Top Five: Summer Reads

Don't you just like those nice comprehensive lists? I know I do. I love spying on other people's top lists, see if I know any of the books they read and enjoyed. It's the reason I have stalked around on Goodreads for almost three years now, and the reason I'm going to do a series of posts highlighting my Top Five somethings!

Obviously, there are several "Top Number" memes out there, and this has been inspired by those.

The sun is finally showing its wonderful head here in the Netherlands, and I thought I'd kick off this series of posts with my Top Five Summer Reads!

#5 The House of Silk by Anthony Horrowitz

Don't you just love letting other people do the hard detecting work while you are relaxing in your chair with a nice cold beverage? Especially when those other people are Sherlock and his trusty sidekick Watson.

The House of Silk is one of those books I thouroughly enjoyed, but never reviewed. Well, here it is. This book is awesome, especially if you have a little Sherlock Holmes crush. Not that I have one of those.

#4 Dark Lover by J.R. Ward

This is one of my worst guilty pleasures.

I don't even really know why I adore these books as much as I do. J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood books are straight up paranormal romance books with kick ass tortured alpha males that swoop their eternal loves off their feet.

Maybe every girl needs some swooping once in a while.

#3 Angels by Marian Keyes

Angels was my first foray into chick-lit territory. You know, that scary world where there are no zombies, vampires or werewolves to keep you feeling safe and comfortable? That's the one.

And quite amazingly enough, I very much liked it. It's not something I would want to read all the time, but fast-paced, light but not fluff, full of hilarious friends Angels works very well to keep you company while getting a tan.

#2 The Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind

During summer is actually the only time in the whole year that I feel like I have the time to read a massive fantasy book, like the Sword of Truth series. There is nothing like being fully immersed into a world so different from ours, a world so fascinating and full of all these wonderful characters I would just love to know in real life.

This is definitely one of those series that has everything to keep you entertained during quite some summer weeks.

#1 Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

I'm starting to get the feeling that at one point or another, Harry Potter always shows up in Top lists. Doesn't matter if it's summer reads, winter reads, awesome reads, favourite reads, best character lists, favourite worlds... I almost feel compelled making a list of the lists Harry Potter dominates. But I'll save that for another time.

There is no denying that Harry Potter has grown dear to me. To hell with Twilight, Harry Potter is what got me hooked on reading. I grew up with these books, and I will continue reading them in sickness and in health, until I die.

Review: Passion by Lauren Kate

Passion by Lauren Kate
(Fallen #3)

2 out of 5 stars

Published by Random House Children's Books
This review may contain spoilers for the previous books in the series

Reading the Fallen series has always been like walking on thin ice for me. As long as you're treading very carefully, everything is fine. Passion is the book that was just slightly too heavy for the support of the ice, and it falls through, dumping me in the freezing water.

Luce is jumping through the Announcers through history to find something she's looking for. She doesn't know yet what exactly that is, only that she needs to find her past selves. All of her friends and Daniel try to follow her, and find her before she changes something fundamental.

I did like the idea of this book. I'm a secret fan of historical settings, and I was looking forward to meeting a Regency Luce, and a pre-historical Luce, etcetera. The problem is, that was the only thing I ended up liking in this book. Luce breezes through history, and I enjoyed watching her being a completely different person in other time periods.

The rest of this book wasn't that entertaining though. Passion lends from countless clichés. The snarky travelling companion. Daniel chasing Luce but never quite catching her. But the worst thing I read in this book was the awful characterisation of Satan. With a character like Satan, you need him to be the ultimate of evil. He should be cruel but intelligent. Someone that makes you shudder, that you can be afraid of.

Well, none of that. Ms Kate's Satan acts like a five-year-old. You know, one that throws a tantrum if he doesn't get what he wants. But the worst cliché that an author shouldn't even want to touch with a very long stick, is one that Ms Kate embraces. She lets Satan spill all of his evil plans. Just like that. Here they are, puny human. My ego is so large I don't have to be sneaky in taking over the world. I will tell you just now how I'm planning to win from heaven so you can try to stop me.

Ugh.

I might have been able to deal with the awful clichés if there was some emotion to brighten up this story. But Luce is just jumping through time, looking for some kind of love. It feels like she's running around like a headless chicken. There is no reason behind it, and in the end I still don't get exactly what she was searching for. All of her emotions felt forced, and I couldn't relate to them at all. In the meantime Daniel is just flying around, being emo. Thinking about killing himself.

Passion really wasn't a passionate book at all. If it had more of it, I might have liked it. Just like the cover, the inside of Passion is mediocre at best. I will read the last book in this series, Rapture, but my expectations of it have been exponentially lowered.

Blurb

Luce would die for Daniel.

And she has. Over and over again. Throughout time, Luce and Daniel have found each other, only to be painfully torn apart: Luce dead, Daniel left broken and alone. But perhaps it doesn’t need to be that way...

Luce is certain that something—or someone—in a past life can help her in her present one. So she begins the most important journey of this lifetime... going back eternities to witness firsthand her romances with Daniel... and finally unlock the key to making their love last.

Cam and the legions of angels and Outcasts are desperate to catch Luce, but none are as frantic as Daniel. He chases Luce through their shared pasts, terrified of what might happen if she rewrites history.

Because their romance for the ages could go up in flames... forever.

Other reviews you might be interested in

• Review: Torment by Lauren Kate (4/5 Stars)
• Review: Everneath by Brodi Ashton (4.5/5 Stars)
• Review: Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick (4/5 Stars)
• Review: Angel Burn by L.A. Weatherly (4/5 Stars)

More links

• Author page
• Press
• Goodreads

Review: Demon's Fall by Karalynn Lee

Demon's Fall by Karalynn Lee

2 out of 5 stars

Published by Carina Press

Carina Press was so kind to make Demon's Fall available for free for a short amount of time. However, this novella was not my cup of tea.

When the incubus Kenan sees a captured angel at the infamous Hellsgate market, he has to have her. What he doesn't know is that Jahel is not an ordinary angel, but one with the ability to steal his heart...

I found it highly unlikely for an angel to instantly lust after a demon. Isn't that entirely against every instinct an angel has? Shouldn't she be disgusted by his awful sins, by his collecting of souls that she tries to save? Both Kenan's and Jahel's thoughts were confusing to me, one second they lean this way, next second the other.

There was a little part focussing on a certain evil witch, and a bit of Four Horsemen lore that was pretty cool. It was well incorporated into the story, but I wish every problem wasn't solved so easily. It almost seemed like no trouble at all to overcome the Horseman War. I would expect more of a struggle there.

The writing isn't too bad, and the story isn't either. It just wasn't for me.

Blurb

When Kenan, an incubus, finds a caged angel for sale in the Hellsgate marketplace, he sees her as a challenge. Certain that his skills in seduction will work as well on a heavenly creature as they do on mortal women, he buys Jahel, intent on having her soul as a novelty in his collection.

Knowing he must gain Jahel's trust if she is to come to his bed willingly, Kenan treats her more as his guest than as his slave. When she reveals what brought her to the mouth of Hell in the first place-retrieving the soul of a young girl she was guarding-he even offers to help her complete her mission.

Though he has promised Jahel freedom, Kenan soon realizes she has captured his heart instead. And as their passion for one another grows, they find themselves caught in a struggle between Heaven and Hell, one that will lead them to the very edge of the apocalypse...

Other reviews you might be interested in

• Review: The Debutante's Dilemma by Elyse Mady (3/5 Stars)
• Review: Stone Kissed by Keri Stevens (2/5 Stars)
• Review: Foreplay by Jill Myles (4/5 Stars)

More links

• Author page
• Press
• Goodreads

Review: Angel Burn by L.A. Weatherly

Angel Burn by L.A. Weatherly
(Angel #1)

4 out of 5 stars

Published by Candlewick Press
Review copy received through Netgalley

What would you do if you found out you were half-angel? And angels aren't the kind creatures from heaven, but mindless killers that feed on humans?

Willow has always been different. She doesn't dress like the other girls, she has other interests than the other girls, and oh yeah, she's psychic. Then she does a reading on one of her fellow classmates, that changes everything...

This is a hard book to review for me. I haven't read enough angel-YA books to properly compare Angel Burn (or Angel) with other angel books. Therefore I will just give my general impressions of the book.

The first thing that struck me was how all angels are portrayed as the bad guys. There isn't just one band of "fallen" ones. They are all through and through bad beings. It's a risky decision, as angels are often associated with God and he must be a good guy. I liked that Ms Weatherly chose for a different system, which definitely made this book a little more special to me.

This book is mostly set up as a road-trip. Willow and her love-interest Alex are trying to survive while looking for other angel-assassins to help them in the war against the angels. I'm not so sure how I feel about this kind of set-up. I find road-trips a tad boring, and equally so to read about one.

It was a great setting for the blooming romance between Willow and Alex though. They have a rough start; Alex is a trained angel assassin, and Willow is half angel. There is quite a bit teenage angst going on, but it wasn't annoying. I thought they were very cute together.

The story builds a lot of tension towards the final part of the book, and I flew through the last hundred pages or so. Of course I'm not going to spoil the ending to you, but I can say that after you finish Angel Burn you really, really want to know how the story continues.

I would recommend Angel Burn to people that love young-adult fiction, that love angels, or both!

Blurb

Willow knows she’s different from other girls, and not just because she loves tinkering with cars. Willow has a gift. She can look into the future and know people’s dreams and hopes, their sorrows and regrets, just by touching them. She has no idea where this power comes from. But the assassin, Alex, does. Gorgeous, mysterious Alex knows more about Willow than Willow herself. He knows that her powers link to dark and dangerous forces, and that he’s one of the few humans left who can fight them. When Alex finds himself falling in love with his sworn enemy, he discovers that nothing is as it seems, least of all good and evil. In the first book in an action-packed, romantic trilogy, L..A. Weatherly sends readers on a thrill-ride of a road trip - and depicts the human race at the brink of a future as catastrophic as it is deceptively beautiful.

They’re out for your soul . . . and they don’t have heaven in mind.

Other reviews you might be interested in

• Review: Torment by Lauren Kate (4/5 stars)
• Review: Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick (4/5 stars)

More links

• Author page
• Press
• Goodreads

Review: Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare 

(The Infernal Devices, #1)

4 out of 5 stars

Note: This is the first book I've read by this author. I have no idea how it relates to her other series, The Moral Instruments. The review is solely concentrated on this book. For more information, see Discussion below.

Clockwork Angel is my first venture into the unknown steampunk-territory. In this alternate world, you have the whole supernatural bunch (vampires, werewolves, warlocks, some nephelim thrown in for good measure) living together with the normals in a Victorian-like age. In a time where skirts that show the ankles are considered extremely inappropriate, Tessa travels from New-York to London to go live with her brother. But instead of finding her brother at the pier she is abducted by two lady-warlocks.

After this the book follows Tessa trying to find and rescue her brother that has gotten himself in a whole lot of trouble. In order to do so, she has the help of the Shadowhunters, the warriors that protect the humans and keep the Downworlders from braking the Law.

I really enjoyed this, mostly because of the setting. I love the ambiance of Victorian London and I think Ms. Clare did extremely well portraying this. You can see she has taken the time to research her book and she implements characteristic parts of society effortless. The saying of one's Christian name is a big deal and I especially loved the shock of our properly bred Tessa when she hears a servant talking freely to one of the Shadowhunters.

As for Tessa as a heroine, I'm not so sure what to say of her. She's not really a weak damsel-in-distress kind of girl but you can't call her kick-ass with a straight face either. She's loyal to her brother and slightly protective, but not so much of a sensitive girl that looks after everyone. As main character she's (I'm almost afraid to use this word) a bit dull. I didn't feel that compassionate towards her. The only parts I enjoyed her character where those wherein she interacts with the young Shadowhunter Will. Enter the mysterious love-interest of the book.

Will is the typical mysterious guy almost every young-adult novel has. The sarcastic bad boy shell with a troubled sweet soul somewhere hidden deep inside him, that only the heroine can reach. We've seen it before countless times, in one form or the other. Yet I still like this one. It seems that a lot of people found Will's behaviour offensive or rude but I don't really see why anyone would take offence in his conduct. He cares for his friend-like-a-brother Jem and he does nothing that shocked me with rudeness. Maybe just because I thought his remarks were rather funny. Don't tell anyone though.

The plot was engaging, yet not that surprising. The major oh-my-gosh moment was hinted at so many times that when it finally came it was a bit disappointing. It was fast-paced though and I read the book in about two sittings. There were enough sidelines that keep you interested throughout the story, even though a lot of questions are left unanswered at the end of the book.

I liked this book. I will definitely check out Clockwork Prince, the second part of this series, due summer this year.

Blurb

Magic is dangerous--but love is more dangerous still.

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.

Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own.

Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by--and torn between--two best friends: James, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length...everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world...and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

Discussion

When I was searching some sites for background info on this book, I came across something that rather surprised me. Apparently author Cassandra Clare (formerly known as Cassandra Claire) has been accused of using inappropriate amounts of quotes from other works in her fan-fiction series featuring Draco Malfoy. Some might say that the writing of fan-fic on its self is plagiarism, yet some take this a little further. There seems to be a whole hate-team that accuses her of using the same characters she has written for Draco in her books over and over again. I can't take either side in this discussion, as I have not read any of these works, or her Mortal Instrument books. If you want to know more about this, check out these posts:

• The Cassandra Claire Plagiarism Debacle on Journalfen
• Kat's review of Clockwork Angel (contains spoilers!)

Other reviews you might be interested in

• Torment by Lauren Kate (Fallen #2)
• Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick (Hush, Hush #2)
• Rampant by Diana Peterfreund (Killer Unicorns #1)

Review: Torment by Lauren Kate

Torment by Lauren Kate

4 out of 5 stars

This the 2nd book in a series. May contain spoilers for previous instalments.

Torment is the long awaited sequel of the book Fallen. What makes this books stand out from the crowd is not their unique story, but their beautiful outside (I did a post on the covers here). I have to admit, that is why is started reading these books too, out of curiosity. Would the book itself be as great as its cover?

To be harsh, no. Torment isn't as mysterious and dark as the cover would indicate. Still, this is a very enjoyable young-adult book with a dark twist.

In this book Luce doesn't attend Sword & Cross any more, the gloomy school we know so well from Fallen, but Shoreline, located next to the sunny Californian beach. Only problem is; Daniel isn't there. Luce feels like he is keeping secrets from her, and she starts doubting their relationship.

Shoreline isn't your ordinary school. Its honours programme is a cover-up, for only Nephelim can join it. Its a place where they learn about their history and their powers. Here, Luce's arrival is the story of the day. Her history with Daniel is well known in Nephel circles.

It's nice to see a change of setting, but the cheery place felt well, a bit too cheery for this story. I loved how Sword & Cross was described, and the gloominess added to the story. The Shoreline setting doesn't do a lot for the book. It's a great way to introduce some interesting new characters, but I still felt like I would rather have them all in an old dark castle than some state of the art light campus. Mrs. Kate has probably made the contrast with the two schools on purpose, but for me personally it wasn't quite fitting.

The book revolves around the fourteen days Luce attends Shoreline while Daniel is gone off somewhere she doesn't know. She starts doubting their history and their relationship. I thought this was well done, to finally see some realistic reaction from her. The whole destined to be together thing isn't really believable when Luce can't even remember all of her past lives.

What I also liked a lot was that Luce develops some powers of her own. The Announcers that have followed her around play a bigger role in Torment. I'm looking forward to see what the author will do with this in the next part of the series.

I did have some annoyances. Why does there always have to be a love triangle? No, seriously. I have yet to read a young-adult romance book where the heroine knows for a hundred percent which boy she wants. I'm getting tired of them really. I guess they're supposed to spice the romance up a bit, but in most of the cases it's just stalling the happily ever after. If it is part of the story, I can live with a love triangle, but usually it just feels forced. Unfortunately, Torment falls in the latter category. It's just unbelievable that we can have a second love triangle after the one in Fallen. Maybe in the next book we'll do something new and have a love square instead. Now that would be interesting.

Overall Torment is a decent read. We get some more world building, the stark black and white begin to blur into shades of grey, and there are great secondary characters once again. Luce's pondering might get on your nerves a bit. Now I'm thinking about it, it kind of feels like in New Moon. Luce and Bella would make great friends.

I did enjoy Torment. It has some nice intrigues and a cliffhanger that leaves me wanting for more. It might not be the epic love story it advertises to be but I see potential in good old Lucinda. Maybe she'll have some surprises for us in Passion, the third part of this series.

Blurb

"Hell on earth. That's what it's like for Luce to be apart from her fallen angel boyfriend, Daniel. It took them an eternity to find one another, but now he has told her he must go away. Just long enough to hunt down the Outcasts - immortals who want to kill Luce. Daniel hides Luce at Shoreline, a school on the rocky California coast with unusually gifted students -Nephilim, the offspring of fallen angels and humans.

At Shoreline, Luce learns what the Shadows are, and how she can use them as windows to her previous lives. Yet the more Luce learns, the more she suspects that Daniel hasn't told her everything. He's hiding something - something dangerous. What if Daniel's version of the past isn't actually true? What if Luce is really meant to be with someone else? The second novel in the addictive FALLEN series . . . where love never dies."

BR: Crescendo

Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick

4 out of 5 stars

You can read my review on Hush, Hush here

After reading the first book in this series, Hush, Hush, I couldn't wait to get back to my dark and unpredictable Patch. So yesterday I sat down with this book expecting an engaging YA read.

And that's exactly what I got. I read this book just like it's predecessor in one sitting. In this instalment Patch and Nora go through a hard time. The archangels are interfering and making it almost impossible for them to be together. We also learn more about the mysterious death of Nora's father and the war between the fallen angels and Nephelim.

This is a rather dark book for a young-adult novel. For the greatest part it focusses on Nora's relationship with Patch, and the problems between them. Nora can't seem to make up her mind if she wants to stay with him or if she wants him completely gone out of her life. Some people might find this struggle annoying, but I thought it was a spot-on display of trying to chose what's good for you while you know in your heart you want something else. At one point or another we all feel like Nora. Sometimes it is just impossible to make such a choice.

Nora does a lot of things I wouldn't want my daughter to do. She is unsupervised the whole book, and this shows in her actions. She constantly gets herself in danger that could easily have been avoided. Luckily, she has one hell of an angel that has made it his goal to try to keep her safe. And he doesn't get a day's rest from his task.

The character that made me smile throughout the book was Nora's best friend Vee. She's always there for her with a cheesy remark. I also liked the fact they always seem be talking about food. At one point Vee actually makes Nora carrying a hot dog on one of their reckless break and enter-missions. This was so absurd it made me laugh just picturing the situation.

I really liked this book. It was nicely paced, enough plot twists to keep you interested and some new characters to spice things up. The only thing that really annoyed me was the cliffhanger ending. Why, oh why do writers always do that to us! Now I have to wait another year until the next part, Tempest, comes out...

Blurb

Feisty teen Nora Grey somehow survived the crises of Hush, Hush!, but dangers just as frightening loom in this standalone sequel. Patch, her guardian angel and love interest, appears to have a dark side and a wandering eye. Worse yet, he seems intent on obstructing Nora as she hunts for the truth behind her father's mysterious death.

BR: Early to Death, Early to Rise

Early to Death, Early to Rise by Kim Harrison

4 out of 5 stars

I was quite reluctant to pick up the second part in the Madison Avery series after the not-so-great first part, Once Dead, Twice Shy. Luckily, we do see some improvement.

In this book Madison is the dark timekeeper, and she is struggling with her new position. She does not believe in fate, but in choice, and this collides with her new responsibilities. Together with her two angels, one dark, one that was once light, and not to forget tongue-in-cheek guardian angel Grace, she tries to prevent people from making the wrong decisions in live, so they won't have to be scythed (or in human: killed).

Kim Harrison does know how to write an amusing story with interesting characters. It probably has a deeper layer, with all that choice vs. fate stuff, but it is well concealed. We don't get enormous monologues about philosophical topics, to teach us a lesson. That, I really liked. Some books you just want to read to take a little break, and have some relax-time. This is a book you can certainly pick up when you're in that kind of mood.

That doesn't mean this book is flat and brainless. The characters are very well thought out, and overall nicely balanced. You get to know all their little quirks and they live up to the expectations you have of their personality. The plot made sense, and was nicely fast paced overall. There was enough action and tension to keep us busy, and prevent this from being a little bit boring.

The main reason I liked this book more than Once Dead, Twice Shy, was probably that my expectations weren't that high. I was pleasantly surprised, actually. I read this in two sittings, while I at some points really had to labour through ODTS. I'm not sure if there will be a third part in the Madison Avery series, but if there will be, I will buy it without second thought.

Blurb
Seventeen, dead, and in charge of Heaven's dark angels—all itching to kill someone.

Madison Avery's dreams of ever fitting in at her new school died when she did. Especially since she was able to maintain the illusion of a body, deal with a pesky guardian angel, and oh yeah, bring the reaper who killed her to his untimely end. Not exactly in-crowd material. It's amazing that her crush, Josh, doesn't think she's totally nuts.

Now Madison has learned that she's the dark timekeeper, in charge of angels who follow the murky guidelines of fate. Never one to abide by the rules, she decides it's time for a major change to the system. With the help of some unlikely allies, Madison forms a rogue group of reapers who definitely don't adhere to the rules of Heaven.

But as she grapples with the terrifying new skills that come with being a timekeeper, Madison realizes she may not be prepared for what lies ahead—unless she gets some seriously divine intervention.

BR: Hush, Hush

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Read this in one night. It is a fun and quick read, you get sucked in immediately. I don't get all the Twilight comparisons. It is nothing like Twilight. Twilight, to be honest, quite sucked. This was fun. Patch (what I think is quite a cute name) is damn hot. Wish I could touch his back too..

Fitzpatrick has created a world that's quite believable. I was glad it didn't resemble Fallen too much. It starts off the same; mysterious boy at a school that seems unreachable. But where Daniel is really rude, Patch is just being distant, but he is never mean to Nora. He is a tease, but who doesn't like a hot guy teasing you...

The process of Nora accepting that Patch isn't human, and that angels do exist was a bit rushed in my opinion. She only deals with Patch being unhuman, not with that the Bible was right and her whole world is upside down. Shouldn't she doubt what else is real if angels are real? I think this is one of the great gaps in the story.

The Nephelim lore was interesting. I haven't read a lot of books that focus on angels, so it felt quite new for me. It is refreshing to read something different than the old vamp/were stuff. I would like to read more about angels, they are quite interesting (and hot!).

You can just feel the chemistry between our couple. Patch cares for Nora from the beginning of the story, and Nora slowly grows into it. The development wasn't rushed and felt natural. She acts very like her age, which I think is quite an achievement. You see her slowly admitting her feelings for Patch, even though he is dangerous and she knows nothing about him. She does some irresponsible things, but who doesn't at that age? I liked that even though Hush, Hush is a young-adult book they don't act like sex doesn't exist. It isn't that implicit and in-your-face, but you can tell Nora wants more from Patch than just a little kiss.

Okay, the ending might be predictable, we all knew this would be the best solution, but it was sweet. Now we can read more about our new favourite angel-human couple. Give me part two!