Release Day: Kissing Shakespeare by Pamela Mingle

Miranda has Shakespeare in her blood: she hopes one day to become a Shakespearean actor like her famous parents. At least, she does until her disastrous performance in her school's staging of The Taming of the Shrew. Humiliated, Miranda skips the opening-night party. All she wants to do is hide.

Fellow cast member, Stephen Langford, has other plans for Miranda. When he steps out of the backstage shadows and asks if she'd like to meet Shakespeare, Miranda thinks he's a total nutcase. But before she can object, Stephen whisks her back to 16th century England—the world Stephen's really from. He wants Miranda use her acting talents and modern-day charms on the young Will Shakespeare. Without her help, Stephen claims, the world will lost its greatest playwright.

Miranda isn't convinced she's the girl for the job. Why would Shakespeare care about her? And just who is this infuriating time traveler, Stephen Langford? Reluctantly, she agrees to help, knowing that it's her only chance of getting back to the present and her "real" life. What Miranda doesn't bargain for is finding true love . . . with no acting required.

> Read my review of Kissing Shakespeare

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Review: Matched by Ally Condie

Title: Matched
Author: Ally Condie
Series: Matched #1
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars

366 pages
Published 2010 by Razorbill


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Another of the young adult "must read" dystopian list, Matched left me disappointed by the potential that wasn't fulfilled.

In Matched everyone follows the rules of Society. The Society calculates what gives most people a happy life. For example, you die at eighty, no matter what. You get Matched to your life partner by statistics and probabilities. Calorie intake is measured so everyone is healthy and strong. But then something goes wrong, and a mistake is made during Cassia's Matching. Should she trust Society, or think for herself?

I absolutely adored the world building in this one. It was amazing. In contrast to the extremely weird world that was created in DeStefano's Wither, this world is actually likely. I liked the fact that they use science to create boundaries for personal life. The first half of the book, where pretty much all the world building is was extremely well done.

When I started this book I was completely blown away. I thought, this is going to be epic! And then the love triangle happened.

And the worst thing about the love triangle is that Cassia is NOT in love. Let's recap what happened (it's in the blurb, so not a spoiler). The night of her Matching, when she's at home and staring at her screen thingy, she is supposed to see the face of her match, Xander. Xander has been her best friend since forever. But then, another face lights up! And it's Ky, a guy she has known since forever but never thought was interesting!

And from that moment all she can think about is Ky, Ky, Ky. O wait, I shouldn't think about Ky but Xander! Ky. Ky.

She NEVER had ANY interest in the guy, and then she sees his picture and she's head over heels for him. If Cassia was one of my friends I'd smack her. Seriously.

Even though Ms Condie is amazing in the world building department, she isn't that strong in the character building. Almost every single character is rather bland and just a "filler". The worst thing for me is that Ky was an extremely bland character. How can we fall in love with him if he's nothing but someone with a pretty bad past? Boo hoo, your parents were killed. That's not a reason to fall in love with someone.

I'm so for Xander. At least he's smart and brave, something Ky doesn't have going for him. But, Cassia treats Xander like shit for the whole book. Since they're Matched, they're boyfriend and girlfriend, but Cassia only wants to spend time with Ky, hold his hand, whisper poetry in his ear. And the whole while she thinks "oh yeah, I know what I'm doing is bad. I should tell Xander, but to be honest I don't feel like it now. I'll tell him in a few weeks when I've cheated on him several times". Where is their big friendship? How could you ever treat your best friend this way?

First half of this book was amazing, the second half a chore. There are so many faults in this book (people can read, but can't write) that I could go on and on. Overall, it was a big meh. I don't think I'll read the second book in the series, since I see where this is going and it's not a direction I'll like. My secret hope is that Ky dies because of the Society and Cassia remembers that Xander was her love all along. But since no such thing will probably happen, I'll stick to other books.

If you can tolerate stupid love triangles, I'd recommend Matched. The world is to die for.

Blurb

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate... until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

Other reviews you might be interested in

• Review: Insurgent by Veronica Roth (5/5 Stars)
• Review: Wither by Lauren DeStefano (3/5 Stars)
• Review: For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund (5/5 Stars)
• Review: Eve by Anna Carey (3/5 Stars)

Review: Blue Moon by Laurell K. Hamilton

Blue Moon by Laurell K. Hamilton
(Anita Blake #8)

4 out of 5 stars

Published 1998 by Ace
This review may contain spoilers for the previous books in the series

There are so many characters in the Anita Blake series. Almost every book there are added more to Anita's group of sexy hunks. All these characters are both the strength and the weakness of Blue Moon.

Usually when I write a review, I add a little paragraph describing the main plot. The problem with this book is that there is so little plot that it almost seems useless to try to explain it. I'll give you a tiny summary instead: Richard is accused of rape, he'll turn furry soon, have to get him out of jail. And something with trolls.

Hamilton's heavy characterising is taking the toll on her plots. When this series started, the books were about a murder or an investigation, and you met some awesome people in between. Now the people are taking the stage, leaving almost no room for the plot. Seriously, there is so much talking, so much in depth flashes into the lives of about eight people of her sexy hunk group. The real plot could be described in just eighty pages.

The thing is, I really like character based books. So I don't get bored of all the interactions. But I know many of you are plot-lovers. I wouldn't recommend the Anita Blake books (the fifth and up) if you prefer plot-heavy books. In this one, there was a teeny tiny plot. From what I've heard, it'll only get smaller and smaller from now on.

Aside from the fact that I just detest Richard lately, this book was very enjoyable for me. It's like watching a horror paranormal soap series. Nothing very exciting, but definitely addicting.

On to the next one!

Blurb

When she chose master vampire Jean-Claude over her ex-fiancé, alpha werewolf Richard Zeeman, Anita learned that sometimes love is not enough. But though she and Richard won’t be walking down any aisles, she can’t turn her back on him when he’s arrested on a rape charge in Tennessee. Anita knows firsthand that Richard has the morals of a saint—or at least a boy scout. But his guilt or innocence is not the issue. He’s behind bars, and in five days a full moon will rise…

Other reviews you might be interested in

• Review: Burnt Offerings by Laurell K. Hamilton (4/5 Stars)
• Review: Generation by William Knight (4/5 Stars)
• Review: Fire Baptized by Kenya Wright (2/5 Stars)
• Review: Enormity by W.G. Marshall (4/5 Stars)

More links

• Author page
• Press
• Goodreads
• Book Depository

Review: Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Wither by Lauren DeStefano
(The Chemical Garden #1)

3 out of 5 stars

Published March 22nd 2011 by Simon & Schuster

Set in a world where girls die when they are twenty years old and boys when they're twenty-five, Rhine is abducted and sold to be one of the three new brides of Linden. There is only one thing on her mind - escape. But as the months fly by, the luxurious life she's leading now begins to ensnare her.

I was drawn to Wither by the premise. A dystopian where people don't age above puberty? Sounds like a good ground for an action packed novel! I was sorely disappointed by that aspect. Absolutely nothing happens. At the start, when Rhine is getting kidnapped, I was very excited, but after that she just sits around. She jumps on a trampoline with fellow brides. Rhine goes to a party. Rhine eats sweets. Rhine reads a book in the library. Wither is almost four-hundred pages long, but it could just as well been one hundred. Ms DeStefano has a very distinct writing style, often called "haunting" and "beautiful". For me it felt more like "lifeless". Every page is written in the same way. There is no speeding up, no slowing down.

I get what Ms DeStefano was trying to accomplish in Wither. The big action isn't important, it's the little details. It's in the little ways the brides rebel against their captors. On me, all this detailing was completely lost. That only works when you're invested in the characters, but I never felt that sorry for Rhine. She sits around for months doing absolutely nothing but eating and sleeping and having fun. The reason she wants to escape so bad is her twin brother, but as he only gets mentioned by Rhine herself, he feels more like a convenience than an actual character.

Even the ending, for which I was hoping that it would shock me and make me go, "Whoa, this is awesome!" was a huge anti-climax. They waited a year to do that? Really?

One last thing I would like to point out is Ms DeStefano's extreme love for her country. I quote from page 55 of the paperback version:

"All we were taught of geography was that the world had once been made up of seven continents and several countries, but a third world war demolished all but North America, the continent with the most advanced technology."

Most advanced technology?! Ha, they wish! The continent with most advanced technology is clearly Asia. Ever seen a documentary on Japan? If there is a country with advanced technology, it's Japan. Unless Ms. DeStefano calls weapons of war "advanced technology", then I guess she's right. The whole book is filled with remarks towards America's superiority over the other continents. As a European, this rubbed me completely the wrong way.

I know a lot of you have loved and will keep on loving Wither, but this wasn't for me. I think that if you go in expecting a subtle novel, you will very much enjoy this one. I will read Fever (mostly because I already bought it) and see if I like that one better.

Blurb

By age sixteen, Rhine Ellery has four years left to live. She can thank modern science for this genetic time bomb. A botched effort to create a perfect race has left all males with a lifespan of 25 years, and females with a lifespan of 20 years. Geneticists are seeking a miracle antidote to restore the human race, desperate orphans crowd the population, crime and poverty have skyrocketed, and young girls are being kidnapped and sold as polygamous brides to bear more children. 

When Rhine is kidnapped and sold as a bride, she vows to do all she can to escape. Her husband, Linden, is hopelessly in love with her, and Rhine can’t bring herself to hate him as much as she’d like to. He opens her to a magical world of wealth and illusion she never thought existed, and it almost makes it possible to ignore the clock ticking away her short life. But Rhine quickly learns that not everything in her new husband’s strange world is what it seems. Her father-in-law, an eccentric doctor bent on finding the antidote, is hoarding corpses in the basement. Her fellow sister wives are to be trusted one day and feared the next, and Rhine is desperate to communicate to her twin brother that she is safe and alive. Will Rhine be able to escape--before her time runs out?

Together with one of Linden's servants, Gabriel, Rhine attempts to escape just before her seventeenth birthday. But in a world that continues to spiral into anarchy, is there any hope for freedom?

Other reviews you might be interested in

• Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth (5/5 Stars)
• Review: Deadline by Mira Grant (5/5 Stars)
• Review: Bumped by Megan McCafferty (2/5 Stars)
• Review: For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund (5/5 Stars)

More links

• Author page
• Press
• Goodreads
• Book Depository

Review: Ripper by Amy Carol Reeves

Ripper by Amy Carol Reeves

4 out of 5 stars

Published April 8th by Flux Books
ARC received through Netgalley

As the title suggests, Ripper is about the infamous serial killer Jack the Ripper. But it's not you average historical young-adult novel; it has a paranormal twist.

After the death of her mother, Abbie Sharp moves from Dublin to London to live with her grandmother. Because she is quite rebellious, her grandmother orders her to work at the Whitechapel Hospital. The hospital is located in one of the poorest parts of London and treats prostitutes and their children for free. But then the former patients start to get brutally murdered - and Abbie is getting disturbing visions.

I really liked the creepiness factor of Ripper. The ending really freaked me out - I didn't dare to continue reading it at night. Of course there is the gruesomeness of the murders itself. It isn't very much focussed on, for which I was glad. For those of you that aren't very familiar with the Whitechapel Murders; these women weren't just killed, they were butchered. There are pictures out there, if you have a stomach for it. I was glad there wasn't that much detailing going on about the murders, otherwise this book wouldn't possibly be rated as young-adult.

Ripper basically is an alternate history kind of thing featuring Jack the Ripper. I loved how the paranormal interwove with the actual events, how the victims had the same names as in reality but different stories and characters. I did a little background research to see how close the happenings in the book are to the real ones, and I have to give Ms Reeves a big thumbs-up. The victims are killed in the same places, yet somehow it fits perfectly into the story. I loved these little details.

Abbie is a great character, but I couldn't always identify with her emotions and actions. Sometimes I felt as if she was too kick-ass, and sometimes too much of a damsel-in-distress. One of my biggest issues was the love-triangle. The triangle in itself was okay, but she choose the wrong one. I hate it when that happens! I was completely rooting for the other guy.

Overall Ripper is a very enjoyable read, and I would recommend it for the historical mystery fans. It starts out very light on the paranormal, but it gets a bit heavier throughout the story. If the love triangle is scaring you off a bit; romance isn't the focus of the story. If the mystery of who Jack the Ripper is sounds interesting to you, give it a try!

Blurb

In 1888, following her mother's sudden death, 17-year-old Arabella Sharp goes to live with her grandmother in a posh London neighborhood. At her grandmother's request, Abbie volunteers at Whitechapel Hospital, where she discovers a passion for helping the unfortunate women and children there. But within days, female patients begin turning up brutally murdered at the hands of Jack the Ripper.

Other reviews you might be interested in

• Review: Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers (4/5 Stars)
• Review: Sisters of Glass by Stephanie Hemphill (3/5 Stars)
• Review: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater (4/5 Stars)
• Review: A Witch in Winter by Ruth Warburton (4/5 Stars)

More links

• Author page
• Press
• Goodreads
• Book Depository

Review: Thirst by Claire Farrell

Thirst by Claire Farrell
(Ava Delaney #1)

3 out of 5 stars

Published by Smashwords

Thirst was enjoyable. It was al right. It just didn't stand out for me.

Ava is a half-vampire, and the only one at that. When she by accident binds a human to her, she doesn't know what to do. And know two rivalling vampire clans are fighting to capture her and use her powers. Only Ava is completely unaware of what she can do.

This is pretty much a basic vampire story. The main character is a pretty girl that everyone either wants, or is jealous of. But she's not perfect! She hasn't talked to a human being in a few years! I don't know why the writer chose this characteristic. Ava is perfectly chatty in conversation. You would expect her to be a little rusty at that.

Vampires are the big bad guys in Thirst. They look more like zombies, with decaying flesh everywhere. They are completely gross and we should hate them all and they should burn in hell! But then Ava suddenly pities a vampire that almost killed her human pet. I have no idea where that feeling came from. Seems like Ava's hate isn't as absolute like she would likes us to think.

And what is a vampire story... without a love-triangle! I won't even start on this one. It's just plain old. And even more sad when you consider what her choices are: the brainless but apparently tasty human pet, or the mysterious guy that hates her guts. They both sound like perfect boyfriend material, don't they?

Oh, I just thought of another thing. You know when we are all face-palming because the heroine is taking off on her own so "the hero won't be endangered!"? Well, Ava manages to pull this off, not once, but TWICE! Because the first time was such a good idea! And yet we are told she's pretty smart. Huh.

However, these are all kinds of little things that completely annoy the crap out of me, but I know that other people often don't agree. At the moment this book is available for free. It isn't very long. So if you're looking for some quick light vampire read, you can give Thirst a try.

Blurb

Part vampire, the only thing greater than Ava Delaney's thirst for human blood is her capacity for guilt. When she accidentally turns a human into her minion, she does her best to set him free - but her attempts land her in the middle of a potential vampire civil war. With the help of some new friends with ambiguous loyalties, Ava tries to save her human... and herself.

Other reviews you might be interested in

• Review: Dark Lover (Black Dagger Brotherhood #1) by J.R. Ward (5/5 stars)
• Review: Foreplay (Succubus Diaries #0) by Jill Myles (4/5 stars)
• Review: Marked (House of Night #1) by P.C. Cast (3.5/5 stars)

More links

• Author page
• Press
• Goodreads

Review: The Fury by L.J. Smith

The Fury by L.J. Smith
(The Vampire Diaries #3)

4 out of 5 stars

Published by HarperCollins
256 pages
This review may contain spoilers for the previous books in the series

Hurray, Elena has finally join the ranks of the undead! And with this she completely loses her awful personality, and gains one that doesn't make you want to slap her. I'm finally liking this series.

The Fury finally has an interesting plot that doesn't involve petty high-school schemes. For those who haven't read this book I can't tell much about it, but there is a nice surprise in this book, that I didn't see coming. A "force" that has been around for about two books finally gets revealed, making for an exciting read with a real story arch.

I even didn't find the love triangle between Elena, Damon and Stefan so annoying any more, because Damon actually shows a bit of his good side in this one. It isn't just bad-boy sexiness that attracts Elena to him, but at vulnerable moments he is being a nice guy. He gets some more personality, showing different sides of himself. This also means that there is less focus on Stefan though, and he is more one-dimensional in this book. Being a total Damon fan myself, this didn't bother me at all. I can imagine though that the team Stefan members will be a bit annoyed with where the story is heading.

This book reads like it's from a completely different series. Elena shows not only compassion, but also a small tad of heroism, and maybe even intelligence. She finally understands being popular is one of her least problems right now, and being Prom Queen even less. Being a vampire has humbled her, and made her a very likeable person and enjoyable character.

I almost feel at loss of words here. About every problem I had with the previous books in the series, is solved now. And here was I expecting to continue my VPD-rant. After reading The Fury, I'm contemplating whether I should watch the TV adaptation. I would love to see what they'd do with this book.

Blurb

Love can kill.

Elena: with Damon at her side, and wild with her craving for blood, the changed Elena struggles to control her desires.

Damon: his hunger for the golden girl wars with his hunger for revenge against Stefan.

Stefan: tormented after losing Elena, he will do anything to get her back. Even if it means becoming what he once despised. . . .

Getting what they want may come at a deadly cost.

Other reviews you might be interested in

• The Awakening by L.J. Smith (The Vampire Diaries #1)
• The Struggle by L.J. Smith (The Vampire Diaries #2)
• Need by Carrie Jones (Need #1)
• Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton (Gods & Monsters #1)