicoe Road eventually meshed (although it lacks the emotional punch of my beloved Jellicoe Road). I'd recommend reading Where Things Come Back simply for the surprise at the journey's end.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Eona by Alison Goodman

Eona by Alison Goodman
Release Date: April 19, 2011
Publisher: Penguin Group USA
Source: Library

Summary

Finally able to embrace her true identity, Eona has already won a massive personal victory. However, a major battle still rages for control of the empire. After slaughtering his own family, High Lord Sethon has seized the throne. Left unstopped, his relentless ambition would leave the whole country in ruins.

Although she is new to her powers, Eona is now the resistance's only hope. She must learn to harness the mysterious strength of her Mirror Dragon if Emperor Kygo is to claim back his kingdom. Yet knowledge comes at a price. Who can she trust, and how long can she resist the terrible truth of her ancestor's prophecy?

In the second book of the stunning Dragoneye duology, Eona's quest for self-discovery leads her on a perilous and devastating journey in which ties of love, loyalty and legend are shaken to the core.(courtesy of Goodreads)

Review

If you love high fantasy, you must pick up Eon and Eona by Alison Goodman. Not only does it feature dragons and Asian-influenced culture, but it is chock full of action and emotion. Best of all, it is written by an author with a fabulous (and correctly spelled) name.

I enjoyed Eona, but unfortunately, I did not love it. Eona is 637 pages long. You know how some 600+ page novels fly by? Eona is not one of those. I read the first 215 pages of Eona and then put it down. I liked it, but it was so long that I was more interested in reading other books than in investing the time and energy into 400 more pages. A month later, I picked Eona back up and finished it. I read the book very quickly - not exactly skimming, but not reading every word either.

Other than the length, I don't have a good reason for my impatience with Eona. The book doesn't drag. Alison does an impressive job of inserting an action scene any time the plot even hints at becoming staid. These aren't just fights for the sake of fighting. Every scene in the book is carefully crafted to further the plot - ratcheting up conflict for later in the book until everything is resolved in one final, glorious burst of fireworks.

I can't decide whether I like Eona the girl. She reminds me very much of Katniss, in ways good and bad. She is powerful and capable of great violence. When she isn't in the throes of action, she is dithering and unsure. How should she handle the great responsibility upon her shoulders? Does she want power? Is her first loyalty to the dragons or to the emperor? Should she ally herself with Lord Ido or Kygo? In many ways Eona's indecisiveness makes her a more relateable character. I'm more likely to be friends with her than with Rose Hathaway, who always seems confident. But much of the time, I wanted to shake Eona by the shoulders and shout "Man up, girl!"

Eona falls right into the YA stereotypical romance: a love triangle. It is unusual enough that people who normally hate love triangles might not have a problem with it. Kygo and Eona are the obvious choice for a couple. As Emperor and Mirror Dragoneye, they are relatively equal. They have similar intellects and quickly build a relationship of mutual respect and trust. Well, maybe not trust. Each holds back part of themselves from the other and we always wonder whether Eona likes Kygo for himself or his power - and vice versa. Lord Ido is a much less tasteful choice. He came close to raping Eona in Eon and then murdered all the other dragoneyes. Not exactly an upstanding citizen. But they are drawn to each other. Eona has much to learn from Lord Ido and he is tied to her through her healing powers. The chemistry between the two is explosive. They could benefit well from each other.

I liked the multiple layers of Eona's plot. Not only must they restore Kygo to his rightful position as Emperor, but Eona must decide how to come to terms with her dragoneye power and whether she is best suited for Lord Ido or Kygo. The pass to Emperorship is fraught with physical dangers. Eona's path to love is fraught with moral dangers. No where is the answer clear. None of the characters are blameless or disinterested. It made for a thought provoking novel.

If Eona was 200 pages shorter, I would have adored the book. The length dampened my enthusiasm for the book and made me impatient. It's unfortunate, because the plot and characters are well written, even if Eona did annoy me at times. The novel does include a love triangle, but I thought it was done very well. Eon and Eona may be long, but I still think it is worth reading for any fantasy lover.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Wings of the Wicked by Courtney Allison Moulton

Wings of the Wicked (Angelfire #2) by Courtney Allison Moulton
January 31, 2012; HarperCollins / Katherine Tegen Books

Summary

Life as the Preliator is harder than Ellie ever imagined. Balancing real life with the responsibility of being Heaven’s warrior is a challenge for Ellie. Her relationship with Will has become all business, though they both long for each other. And now that the secret of who she really is has come out, so have Hell’s strongest reapers. Grown bold and more vicious, the demonic threaten her in the light of day and stalk her in the night.

She’s been warned. Cadan, a demonic reaper, comes to her with information about Bastian’s new plan to destroy Ellie’s soul and use an ancient relic to wake all the souls of the damned and unleash them upon humanity. As she fights to stay ahead of Bastian’s schemes , the revelations about those closest to her awaken a dark power within Ellie that threatens to destroy everything—including herself.

She’ll be betrayed. Treachery comes even from those whom she loves, and Ellie is broken by the deaths of those who stood beside her in this Heavenly war. Still, she must find a way to save the world, herself, and her love for Will. If she fails, there will be hell to pay.(courtesy of Goodreads)

Review

Second books are typically place holders. They clear up a few things from the first book, introduce a few new complications that will be resolved in the third book (often a competing love interest), and have somewhat of a plot. They generally disappoint. Wings of the Wicked is one of the few second books that outdid the first book in the series.

I was reluctant to read Wings of the Wicked at first. I enjoyed Angelfire, but there were numerous things that I disliked about it. All those elements were still present in Wings of the Wicked. I started out not enjoying the book all that much.

My problems with the book/series? First off, I don't like angels/demons. Ironically, they are the paranormal creature that I have the most difficult time believing in. Ms. Moulton has created an interesting set of demons in this series and I like the idea of a super-powerful Preliator who lives again and again to fight evil creatures. However, whenever these demonic reapers open their mouths, their words make me laugh rather than quake in fear - at them, not with them. Ellie's fighting dialogue is just as bad. It's much harder to take paranormal creatures seriously when you spend much of the book rolling your eyes at them.

I also think that Ellie is immature in many ways. She spends much of her free time hanging out with her friends and partying. Pretty typical teenager, but she does this at the expense of fight training of hunting for demonic reapers. Part of my applauds her for maintaining balance in her life. It shows that she has a strong sense of self unlike many girls involved in paranormal novels who throw their former lives away. But the other part of me sees her as naive and irresponsible. Damned if you do, damned if you don't I suppose.

Onto what I liked about the novel. The action is fantastic. If you ignore the dialogue, there are many great fight scenes. I love how Ellie is in the middle of all the fighting and the strongest, most powerful person around - far outstripping the boys. Girl power! The action is very well written. The sword and hand-to-hand combat is described in vivid detail and Ms. Moulton knows just how to structure a scene so that the suspense peaks at the perfect time. The book flows very well, mixing character development and action scenes. It allows you to quickly read a 500+ page novel, because the pages speed by.

As I expected, Wings of the Wicked takes care of several plot holes leftover from the first book. One in particular wasn't a big surprise, but how it was handled was shocking. That's what I liked most about this book. Ms. Moulton wasn't afraid to take the plot in directions that I never expected. She was ruthless with her characters. The book started out plodding along in typical second book fashion and then...BOOM! By the middle of the book, any skepticism about the second bookishness of Wings of the Wicked disappeared. Then I held on for a wild ride.

Will continues to be a kind, loyal leading man. He's a little boring at times. So serious and focused. But he did manage to forget himself often enough to bring about some fabulous, hot kissing scenes. Thankfully, we see a lot more of Nathaniel, who was my favorite character from the first book. He's so kind, smart, and funny. He was a great big brother type figure for Will and even Ellie. Cadan is a new character - a demonic reaper who is actually trying to help Ellie. Or is he? Ellie and the reader puzzle over his motives and whether he is being truthful. He is the bad-boy, sexy, dangerous types that I always fall for in paranormal novels. But fear not...there's not a love triangle per se. Mostly a charged partnership.

The Angelfire series is not perfect, but Wings of the Wicked made my attachment for the series grow. I'm still not the biggest fan of the characters or the paranormal element, but the plot is so fantastic that I definitely recommend it. If you like books that take you on a wild ride in directions you never expected, you must pick up Wings of the Wicked.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

The Summer of No Regrets by Katherine Grace Bond

The Summer of No Regrets by Katherine Grace Bond
May 1, 2012; Sourcebooks Fire
*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Summary

Is he or isn't he? Brigitta's best friend is convinced that Brigitta's new crush, Luke, is actually egotistical teen heartthrob Trent Yves, hiding from his fans in their tiny town. But Brigitta actually likes Luke, whereas Trent is an arrogant jerk. As the two spend the summer together raising orphaned cougar cubs, Brigitta still can't be sure of his true identity. But then again, since her grandparents' death, her father's sudden urge to give away all their possessions and become a shaman, and her own awkward transition from girlhood into a young woman, what can she be sure of?(courtesy of Goodreads)

Review

I expected The Summer of No Regrets to be a light, sweet romance. And it was. But there was more depth to it than I expected. Brigitta is caught between two worlds. She is the daughter of two hippie dippie parents, is homeschooled, and lives at the spiritual retreat her parents run. Yet she’s also a typical teenage girl who likes celebrity gossip, sulks over the loss of her sort-of boyfriend, and hangs out with her goofy friend. Enter Luke. The oft played theme of a mysterious new boy whose family buys the town mansion. Luke looks oddly like Trent Ives, the bad-boy teenage heartthrob movie star. Brigitta’s best friend is convinced. But then again, she thinks everyone from the patron at the cafe to the town janitor is a celebrity in hiding. Brigitta and Luke’s paths run into each other (literally) and they become fast friends.

I loved the charisma between Brigitta and Luke. Whether Luke is Trent or not, there is a lot about his life that is mysterious. Both he and Brigitta feel like outsiders from others their age. I loved how they connected over the cougar cubs they discovered. I liked their banter. It was casual and funny, but never so funny that it felt contrived. They were both deep thinkers about life, sadness, and art - each in their own way. I particularly liked that both Brigitta and Luke made mistakes. Luke was unreliable, somewhat moody, and had a tendency to disappear. Brigitta created a blog in which she mostly made fun of her best friend’s tendency to obsess over celebrities. I like seeing portrayals of fundamentally good people who are not 100% kindness.

The book delves into spirituality and death. Brigitta is mourning the recent death of her grandparents, with whom she was very close. In the wake of their deaths, her family has fallen apart. Her father is on a spiritual quest. In turn, Brigitta spends much of her time exploring different religions and schools of thought. It’s an odd subject for a YA novel, but I liked that the book ventured into fields that most books don’t touch. It’s funny that Brigitta and her family seem to look for every way of dealing with the aftermath of death other than acceptance.

Is Luke really Trent Ives or is he not? Until the end, I wasn’t sure. Brigitta doesn’t think he is. But then there are so many about Luke that are unknown. He looks a lot like Trent. He also knew a lot about movies and was in and out of town. But Trent Ives was always so arrogant in interviews, had massive PDA sessions with his celeb girlfriend, and was generally rude to everyone. Luke was nothing like that. The book does a great job of keeping everyone in doubt of Luke’s identity.

I did have a few issues with the book. Since I read an ARC, perhaps some will be resolved. Luke called his mother “mum,” but otherwise it didn’t mention whether he had an English accent - or if it did, it was buried. I also thought the book could have better explained why Brigitta and her family was so close to her grandparents when they lived halfway across the country. Brigitta also struck me as immature. She was 16 or 17, but I kept thinking she was only 14. She seemed young.

For the most part, The Summer of No Regrets is a delightful tale of self-discovery and of burgeoning romance. I recommend picking it up!

Rating: 3.5 / 5