Under The Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

UNDER THE NEVER SKY (Under the Never Sky #1) by Veronica Rossi

Published January 3rd, 2012 by HarperCollins

384 Pages // Hardcover
Received From NetGalley For Honest Review

My Rating: ♥♥♥♥

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Author's Website

Aria is a teenager in the enclosed city of Reverie. Like all Dwellers, she spends her time with friends in virtual environments, called Realms, accessed through an eyepiece called a Smarteye. Aria enjoys the Realms and the easy life in Reverie. When she is forced out of the pod for a crime she did not commit, she believes her death is imminent. The outside world is known as The Death Shop, with danger in every direction. 

As an Outsider, Perry has always known hunger, vicious predators, and violent energy storms from the swirling electrified atmosphere called the Aether. A bit of an outcast even among his hunting tribe, Perry withstands these daily tests with his exceptional abilities, as he is gifted with powerful senses that enable him to scent danger, food and even human emotions. 

They come together reluctantly, for Aria must depend on Perry, whom she considers a barbarian, to help her get back to Reverie, while Perry needs Aria to help unravel the mystery of his beloved nephew’s abduction by the Dwellers. Together they embark on a journey challenged as much by their prejudices as by encounters with cannibals and wolves. But to their surprise, Aria and Perry forge an unlikely love - one that will forever change the fate of all who live UNDER THE NEVER SKY.

 

With all the hype surrounding it, UNDER THE NEVER SKY is not a book you can avoid – for long. After some wariness, I got myself a copy and dove in. Let’s just say that the hype on this one isn’t wrong, at least when it comes to me, a girl notoriously frightened by hype and more often than not surprisingly disappointed. With a strong mix of post-apocalyptic drama (not really fully dystopian in my opinion), awesome science fiction attributes, and mesmerizing adventures, UNDER THE NEVER SKY is a strong debut from an author who will definitely become one to watch for me.

When She Woke by Hillary Jordan (REVIEW)

WHEN SHE WOKE by Hillary Jordan
Published October 4th, 2011 by Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill
341 Pages // Hardcover
Borrowed from Library
Goodreads
Purchase from Amazon

Hannah Payne’s life has been devoted to church and family. But after she’s convicted of murder, she awakens to a nightmarish new life. She finds herself lying on a table in a bare room, covered only by a paper gown, with cameras broadcasting her every move to millions at home, for whom observing new Chromes—criminals whose skin color has been genetically altered to match the class of their crime—is a sinister form of entertainment. Hannah is a Red for the crime of murder. The victim, says the State of Texas, was her unborn child, and Hannah is determined to protect the identity of the father, a public figure with whom she shared a fierce and forbidden love. 

A powerful reimagining of The Scarlet Letter, When She Woke is a timely fable about a stigmatized woman struggling to navigate an America of the not-too-distant future, where the line between church and state has been eradicated, and convicted felons are no longer imprisoned but chromed and released back into the population to survive as best they can. In seeking a path to safety in an alien and hostile world, Hannah unknowingly embarks on a journey of self-discovery that forces her to question the values she once held true and the righteousness of a country that politicizes faith and love.

I had heard about WHEN SHE WOKE for months before it came out. Even my mother had heard about the book through her book clubs and sources for information. And then what did I do? Well, I might have put off reading it… And put it off… And checked it out from the library… And put it off. Then I picked it up as my due date grew closer and closer. Once I started reading it, there was no stopping. By the end, this book flew onto my favorites shelf and I was desperate to tell the world about the amazingness I had just read.

Kiss of Frost by Jennifer Estep (REVIEW)

KISS OF FROST (Mythos Academy #2) by Jennifer Estep

354 Pages // Paperback

Published November 29, 2011 by Kensington Teen

Received for Review from Publisher

Rating: 4 Hearts

I’m Gwen Frost, a second-year warrior-in-training at Mythos Acad­emy, and I have no idea how I’m going to sur­vive the rest of the semes­ter. One day, I’m get­ting schooled in sword­play by the guy who broke my heart—the drop-dead gor­geous Logan who slays me every time. Then, an invis­i­ble archer in the Library of Antiq­ui­ties decides to use me for tar­get prac­tice. And now, I find out that some­one at the acad­emy is really a Reaper bad guy who wants me dead. I’m afraid if I don’t learn how to live by the sword—with Logan’s help—I just might die by the sword...

KISS OF FROST is the sequel to the fun and exciting TOUCH OF FROST by Jennifer Estep, which probably was one of my favorite young adult books of 2011. I’m a sucker for fun and exciting and girl power, and while KISS OF FROST wasn’t quite as good as its predecessor, it was still a great YA novel that I wholeheartedly recommend. This series is full of action, excitement, romance, and great characters that will make you laugh and cry and fear for. Estep has a winning combination of a fun twist on the old “boarding school for superpowered teens” plot and great characters, which is why I will tell you this. YOU MUST READ THIS SERIES. And spoilers might be mentioned within.

Blood of Eden by Tami Dane (REVIEW)

BLOOD OF EDEN (Sloan Skye #1) by Tami Dane
Published December 6, 2011 by Kensington
342 Pages // Paperback
Goodreads

Sloan has a sky-high IQ, a chaotic personal life, and a dream: to work for the FBI. Her goal is within reach until an error lands her with the FBI's ugly stepchild: the new Paranormal Behavioral Analysis Unit. She'll get to profile criminals, but the pool of suspects is a little more...diverse. Yet even as Sloan tackles her first case--a string of victims, all with puncture wounds to the neck--she can't silence her inner para-skeptic.

To catch the killer she'll have to think like one. That means casting aside her doubts, and dealing with the bizarre nightmares that started with the job. But the strangeness is only beginning, as Sloan pieces together the shocking truth about a case that's more personal than she ever would have guessed.

When I was offered the chance to review BLOOD OF EDEN, I jumped on the opportunity. I love urban fantasy, forensic psychology, the FBI, vampires - and this start to a new series promises just that. We are introduced to our narrator, Sloan Skye, as she begins her internship with the FBI - or so she thinks. A strange series of events ensues, after which Sloan is shoved into the new (and somewhat kooky) Paranormal Behavioral Analysis Unit, or the PBAU. Their first case appears to be a serial killer who injects its prey with a tropical illness through bite marks on the neck. Sloan is thrown into the action almost immediately, and secrets begin to unravel from this point.

Eyes to See by Joseph Nassise (REVIEW)

With a cover like that, how could you resist picking up EYES TO SEE? Well, the story behind it might fall a bit flat from the amazing promises the book sets out. A decent urban fantasy book, it suffers from a few issues that bring it down a notch.

EYES TO SEE by Joseph Nassise
Published October 11th, 2011 by Tor
318 Pages
Hardcover received from publisher for honest review
Order from Amazon

In an urban fantasy that charts daring new territory in the field, Jeremiah Hunt has been broken by a malevolent force that has taken his young daughter and everything else of value in his life: his marriage, his career, his reputation. Desperate to reclaim what he has lost, Hunt finally turns to the supernatural for justice.

Abandoning all hope for a normal life, he enters the world of ghosts and even more dangerous entities from beyond the grave. Sacrificing his normal sight so that he can see the souls of the dead and the powers that stalk his worst nightmares, Hunt embarks upon a strange new career—a pariah among the living; a scourge among the dead; doomed to walk between the light of day and the deepest darkness beyond night.

His love for his departed daughter sustains him when all is most hopeless, but Hunt is cursed by something more evil than he can possibly imagine. As he descends into the maelstrom of his terrifying quest, he discovers that even his deepest fears are but prelude to yet darker deeds by a powerful entity from beyond the grave…that will not let him go until it has used him for its own nefarious purposes.

 

The back of EYES TO SEE promises a lot. A scary, thrilling, dark urban fantasy novel that will leave you wanting the lights on while you sleep. For me, it didn’t quite reach that level. With 275 pages of buildup to a climax that was extremely convenient, EYES TO SEE doesn’t live up to the aspirations I had for it when going in. It’s a decent beginning to a new urban fantasy series for adults, particularly fans of THE DRESDEN FILES and CSI, but it could have been so much better.

Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel (REVIEW)

Zombies, science fiction, steampunk, AND Victorian you say? DEARLY, DEPARTED delivers in some of these areas, but falls short of really delivering on all its promises.

DEARLY, DEPARTED by Lia Habel
Published October 18, 2011 by Del Rey
480 Pages
eARC received via NetGalley
Order from Amazon
Lia Habel's website

Love can never die.

Love conquers all, so they say. But can Cupid’s arrow pierce the hearts of the living and the dead—or rather, the undead? Can a proper young Victorian lady find true love in the arms of a dashing zombie?

The year is 2195. The place is New Victoria—a high-tech nation modeled on the manners, mores, and fashions of an antique era. A teenager in high society, Nora Dearly is far more interested in military history and her country’s political unrest than in tea parties and debutante balls. But after her beloved parents die, Nora is left at the mercy of her domineering aunt, a social-climbing spendthrift who has squandered the family fortune and now plans to marry her niece off for money. For Nora, no fate could be more horrible—until she’s nearly kidnapped by an army of walking corpses.

But fate is just getting started with Nora. Catapulted from her world of drawing-room civility, she’s suddenly gunning down ravenous zombies alongside mysterious black-clad commandos and confronting “The Laz,” a fatal virus that raises the dead—and hell along with them. Hardly ideal circumstances. Then Nora meets Bram Griswold, a young soldier who is brave, handsome, noble . . . and dead. But as is the case with the rest of his special undead unit, luck and modern science have enabled Bram to hold on to his mind, his manners, and his body parts. And when his bond of trust with Nora turns to tenderness, there’s no turning back. Eventually, they know, the disease will win, separating the star-crossed lovers forever. But until then, beating or not, their hearts will have what they desire.

In Dearly, Departed, romance meets walking-dead thriller, spawning a madly imaginative novel of rip-roaring adventure, spine-tingling suspense, and macabre comedy that forever redefines the concept of undying love.

When I saw DEARLY, DEPARTED by Lia Habel on NetGalley, it automatically became my first request. Science fiction-meets-steampunk-meets-zombies?! You had me at hello! My own hype for this book became an undeniable and overwhelming force in my head. When I dug into the book and started reading, I found myself growing disappointed. The writing is nice and the plot is very original and unique, but there was just something…missing, I guess you could say. Or maybe it just had way too much to deal with.

Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep (REVIEW) + GIVEAWAY!

In the market for a fun, quick read filled with romance, intrigue, and lots of awesome fight scenes? Jennifer Estep's TOUCH OF FROST might be right up your alley!

TOUCH OF FROST by Jennifer Estep
Published August 1st, 2010 by K-Teen
350 Pages
Order from Amazon
Follow Jennifer Estep on Twitter

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. . .

 

Sometimes there are things where you read them or watch them or listen to them and you cannot quite figure out why you liked it as much as you did. For me, TOUCH OF FROST is one of those books. Many of my fellow bloggers had issues with this book. Several did not finish it. Meanwhile, I loved it. I know where people are coming from when they cite several issues with the book – an unclear plot, choppy dialogue, cliché characters and settings. For some reason, my love of this book and the fact I find it an ooey gooey fluffy pile of goodness transcended those issues and I came away from reading Jennifer Estep’s first foray into young adult fiction feeling very, very happy.

Tempest by Julie Cross (REVIEW)

Fans of THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE and JAMES BOND (weird combination, I know) might find a lot to love about this action-packed book - if they can get past some shoddy characterization and slow spots.

TEMPEST by Julie Cross
January 17, 2012 by Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin's Griffin
352 Pages
ARC Received via LibraryThing
Preorder via Amazon

The year is 2009.  Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy… he’s in college, has a girlfriend… and he can travel back through time. But it’s not like the movies – nothing changes in the present after his jumps, there’s no space-time continuum issues or broken flux capacitors – it’s just harmless fun.

That is… until the day strangers burst in on Jackson and his girlfriend, Holly, and during a struggle with Jackson, Holly is fatally shot. In his panic, Jackson jumps back two years to 2007, but this is not like his previous time jumps. Now he’s stuck in 2007 and can’t get back to the future.

Desperate to somehow return to 2009 to save Holly but unable to return to his rightful year, Jackson settles into 2007 and learns what he can about his abilities.

But it’s not long before the people who shot Holly in 2009 come looking for Jackson in the past, and these “Enemies of Time” will stop at nothing to recruit this powerful young time-traveler.  Recruit… or kill him.

Piecing together the clues about his father, the Enemies of Time, and himself, Jackson must decide how far he’s willing to go to save Holly… and possibly the entire world.

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When I first heard about TEMPEST and the hype surrounded it, I was conflicted. On one hand, I do love a good male POV drama. On the other, I hate hype. I will admit it, I’m such a pessimist that I don’t know what to do with myself. Thanks to LibraryThing I won a copy of TEMPEST and eventually got around to reading it.

I’m still conflicted. Part of me thought that it was awesome and action packed and original, and then the other part of me thinks it wasn’t worth any of the hype surrounding it. The story follows Jackson Meyer, a 19 year old with the power to time travel (a very different sort of time travel than you might expect), as he is forced two years back in time after witnessing the death of his girlfriend, Holly. Jackson is honestly not a character I really liked. I mean, he was a stereotypical teenager guided by his manhood instead of his head, but I never got the impression that he really loved the girl the cover promised us he loved until he just suddenly declared his love. Their relationship seemed much more casual than anything, giving me pause in wondering why he was going through all the hoops to save her. I had a hard time connecting with him and his motivation, or getting past the fact I thought he came off as a huge jerk VERY early in the novel.

So the characterization in the novel is rather flat otherwise. The plausibility factor is also rather low. For example, Jackson’s friend Adam has way too many connections and his knowledge level in stuff like hacking and DNA labs and mathematics is way too high for me to believe him for an instant. Why am I giving this book four stars? What this novel had going for it was action, intrigue, and a science fiction element that made me want to know more. It was very reminiscent of THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE in a sense, and since I love that book so much, I couldn’t help but enjoy TEMPEST’s take on the situation. Cross’s take is definitely different, and for that she definitely gets some kudos.

There were a few points in the book where I got somewhat bored, parts that were reiterations or needless aspects that could have easily been cut, but the book definitely did not suffer from a lack of excitement. From gunfights to time traveling to mystery elements, there is little to keep you bored for long. But action packed stuff only makes up a little of the characterization problems that keep this book from getting what it could have gotten. I wanted more, so the hype for me once again fell sadly flat. I’ll still check out book 2!

VERDICT: With characterization issues that plague the story and a lack of plausibility at times, TEMPEST has a strong redeeming aspect – great action and a strong mythos – but is not fully redeemed. More of a 3.5/5 than anything.

♥♥♥♥ - FOUR HEARTS

Jenny Pox by J.L. Bryan (GUEST REVIEW)

Thanks to NaNoWriMo, please be advised that Book Brats might have a few more guest reviews than normal. Please welcome back UK Correspondent Rebecca (follower on Twitter @mephster) and check out her review of JL Bryan's JENNY POX, book one in the Jenny Pox series!

Jenny's touch spreads a deadly supernatural plague. She can't control her power, so she devotes her life to avoiding contact with other people in her small Southern town. Her senior year of high school, she meets the one boy she can touch...but if she's going to be with him, Jenny must learn to use the "Jenny pox" inside her to survive his devious, manipulative girlfriend, who secretly wields the most dangerous power of all.

JENNY POX by JL Bryan

Published July 24th, 2009 by CreateSpace

292 Pages

Jenny Pox is another one of those novels I downloaded to my kindle because it was free, which I am fully happy to admit. The blurb really didn’t inspire too much hope in me, but I picked it for something to read in the afternoon with a nice cuppa and possibly replace with another after the first few pages because I can’t stand the writing. For once, I am glad to have been proven wrong. Perhaps the old adage ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ should begin to be adapted to ‘don’t judge a book by its badly written description’. 

At first, I was convinced that Jenny Pox would be another one of those novels jumping on the bandwagon of ‘Rogue-esque’ powers, wherein they are unable to touch anybody. I was pleasantly surprised to find a very dark novel, with well-developed and believable characters with all the flaws and back handed arseyness of real teenagers. The plot itself isn’t the strongest and is in fact a bit clichéd (girl has problem, girl meets unattainable boy with a bitch/popular girlfriend, bitch/popular girlfriend attempts vengeance, girl kills everything in her path…mostly cliché, then) but it’s a very easy read and the violence isn’t as overwhelming as might be expected. 

I felt the religious slant of the antagonistic Ashleigh was a little heavy handed but I’m really putting that down to my contact with religion being limited to being stopped in the street and told I’m going to burn in hell for my lack of belief…but in a polite way. I’d normally give the writer the benefit of the doubt, seeing as the character in question (to my eyes at least) was using the religion bent for the power and little else. At least to me, the angle works. It gives what would otherwise be a run of the mill YA novel standard bitch archetype a more sinister edge. Maybe I’m reading a little too much into it, but hey, it added something and I am not one to look a gift horse in the mouth.

All in all, I’d give Jenny Pox 4*. It’s not perfect, but few novels are. The characters are flawed and human, with complexities that are rarely found in YA fiction. 

♥♥♥♥ - FOUR HEARTS

Water for Elephants DVD (REVIEW)

Looking for a heartwarming movie with great performances and even better costumes? Check out WATER FOR ELEPHANTS. And be sure to use this post to discuss the book and movie - I want to see your thoughts!

Released November 1, 2011 by Fox Home Entertainment
DVD
120 minutes

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Today is the conclusion for our amazing WATER FOR ELEPHANTS Week activities, and since today is the release day of the DVD, it is fitting that we review the movie today.  If you haven’t read the book, don’t worry, this is a movie where you won’t be lost, but as I always say, think about reading the book before you see the movie. Sometimes you’ll be surprised!

WATER FOR ELEPHANTS follows the same story as the novel, casting Robert Pattinson as Jacob and Reese Witherspoon as his love interest Marlena. The movie stays true to the book, from the characters to the scenes, even taking time to show minor aspects of the book that I thought they would overlook, such as the dwarf and his dog. However, there were so many details of the book forgotten by the movie that made the book special to me, which automatically became a slight nitpick.

I really enjoyed seeing the details of the book with my own eyes on screen, from the hierarchy of the roustabouts to the ringmaster and the society these people created for themselves in the confines of the circus. Living in their own society with their own rules, these people got away with a lot, and the movie takes this into consideration. Some of the sexier aspects of the book were overlooked for the safety of a PG-13 rating of course. This didn’t detract from the movie in my thoughts.

The casting in this movie was great. Although Robert Pattinson didn’t bring as much to the table as I had hoped (and I still saw Edward Cullen every moment he was on screen), Reese Witherspoon’s performance as a battered wife was amazing, as was Christopher Waltz as her abusive husband. Witherspoon’s performance with the animals was especially entertaining – even though I don’t know how much she actually did herself, it was very impressing and believable.  The minor characters were also well cast and well performed, bringing to this movie an honesty the book deserved.

Even if you previously read the novel, you will not get bored. The movie moves at a great pace and weaves its tale in much the same way as the book, incorporating flashbacks and present day narration from an elderly Jacob.  And the costumes alone are amazing and to die for. If you’re a fashion nut like me, you will appreciate that alone.

VERDICT: With stunning performances, WATER FOR ELEPHANTS will not disappoint, even with a few small nitpicks here and there. It’s a movie worth seeing.

♥♥♥♥ - FOUR HEARTS

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (REVIEW)

An exciting book about love, the Depression, and the circus, WATER FOR ELEPHANTS takes you to the strange and alluring world of the Benzini Brothers Circus and into the lives of some wonderful characters.

 Though he may not speak of them, the memories still dwell inside Jacob Jankowski's ninety-something-year-old mind. Memories of himself as a young man, tossed by fate onto a rickety train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. Memories of a world filled with freaks and clowns, with wonder and pain and anger and passion; a world with its own narrow, irrational rules, its own way of life, and its own way of death. The world of the circus: to Jacob it was both salvation and a living hell.

Jacob was there because his luck had run out - orphaned and penniless, he had no direction until he landed on this locomotive 'ship of fools'. It was the early part of the Great Depression, and everyone in this third-rate circus was lucky to have any job at all. Marlena, the star of the equestrian act, was there because she fell in love with the wrong man, a handsome circus boss with a wide mean streak. And Rosie the elephant was there because she was the great gray hope, the new act that was going to be the salvation of the circus; the only problem was, Rosie didn't have an act - in fact, she couldn't even follow instructions. The bond that grew among this unlikely trio was one of love and trust, and ultimately, it was their only hope for survival.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
335 Pages
Published April 9th, 2006 by Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill

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In WATER FOR ELEPHANTS, Sara Gruen takes us into the world of the circus during the Great Depression and the incredible lives associated with it.  For Jacob Jankowski, the circus is just about a last chance that fate has given him after some untimely luck.  Joining with the Benzini Brothers to care for their animals, Jacob is launched into a world that’s strange and unusual for him, and provides the backdrop for reminiscing when he’s 90 and in a nursing home many years later.

With vivid imagery, you’re taken into the world of the circus and into the lives of these characters.  The characters themselves are very believable and fleshed out, especially August the animal trainer.  His viciousness and mood swings were gripping and his evolution into the bad guy had me sitting there waiting for more.  And as the husband of Marlena, Jacob’s romantic interest, August had plenty of opportunity to be jealous and controlling.  Even secondary characters were well formed and fleshed out, giving the book even more life and character.  Even Rosie the elephant becomes a character that you fall in love with by the end of the book.

The author tackles a bunch of interesting subjects and has obviously researched them all thoroughly.  From the drinking of Sterno fluid during Prohibition and its effects afterwards to the history of the circus originally as an event for men to get on with their hoochy koochy stuff, Gruen provides a well researched take on everything.  This research shows and if you’re a history nut like me you will not be disappointed.

What I had a slight problem with was the love story.  It was very sweet, but it was also somewhat stereotypical.  Boy comes along and becomes the knight in shining armor to the damsel in distress.  It was still a believable, romantic, and heartwarming love story, and it makes you remember that back in the day, people thought that women were property of men.  Even in the circus with people protecting one another there was no escape from domestic violence.

The story in the past and in the nursing home blended seamlessly and the transitions were impeccable.  Gruen crafted a well researched and well written love story that, though with its small faults, was a very good novel.  Gruen is definitely an author that I want to watch and read more of.

VERDICT: Even though it suffers from a stereotypical romance, WATER FOR ELEPHANTS is a well-crafted, heartwarming novel that keeps you glued to your seat wanting more of the circus and the atmosphere.

♥♥♥♥ - FOUR HEARTS