Book Thoughts: The Diviners

Title: The Diviners
Author: Libba Bray
Series: Diviners #1
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Set in the 1920s but with a super-creepy supernatural twist, The Diviners is a captivating murder mystery featuring Evie O’Neill, a flapper-happy teen with a mysterious power. Evie’s been shipped off to New York to live with her Uncle Will, a museum curator, and she’s thrilled - until a rash of terrifying murders gets her attention. When it becomes clear there’s something not quite normal going on and the police aren’t buying it, it’s up to Will, Evie, and Evie’s ragtag band of friends to solve the mystery - and maybe even prevent the apocalypse.

I found Evie kind of irritating at first, because she’s so irresponsible and flighty and just not a great friend. But give the book a chance, because once the story grabs you, it is not letting go. I loved the supernatural twist, I loved Sam ("street criminal" isn’t quite the right word) and Jericho (Uncle Will’s assistant), and once I got used to it, I loved the writing. It did take a while to adjust to some of the ’20s words, but it really added to the story once I did.

My one warning to you: while the descriptions of the murder scenes are handled very well, the actual murders are super creepy, so if your imagination is going to take that and run… well, read this one with the lights on.

I loved it. It works well enough as a standalone, but I can’t wait for the sequel!

Book Thoughts: Everneath

Title: Everneath
Author: Brodi Ashton
Series: Everneath #1
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I did not think that I was going to enjoy this one, but I could not have been more wrong.

Nikki Beckett, back on earth after a hundred years — or a few months, depending on whose perspective you’re looking at — in the Everneath, has six months to say goodbye to her family before being sucked back to the underworld forever. Whatever emotions she has left will be used to power the immortals who live in the Everneath and feed off of willing mortals. When she left, Nikki didn’t want her life anymore, but now that she’s back and has six months to say goodbye forever, she’ll do anything to stay aboveground — and to win back the love of the boy whose memory saved her in the Everneath.

I don’t feel like I’ve done the book any sort of justice with that summary. Yes, it’s got your obligatory YA-romance-love-triangle - two smokin’ hot guys fighting over the girl. But Everneath is far from the stereotype. In fact, one of my favorite things about the novel was the way Nikki’s relationships with Cole and Jack were developed. And Brodi Ashton’s twist on immortality and the underworld? LOVE. Also, I’m a total mythology geek, so the parallels to Orpheus and Eurydice and also to Hades and Persephone were super cool. My only complaint was that some of the narrative time-jumps were a little weird at first.

It’s definitely a romance novel, but there’s a lot more to it than just that, and I for one can’t wait to get my hands on the sequel.

Book Thoughts: Unremembered

Title: Unremembered
Author: Jessica Brody
Series: Unremembered #1
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Let’s talk about Unremembered for a minute. I am not sure how to describe this book without spoilers, but I’m going to give it a try: a girl wakes up with no memory of anything, knowing only that the year is 1609. Except she’s just been pulled as the only survivor from the wreckage of a plane crash. There’s a boy who seems to know her and men who seem to be out to get her, but she doesn’t even know her own name. So she’s in for a huge shock when she figures out who she is.

I adored the way this was done. The sci-fi is awesome, and this is SO not your typical amnesia story. The way the memory recovery process was done was awesome, the whole story behind her identity made me have ALL the feelings, and — okay, one minor spoiler that you can probably guess from the fact that she thinks it’s 1609 on page two — there’s some time travel involved, and it is the *coolest* time travel I’ve ever seen. Transession is so awesome.

Definitely pick this one up, guys. You’ll love it. (And be awaiting the sequel as eagerly as I am.)

Book Thoughts: Across the Universe

Title: Across the Universe

Author: Beth Revis

Series: Across the Universe #1
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Okay so let’s talk about Across the Universe by Beth Revis. I’ve had this one sitting on my bookshelf for a couple of years now and just never got around to actually reading it until this week — and now I’m kicking myself for waiting so long.

It’s basically an intergalactic, high-technology dystopian murder mystery. Sort of. Amy, along with her parents and several others, has been cryogenically frozen and is to be one of the new inhabitants of “Centauri-Earth," a distant planet that should take 300 years to reach. But she is woken 50 years before the ship Godspeed reaches Centauri-Earth, almost the victim of a murder. Working with the ship’s future leader, Elder, she must try to find the killer before he kills again.

So yeah, it’s a murder mystery set on a spaceship several hundred years in the future. And there is some seriously great discussion of the nature of dystopias, the meaning of family, what it takes to be a true leader, all kinds of stuff. It’s excellent. I’m kind of mad at myself for not reading this sooner. The plus side? The sequels are already out, so I don’t have to wait for them.

(Also, a side note! I got the chance to meet Beth at a signing and she is SUPER NICE and also a fan of Doctor Who, Sherlock, and Firefly like me! So that was super cool.)

Book Thoughts: Crewel

Title: Crewel
Author: Gennifer Albin
Series: Crewel World #1

Adelice has spent her whole life training to hide her talent from the Guild, but they come for her anyway. She is to be a Spinster: someone who can weave the strands of time and space to regulate the entire world. But Adelice has an even deeper secret, and the Guild will do anything they can to make sure Adelice uses it for their will -- something she will do anything to stop.

This is seriously one of the coolest fictional worlds I've ever encountered. I'm a huge geek about world-building, and so this was like a gift from the story gods, because world-building is tied up in the plot. And as a lover of dystopian fiction as well, this was doubly right up my alley. Plus, feminism!

If I have to compare this to something else, I'd say it's The Handmaid's Tale meets The Matrix and the star is a female computer programmer. There's a bit of a love triangle that felt really unnecessary, but that was really the only weak point in the book for me. I love the characters, I LOVE the world and the premise, and I cannot wait to learn more about Arras when the second book is released.

Book Thoughts: Unspoken

Title: Unspoken
Author: Sarah Rees Brennan
Series: Lynburn Legacy #1
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I loved this book. Also I am a little bit fuming with outrage that I have to wait until the end of August to read the second one.

Kami Glass is a pretty normal girl, except for her imaginary friend. So when a new family that no one will talk about moves back to down, animals start dying, and her imaginary friend is suddenly a real person? Burgeoning investigative journalist Kami has her work cut out for her.

Unspoken is clever and funny, with Sarah Rees Brennan’s fabulous serious-yet-comical voice. (I think I would read a phone book if she wrote it the way she writes novels.) And you never want to put it down because you just have to know what’s coming next. The cast of characters is absolutely fabulous (I want Holly to be my best friend, and Angela kind of reminds me of someone I know). Also, I super duper love that Kami is focused on the mystery at hand like a sane person rather than on “ooh which of the steamy male leads shall I fall in love with?" There is a love triangle and some romance, but it definitely takes a backseat to the plot and Kami handles it rationally. And, just, *flails because I loved this book.*

Long story short: go find this book and read it, now.

Book Thoughts: Throne of Glass

Title: Throne of Glass
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass #1
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At seventeen, Celaena Sardothien was the world’s most feared assassin. At eighteen, she is broken after a year spent slaving in the salt mines. But now she has the chance to fight for her freedom and become the King’s Champion — assuming whoever (or whatever) is murdering the competition doesn’t kill her first.

I never thought I would so love a protagonist with so few qualms about killing, but Celaena’s hard, tough sass is matched by her innocent appreciation for beauty and youthful femininity. She’s one of the most fun leading ladies I’ve encountered lately, and one of the most human.

Also, the world this is set in is so cool! Magic has fled the kingdom… but maybe not as much as the magic-fearing King would hope. I can’t wait for the next book (releasing this August) to find out more about the history of this world!

Fans of high fantasy and/or sass, mystery, determination, and a little romance should definitely check this one out.

Book Thoughts: Eve

Title: Eve
Author: Anna Carey
Series: Eve #1

Eve is the valedictorian of her class and a golden girl of the post-plague society -- that is, until she finds out what awaits her and her classmates upon graduation. The night before her graduation, Eve escapes from School and strikes out on her own into the dangerous world of soldiers, wild animals, and worst of all: men. But the outside world and the people it holds may not be the terrible evil she's always been taught...

I was initially reminded of The Handmaid's Tale when I read this, except these girls have no "before" to compare their life to. Carey has created a terrifying dystopia that does not shy away from the hard truths of a forager's life but also embraces the chance for hope in even the darkest situations. I think it was the protagonist that really won this one for me, though. Eve has a lot of book smarts and not so much in the way of common sense -- but she has a fierce faith in human goodness and an overpowering determination to take care of others, and as much as those traits may hurt her, they just might be enough to get her through.

Recommended for fans of dystopia, feminism, cute love stories, and fun YA books.

Book Thoughts: What's Left of Me

Title: What's Left of Me
Author: Kat Zhang
Series: Hybrid Chronicles #1
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Um, wow. This is such a cool idea.

Every body is born with two souls. By the time they’re in first grade, one of them -- the “recessive" soul -- has faded. Or at least, that’s how it’s supposed to be, but Eva never faded. Doctors have tried and tried to take her away and leave Addie in sole possession of their body, and they mostly have. Addie controls the body's physical movements, but Eva is still there, an observer trapped at her twin soul's mercy. But when she finds out she might be able to move again… Eva will do anything.

I loved the way this world was built. I am just fascinated by this concept and I think Kat Zhang does an awesome job of pulling it off. I thought the writing was brilliant and the characters were wonderful and I can't gush enough about how much I enjoyed it. What's Left of Me is a complete story in itself but also sets up the rest of the series (trilogy? I don’t know) well. I devoured it - read it in one sitting, with one break to eat dinner. If you’re a fan of scifi or if you’ve ever just felt invisible, definitely check this one out.

Book Thoughts: Linked

Title: Linked
Author: Imogen Howson
Series: Linked #1
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Elissa used to have a pretty normal life. But that was before she started getting bursts of horrible pain and flashes of another girl’s life. When she finds the girl whose mind she’s been seeing and learns an astonishing secret about her family, Elissa’s life is turned upside-down. But she will do whatever it takes to protect this girl who is linked to her soul.

Set in a futuristic (and interplanetary) society, Linked manages to be a thrilling sci-fi space adventure while at the same time challenging how far humanity is willing to go for science and examining the way mental health is handled with high school students. I really loved the way the interplanetary society was written -- it's part of Elissa's life, so it's just the way things are, but enough is explained that the reader can completely grasp the way things work. The romantic subplot was kind of predictable but I definitely still enjoyed it. (Plus, is this cover cool or what?) I devoured this book in one sitting and would recommend it to all sci-fi lovers and others as well.

Book Thoughts: City of Bones

Title: City of Bones
Author: Cassandra Clare
Series: The Mortal Instruments #1

[[I wrote this when I was 15 and am importing it for archive purposes only, but I *am* keeping it, because it accurately captures how much I loved it -- in a very 15-year-old way.]]

Okay, so I finished City of Bones by Cassandra Clare today and it was soooo amazing. I LOVED it with a capital L-O-V-E-D. It was hilarious and witty but also really serious and action-packed and adventurous and fantastical (fantasy-ish...I guess the word is fantastical anyway).

So basically it's this girl named Clary Fray and she goes to the Pandemonium Club in NYC with her best friend Simon and she witnesses a murder. Except that she's the only one who can see the murderers and the body disappears into thin air. The murderers are Shadowhunters - demon killers. They're really shocked that Clary can see them, and they want to take her back to the Institute - pretty much their home base in NY. Except then Clary's mother gets kidnapped by a Ravener demon, and Clary almost gets killed. The Shadowhunters - Jace, Alec, Isabelle, and Hodge - bring Clary and Simon to their Institute, and there's a whole lot of adventures and excitement and mystery and action and it was completely amazing.

Yes, I'm ranting. Just a little. But it was an AwEsOmE book!

And a couple of my favorite quotes...

Clary: “Those girls on the other side of the car are looking at you.”

Jace: “Of course they are. I am stunningly attractive.”

Clary: “Haven’t you ever heard that modesty is an attractive trait?”

Jace: “Only from ugly people. The meek may inherit the earth, but at the moment it belongs to the conceited. Like me.”

Jace: “I wish you’d stop desperately trying to get my attention like this. It’s become embarrassing.”

Clary: “Sarcasm is the last refuge of the imaginatively bankrupt.”

Jace: “I can’t help it. I use my rapier wit to hide my inner pain.”

Clary: “Your pain will be outer soon if you don’t get out of traffic. Are you trying to get run over by a cab?”

Jace: “Don’t be ridiculous. We could never get a cab that easily in this neighborhood.”

Jace: “My one true love remains myself.”

Dorothea: “At least you don’t have to worry about rejection, Jace Wayland.”

Jace: “Not necessarily. I turn myself down occasionally, just to keep it interesting.”

There are others, but some of them contain spoilers, and the whole novel is freaking amazing and I definitely can't post the whole novel, so...GO READ THE BOOK!!!!

Book Thoughts: Die for Me

Title: Die for Me
Author: Amy Plum
Series: Die for Me #1

Okay, bear with me, because this one is going to get long and rambly and a little more literary-analysis than I usually do. Also, if you read beyond the first like two paragraphs it gets a little spoilery, so be warned.

So, I really enjoyed Die for Me. I did. It was well-written and I liked the characters and I loved the story Amy Plum created with the revenants - very cool supernatural creature that isn’t written a whole lot - and the story kept me engaged and reading; I read the whole book this afternoon. 

But.

I couldn’t help but draw some parallels to Twilight. And that’s weird, because I am not one of those people who compares every single paranormal romance to Twilight. I had that fangirl phase, sure, and then I broke up with a boy and he told me that he was going to kill himself if I didn’t get back together with him, and after that I kind of realized that I had some major problems with the plot of Twilight, and then I realized that, upon closer inspection, Edward and Bella have a really unhealthy relationship.

I don’t compare everything to Twilight. But when something is really close to Twilight, that is usually a bad thing. Die for Me forced me to think about Twilight — but I still really enjoyed the book. It’s sort of, I think, what Meyer’s series would be with no vampires, more action, better characters, and a much healthier romantic relationship (with one exception, which I’ll get to).

The parallels I noticed were these: 

-the girl is immediately attracted to a guy and can’t really explain why, and he seems to share the mutual affection (although Kate approached the situation rationally and did not throw herself into an overhasty relationship, and she was adequately freaked out by Vincent’s true nature, unlike Bella, who was like “oh, a vampire? I love you even more even though I’ve known you for two weeks!")

-the girl does not seem to have any friends outside of the mish-mash family of her supernatural boyfriend, but said family loves her because she has been able to capture the heart of the long-single Vincent/Edward (although Kate does maintain a close and healthy relationship with her sister, Georgia, and her grandparents, whereas Bella totally neglects all the other people in her life)

-they temporarily break up for the girl’s safety and both parties mope and regret the decision and eventually get back together (although Kate was the one who did the breaking up, and nobody became suicidal, and they handled getting back together in a much more cautious and sensible way than Bella and Edward)

-stalking. I think the real reason, quite apart from the others I just mentioned, that I compared Die for Me toTwilight was the fact that Vincent, like Edward, seemed to have a penchant for watching his human girlfriend when she didn’t know about it, and when said girlfriend finds out about it, she seems to accept it as normal. CREEPING IS NOT AND WILL NEVER BE OKAY. Taking an interest is a good thing. Standing outside your girlfriend’s window watching her when she doesn’t know you’re there is creepy and bad and very not okay. What saved Die for Me in my opinion was the fact that Kate did seem disturbed at least a little by the stalking, there was very little of it, and Vincent offered an explanation that Kate, acting on her own judgment, deemed reasonable, which was the only reason it was okay at all. Still though. Just…

Why do fictional girls find stalker guys attractive?! Like, okay, really? I love it when my boyfriend texts me without warning during the day to let me know I’m on his mind; I would NOT love it if those texts included things I hadn’t told him about my whereabouts (ie if he had known my address before I told him, that would have been a red flag). I love spending time with him; I would NOT love being unknowingly watched by him (or by anyone else). Even romantic relationships are allowed to have boundaries. Too many fictional relationships don’t seem to recognize that.

I do appreciate that in Die for Me, they make the effort to take their relationship at a slow and healthy pace. InTwilight, the only reason they waited until they were married to have sex was at Edward’s insistence that he behave like a gentleman. In Die for Me, both Kate and Vincent are very respectful of each other’s boundaries; they are both aware that they would be okay with taking things a step further physically, but they know that emotionally they are not prepared for that and they feel they haven’t been together long enough to take that step, so they wait. They talk to each other about what they want out of the relationship, they’re completely open and honest with each other, they don’t start throwing around the word “love" after a couple of weeks, they acknowledge their passion but don’t completely forego rationality for the sake of passion. Aside from the minor stalking fiasco and the fact that I think Kate could really use some other human friends, I think her relationship with Vincent is a fairly healthy one. And that, I think, more than anything, is why I was able to thoroughly enjoy this book despite the fact that it called Twilight so much to mind.

(I really did thoroughly enjoy it, though. I wouldn’t say I’d recommend it to just anyone, but if you are a fan of YA fantasy/paranormal, then I do recommend it to you, absolutely. Although if you’re reading this far and youhaven’t read the book, I just spoiled a fair bit of it…) 

tl;dr: This is paranormal romance done RIGHT.