Trade Me ( Cyclone Series #1) by Courtney Milan

Arc provided by Victory Editing through Netgalley

TW's: Eating Disorder and Drug abuse

Full disclosure: New Adult is not my favourite literary genre. To put it mildly.

However, since this was written by author Courtney Milan, I decided to risk it, and request an arc.

Thankfully I was approved, because in a way this story almost restored my faith in the genre.

An the reason for that "almost" is that for almost eighty percent of the book, I was pretty much loving it.

In fact this was promising to be a solid  four star rating. However in the last part _and true to the New Adult genre _ things became a little too much. The drama start piling, and the "you've got to be kidding me" situations seemed to have taken permanent residence in the story.

The positives

They're many and they're varied.

There's a reason I normally don't read books that feature the word millionaires or billionaires (Okay I admit that I read "fifty" a long, long time ago, because everyone was talking about it, and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about!What was the fuss about? O_O) and that is, because I HATE controlling, manipulative bastards that think that the world is theirs because they have money.

Blake is not one of those characters: He's actually a sweet, caring, non abusive guy.

I loved the way the author wrote him. His personality and the fact that he's not presented as perfect, makes of him a great leading character.

Then there's Xingjuan/Tina Cheng...

Tina is of Chinese Nationality, although we don't get a lot of psychical descriptions of her.

That "per se", _she being Chinese, not the lacking descriptions_ is great when most leading characters today are given to Caucasian girls.

Bonus points to the author for this.

Tina is a strong, non-bullshit kind of girl. She is not your average simpering Miss, and she doesn't apologize for that.

More Diversity In characters

Besides Tina, there's Maria, Tina's best friend, who is a transwoman, and who is going to be the leading character of the next book in the series. And yes, I definitely want to read it.

Once again the fact that Tina is not alone in this story, that she does have a girl friend to whom she can turn to, is a big yes on the "positives" side.

Blake has a problem..

And it's one that I had never read about concerning a guy.

I loved _not that he had the problem! _, but the fact that this was something different from what I am used to reading. It made him more human.

The secondary characters

Are all well developed and they never felt as they were only there to fill pages.

The writing

This is Courtney Milan we're talking about people, so of course it's more than good.

 ____________

The negatives

I read the whole book including the section in which the author explains why she didn't want to develop the problem with Blake's eating disorder, basically because that wasn't what the book was all about...however, as a reader, I can't help feeling that approaching such a sensible subject needed "more"...something.

After Tina helps Blake to admit that he needs specialized help, that subject feels a little resolved, and that felt wrong.

Okay I know that in reality his problem isn't resolved. He has the therapist and nutritionist to prove it, but after a moment, everything starts escalating in his life, and I didn't feel that his reaction the the upcoming stress was viable. Not with his problem.

It felt a little too...neat.

Besides this point, all I can say is that I honestly felt that with Blake's "issue", and him being who he is, and Tina being who she was, that the story didn't need more drama....something that ends up happening with a vengeance.

However I do have some serious prejudices against what I feel as an over-abuse of that...."activity"_drama drama drama_, so maybe other people _knowing that is is a New Adult book _ will have a different reaction to the story's last part.

The thing is, I have to remember _if I want to be fair _ that for most of this story I was really loving reading it, and wondering if this would be published in paperback....and I definitely want to follow the series, so I'll compromise with a three and half star rating.

What about you?

Have you already read it?

Author's Official Site

Buy It!

How (Not) To Fall In Love by Lisa Brown Roberts

 

Arc provided by Entangled Teen through Netgalley

Release Date: February 3rd 2015

I am not the most sentimental person in the planet.

In fact most people would probably just call me jaded... and that would be the nice ones.

I've almost stopped reading romances because instead of having a good time reading them, I mostly end up going into fits due to overboard cheesiness, insane silly plots, love affairs between characters that should be institutionalized, when they're not simply your average "goody too shoes" .

This story?

It doesn't have a contrived, moronic "bone in its body".

What it does have, is one of the most realistic approaches to the life of a young adult in all its variants: Family, growing up, and first love.

The writing style

I loved it. It was able to tell a complex story without falling into the usual YA contemporary clichés.

We don't have stupid love triangles in here. Let's face it, most time its hard enough to find one person that loves us, do we want to discuss the odds of finding two or three all at the same time and vying for our attention? Please.

No slut shaming despite the fact that the main characters is a senior in high-school_ unfortunately this is a recurrent in the genre, so I am always glad when it doesn't appear_ and what do you know, Darcy, manages to have a girl as her best friend.

She's a constant in Darcy's life, despite the fact that Darcy is more than apt at facing the world all by herself.

Darcy's family life feels realistic enough, from the change it goes through and everything that happens in the meantime... there are no perfect characters who come out with magical solutions for their problems.

Things get messy, and the characters just have to make the best of it, but it never becomes cheesy or turns into a pity feast!

Realistic is in fact my favourite word regarding this story, because as Darcy's life unravels, her actions and ideas just show how strong she is.

No one is going to come and save her, and you know what is the greatest thing about this?

She doesn't want anyone to do it, she is not expecting it, the only thing she needs is people that will stay by her side no matter what.

Darcy is probably the most courageous YA character featured in a contemporary novel that I've read about.

I would probably need a full month to write this review so I could give her all the compliments this girl deserves!

Now, this, is a role model!

This girl with her unwavering strength and the way she is able to face problems face to face.

This doesn't mean that she's a superwoman. She is only human in the face of a very difficult situation. But she never gives up.

Also this managed to avoid a tricky situation due to everything that happens: I am talking about the possibility of taking "the preachy lane". Thankfully it never does!

The romance...

I liked that it took its own sweet time... okay, there was a moment in which I felt that it took a second too long, lol, but you know, it just felt realistically done.

Lucas was such a sweet, responsible, and caring guy _basically the opposite of the brooding bad guy type that is now so famous in Ya books_, that I could forgive him for his White Knight Syndrome _lol _ especially because Darcy knows how to deal with him! :D

What else could I ask? 

Bottom line, a wonderful coming of age story filled with heartbreak, but also filled with hope and love.

What can I say?

It made bitter old me love it...

Now, go and request it _or pre-order it _ and tell me what you think about it!

@Author's official Site 

Pre-order it

bookdepository.com ( Well the book synopsis matches, lol, despite the different title ;)

Through the Woods by Emily Carroll

As soon as I saw this book I knew I had to read it! 

I thought this would be a book of gruesome fairy tale retellings, but Emily Carroll corrected me (to my unending delight) with this gorgeous book:

1) Emily Carroll writes her own gruesome fairy tales.

2) Emily Carroll writes her own gruesome fairy tales which are so amazing you feel like you've known them your whole life. 

These fairy tales touch on our most primal fears: the dark, the uncanny not quite humans who prey on us and may replace our loved ones, the body horror, blood, dark enclosed spaces, pain, monsters, and death - all of them connected to the woods, the mythical place which the hand of civilization left untouched, where wild beasts roam, and nightmares dwell.

I read this on a cold winter night, and while it definitely improved the reading, I can't say I'd advise it to other readers...

Imagine reading this while the wind howls outside, and you're cold down to your bones:

 Haha... ha. Yeah... "Sweet, wet voice." Good... ...stuff. 

I think the beautiful artwork and the colour choices (not to mention the use of light and dark to create an atmosphere) speak for themselves. But Carroll is also a master when it comes to pacing, and she has that little something only a few possess: the ability to invoke true horror in the readers' hearts.

As Alfred Hitchcock said, "There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it." And Emily Carroll certainly knows how to make use of this...

Please, please!! go read her comics on her official site!

Not only are they free and amazing, but they also have some connections to the stories in this book.

My personal favourites were The Prince and the Sea and Anu-Anulan and Yir's Daughter, which are, admittedly, the least creepy and more romantic of the bunch, but I read them at about 3 a.m., so what could you expect of me?

Buy Through the Woods

- Hardback if you can't wait!

- Paperback to pre-order!

Arc Approvals

Let's face it, people: There's a reason we're called Bookworms.

We fine I, can't resist shiny new books...even if that means messing with my previous organized book schedule. lol

...I've started making a list of all the books I want to read this year. It's a pretty big list so far O_O

I'll share it with you guys one of these days once I've added another fifty/sixty books to it so we can compare reading goals.

So, directly from Netgalley here are my recent arc approvals :)

                         

Once and Always by Elizabeth Hoyt - Release Date February 24th by Forever (Grand Central Publishing)

How Not To Fall In Love by Lisa Brown Roberts- Release Date February 3rd by Entangled Publishing

The Devil's Interval (The Drollery Letters Number One) by Emily Butler - Release Date September 8th by Egmont Usa

I got so curious once I saw Elizabeth Hoyt's name on the cover of a contemporary novel, that I just couldn't resist it, and  had to start reading it asap. I've read 40% so far, and I have to say that it's being pretty good.

What I bought...

...and was given on Christmas time.

Book Pictures!

If you follow this Blog, you'll recognize most of these books as already read and reviewed. Namely, Princess of Thorns, the first volume of Queen Hearts whose arc I read last year, and No Life But This that I've recently reviewed.

Ysabeau Wilce's series and These Broken Stars (that I got thanks to Isa :) come strongly recommended (yes, you guessed correctly ;) ) and I'll be starting them as soon as possible.

Probably after I finish The Hollows series.

No Life But This ( Unicorp #2) by Anna Sheehan

This ends up being one of the books with the strangest plot's that I've ever read, and the weirdest thing, is that I only found myself truly enjoying it in the last part of the story; in which the definition of "weird" really reaches places it probably never had.

For that part alone, for the way this plot has its conclusion _and was able to tie up a lot of loose ends_, this would get a solid four rating.

However for a really long, long time this gets focused on an insane/heartbreaking/you've got to be kidding me...twisted relationship.

It has so many twisted scenes which are played by its twisted characters....in a very new adult *my heart is breaking in so many different ways, so let me write you a long ode regarding my feelings*, style.

*Sigh*

Definitely not my cup of tea. My patience was running wild like a caged beast in tired circles, because if I had to hear how pretty Rose was one more time..I was going to blow a gasket!

Basically I pretty much hated all the emotional stuff involving Otto, Rose, Xavier, Otto- Xavier!

You know what made me keep reading when all the hormonal crazy stuff was happening?

Quinn. Go figure!

His short fused temper and cruel honestly were a life saver when I was more than ready to DNF it.

And now, after a frustrating start, an irritating nerve shattering middle, and a blow mind last part, I find myself curious about further developments from this world.

And when say this world, I really mean it literally!

Because when it comes to Rose and boys dramas, I've had more than enough.

Give me something new. Give me Quinn as the leading character, but make sure Rose's gets a backbone once and for all. 

Author's Official Site

Buy "No Life But This"

@Bookdepository.com

Let Down Your Hair by Fiona Price

Arc provided by Momentum (Pan Macmillan) through Netgalley

First of all, let me just start with a few words for whoever it was who decided to label this book as a fairy tale retelling:

 

Here's the thing, you may think that you were helping this book in having the attention it deserved, but in fact what you did manage was just to "flaunt it" at the wrong audience, subsequently hiding it from the people who could or would enjoy it! *shakes head*

People who requested this book _upon reading its very misleading blurb and seeing the cover _ will probably be extremely disappointed with its end result:

This doesn't have a single "funny bone" in its body.

The "romance" is extremely undeveloped and lacking, especially when one considers Sage upbringing.

What one does have in this book, is a twenty two year character who has grown up emotionally stunted _or at least, one that in real life would be _, one could even talk about emotional abuse, because the way Sage was raised by her evil grandmother is just unbelievable.

A girl who was abandoned by her mother as a child, who ends up being raised by an old guard feminist who believes all men are evil, would never have behaved the way Sage does.

However despite this not being the "milk chocolate" story I thought this would be, I kept on reading it, because the writing is actually good.

However, after a while it seemed as if this had fallen into a "soap opera dimension".

Characters became more stereotyped by the second...

Despairing and "you've got to be kidding me" situations kept being thrown with casual indifference, and after awhile, and for a few pages I had to use the diagonal reading skill...it was that, or plainly DNF it.

Bottom Line: An original concept, with an above average writing skill, but whose results _for me _ ended up in one big mess...

And don't even get me started on the fact that the grandmother offered her a vibrator _typical feminist grandmother gift! _ but apparently didn't explain to the girl the concept of safe sex!

I can't even... o_O

Oh, and last but not least, this book taught me a very important anthropological lesson! ;)

Apparently feminists come from a long, and distinct line of... Hobbits! :D

No, really, here, read this:

"(..)the hems of her linen pants flapping around her hairy white ankles as she cycled to the campus."

"Feminists were hairy-legged, man-hating monsters, who were bitter because no one would marry them."

(..)because I was a plain, hairy feminist(..)

 Author's Official Site

Buy " Let Down Your Hair"

@Amazon.com 

Haunted Ever After by Juliet Madison

This was a _mostly _fun romp of a contemporary romance with a single dose of paranormal in it.

I really liked the way it started _outrageously funny_ as well as Sally's relationship with her friends during her "hen's party"....first time I had ever heard this expression! lol

The ghost that decides to crash Sally's life was insane and sufficiently obnoxious at times for Sally to order an exorcism...I am kidding...kind of.

Red is loud and more than ready to disturb Sally's well ordered life. When to that, one ads a sexy stripper, who is also a great guy _honestly, could the guy be more perfect? _ voilà, one recipe for disaster coming right up.

What I didn't like:

 I didn't like all the name calling directed at women. Once in awhile, when talking about infidelity, it would be only the women who would get an adjective attached to their names, if you know what I mean.

I really disliked that.

"And bitchy bimbos who can't keep their hands off other women's husbands."

I also disliked that after a great funny start, the story started to sound crazier and crazier by the turn of the page. Bridget Jones type of crazy, you know?

A little overboard for me.

The way Sally ends up figuring something _ yes, I am trying to be as vague as possible _ with Red's help was so... convoluted _yes, I know that one of these characters is a ghost, but even so! _ and convenient, that it just became lame.

Also, it is important to mention again the way Ty, the stripper, is characterized...basically like all that is good and wonderful, which is great, but after awhile....c'mon. Enough, we get it.

He's a stripper because he's trying to make money to enter Medical school.

He takes care of his brother who has a learning disability.

Both his parents have died.

He volunteers for community service.

He falls in love _ I guess _ with Sally almost immediately because....because.

So, basically he's like a cute handsome guy with a six pack  puppy. Who could resist him?

Also, if you're a fan of Ghost Whisperer, you'll be happy to know that after awhile the story does take the format of an episode with Melissa Sally trying to contact Red's family's so that she can go...wherever it is that she has to.

Disclaimer:  I actually started this review as a three star rating.

Basically a case of, book, I think you'll be better of with someone else.

Author's Official Site

Buy "Haunted Ever After"

@Kobo

No Sooner Met ( October Daye # 6.1) by Seanan McGuire

A cute _ albeit short _ sweet moment _well, ignoring the assassination attempt that is _ between Tybalt and Toby.

It took them so LONG to get where they are now, that _for me! _ "episodes" like this one, are always appreciated! ;)

Also, neither of them were bleeding, which is always a positive in their frantic lives!

 Read it here! 

The Bargaining by Carly Anne West

Arc provided by Simon Pulse through Edelweiss

Release Date: February 17

What it felt like reading this title:

Uncovering layer upon layer of truths tightly wrapped in different time dates, never knowing exactly who was going to present them, and what I was going to find next...

Also, it was _what I guess would be _ akin to be blindfolded, with no clue whatever of what was happening, with no compass, and at the  mercy of a vast number of unknown characters, who'd just make an appearance, and would immediately give it's place to another character....

Frustration may arise....and you may found yourself reading and re-reading the initial pages to see if there was something that escaped you...

That's what happened with me, but I do like uncovering a mystery, and the one in this story is gigantic as the Titanic, and also prone to take people with it when it sinks....

The beginning

I guess it depends on the reader. Some will enjoy the fact that _and once again sticking with nautical metaphors _ one has to give all it has to stay floating in this story's reality_, and others will probably DNF it.

The first chapters are simply a teaser of everything scary that will be happening in the end. And let me tell you, that what ends up happening is completely frightening.

However after that, the tale enters a more calm _although fragile _ story's depiction.

There's a heavy psychological drama underway, and that, mixed with the underlying horror that you keep waiting to jump and grab you by the throat, makes reading this at times, a nerve shattering existence.

I can't help however feeling that the story should have been shorter.

I think that that would have given it more strength, making the feeling that it was sometimes adrift, disappear.

I understand why it happened: Including the psychological thriller aspect, it was bound to give this more strength and a greater depth...however it had the consequence of derailing it somewhat from the horror department until the last third of the story.

I am afraid that those who were expecting only an horror story will be disappointed.

However the psychological drama, and all the connections that we see between the characters _the alive ones and the others _are so well done that I had to keep reading, to find out what was going to happen.

For those however who aspect a strong focus on a certain romance?

Yeah, forget about it, lol, that's not going to happen! ;)

 Despite all that happens, the misery, the heartbreak, the trying to recover from what life has brought you, the scary creepy kids...the main focus of this story are family ties.

Author's Official Site

Pre-order "The Bargaining"

@Bookdepository.com