Gone by Lisa McCann

Gone by Lisa McCann
Synopsis: 

Janie thought she knew what her future held. And she thought she'd made her peace with it. But she can't handle dragging Cabel down with her. 

She knows he will stay with her, despite what she sees in his dreams. He's amazing. And she's a train wreck. Janie sees only one way to give him the life he deserves--she has to disappear. And it's going to kill them both. 

Then a stranger enters her life--and everything unravels. The future Janie once faced now has an ominous twist, and her choices are more dire than she'd ever thought possible. She alone must decide between the lesser of two evils. And time is running out. . . .

Excerpt:

Janie catches her breath and when she can see again and feel her extremities, finds herself on her hands and knees just inside the doorway of the room. Cabel's right there beside her, muttering something, but she's not paying attention. She stares at the tiles on the floor and wonders briefly if that dream, that chaos, is what hell might be like.

"I'm okay," she says to Cable, slowly getting to her feet, dusting invisible floor-dirt particles from her bare knees.

And then she straightens. Turns.

Looks at the source of the nightmare, and sees him for the first time.

"Oh, my God," she whispers. "What the hell is that?"

My Thoughts:

So, I've read Wake, Fade, and now Gone. While I'm glad for some closure to the story, I wasn't really moved by this story like the other two in the trilogy. There wasn't a big mystery to solve in this one except for the mystery of who this guy is and what message is he trying to share with Janie.

I felt Janie was whiny in this book. I know she's trying to accept the fact that she must become a hermit. But it just felt so out of character for Janie. Here she was--an incredibly strong young woman who has had to take care of herself for most of her life and then suddenly, when she's trying to make a decision that will benefit everyone, she has to cry and complain and think over her decision. The ending was rather predictable but fit the story. 

This book seemed to dive into more into Janie's psyche and perhaps that is why it lacks the action of the other three books. No matter, I just wish that it would've been more action-packed.

Recommendation: Read it to finish the series. Library.

Rating: 2.5 / 5 stars

News: Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick

Remember when I posted my review of Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick?

Today she released the summary of the sequel: Crescendo

The cover will be released on April 10, 2010. Stay tuned!

Summary:

The Story: Crescendo

The sequel to the New York Times best-selling phenomenon, Hush, Hush! In stores everywhere November 16, 2010

Nora should have known her life was far from perfect. Despite starting a relationship with her guardian angel, Patch (who, title aside, can be described as anything but angelic), and surviving an attempt on her life, things are not looking up. Patch is starting to pull away and Nora can't figure out if it's for her best interest or if his interest has shifted to her arch-enemy, Marcie Millar. Not to mention that Nora is haunted by images of her father and she becomes obsessed with finding out what really happened to him that night he left for Portland and never came home.

The further Nora delves into the mystery of her father's death, the more she comes to question if her Nephilim bloodline has something to do with it as well as why she seems to be in danger more than the average girl. Since Patch isn't answering her questions and seems to be standing in her way, she has to start finding the answers on her own. Relying too heavily on the fact that she has a guardian angel puts Nora at risk again and again. But can she really count on Patch or is he hiding secrets darker than she can even imagine?

Forest Born by Shannon Hale

Forest Born by Shannon Hale

Synopsis:

Rin is sure that something is wrong with her...something really bad. Something that is keeping her from feeling at home in the Forest homestead where she's lived all her life. Something that is keeping her from trusting herself with anyone at all. When her brother Razo returns from the city for a visit, she accompanies him to the palace, hoping that she can find peace away from home. But war has come to Bayern again, and Rin is compelled to join the queen and her closest allies--magical girls Rin thinks of as the Fire Sisters--as they venture into the Forest toward Kel, the land where someone seems to want them all dead. Many beloved Bayern characters reappear in this story, but it is Rin's own journey of discovering how to balance the good and the bad in herself that drives this compelling adventure.

Excerpt:

She tried to throw herself in the soothing thoughts of the tree and seize its peace, but she could not forget Wilem. What had she said? She did not want to remember. The harder she worked to shut that out, the more twisted and dark her feelings. Had she simply outgrown her connection to trees? Or was it possible the trees were shunning her for what she'd done? After making Nordra cry, her mother had thought Rin bad and turned her back. After kissing Wilem, it seemed the trees did the same. 

Rin ran to another tree, leaned against it to listen, and was accosted by a greasy darkness. She fled to the aspens, and in place of green calm, she felt clutched and pulled down. She sat on the Forest floor with her arms over her head, too lost and confused to cry. If the voice of the Forest was simply silent to her, then she should feel nothing at all, not this loathing as if all the trees in the Forest spat hate and disgust at her. Her stomach turned, her head felt hot, her arms too weak to lift. She wished she could die. 

My Thoughts:
Shannon Hale does it again. I have been entranced with her talent since The Goose Girl and she did not disappoint with Forest Born. Once I was into the book, I could NOT put it down. I just wanted to continue.

Rin has to be my favorite character out of the four fire sisters. I think because I see myself very much like Rin--trying to be the shadow, trying so hard to not be seen. I loved that. 
I loved the return of Selia. How perfect to end the series with the same villain as the first book. It was an opportunity to observe the change in Isi as years have passed for her as well. She truly has did become the stronger woman.

There was definitely an essence of girl power that didn't seem as defined in the other books in the series. In the other books, the men were just as important to the climatic reveal as the women--it was a partnership. This book felt as though it was all about the women. Which was fine, except it didn't seem to fit the male characters as they had previously been introduced. No matter. It was still well worth the read.

My Recommendation: Purchase

Rating: 4/5 stars

Dreaming Anastasia by Joy Preble

Dreaming Anastasia by Joy Preble

Synopsis:

Sixteen year old Anne thinks her life is pretty ordinary – until she smacks into handsome, mysterious, and okay, annoying Ethan on her way to chemistry class. Now Anne has powers she doesn’t understand, a history altering mission she may not want, and a growing attraction to this blue-eyed stranger. And Ethan- who at eighteen made some choices he’s starting to regret – realizes that Anne is the girl for whom he’s been searching – for a very, very long time. Stir in doomed Russian Grand Duchess Anastasia – who is definitely not quite as dead as the history books say – and Baba Yaga, the legendary witch from Russian folklore, and you’ve got DREAMING ANASTASIA, a contemporary YA fantasy that alternates between the voices of Anne, Ethan, and Anastasia as Anne and Ethan join forces to battle the bad guys and save Anastasia. Only problem is – no one’s quite sure who’s really bad and who’s good. And everyone has some secrets. 

Excerpt:

She reaches out and cups my chin with one impossibly enormous hand. "Once there was a brave young girl," she says. "That's how the story starts. But now there are two of you. Anne and Anastasia. We will see what ending you both decide. You are part of each other, you know. That is a piece of your story too. Her blood, your blood."

My Thoughts:

I love stories about Anastasia. Who doesn't love the animated flick with Meg Ryan? 

Yep. That's the one. 

So, when I saw a book that had to do with Anastasia, I was dying to pick it up. 

Unfortunately, it was not as enchanting as the movie.

First off, the relationship between Ethan and Anne didn't seem to fully form. He stalks her through the first half of the book and then tries to convince her that it's her destiny to save Anastasia, and then suddenly they want to kiss each other. After only a day!

It was never fully explained what Anastasia was doing hidden away. Why did Victor and Ethan put her there in the first place? Surely it was for some other reason than immortality. I wanted something a bit more substantial to be said about it. 

I really did want to like it. I just needed some more explanation of what was going on--what the motives of the characters were. And how they fit together. 

My Recommendation: if you must read it, head to the library. 

Rating: 2/5 stars

Fallen by Lauren Kate

Fallen by Lauren Kate

Excerpt:

And sublimely gorgeous this guy was... but the crazy thing was, it wasn't the way he looked that kept Luce's rapt attention. She started to feel that there was something else, something bigger that, after her first glance, almost prevented her from really seeing him at all.


"That's Daniel," Arriane said. "I can tell he's attracted somebody's attention."


"Understatement," Luce agreed.


She realized they were still locking eyes when Daniel flashed her a smile. A jet of warmth shot through her and she had to grip the bench for support. She felt her lips pull up in a smile back at him, but then he raised his hand in the air.


And flipped her off.

Synopsis:

There's something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.


Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price's attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He's the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.


Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce--and goes out of his way to make that very clear--she can't let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret... even if it kills her.

My Thoughts:

I don't know why I keep picking up books like this. You'd think I'd learn my lesson not to keep reading books about forbidden love.

But they always seem to suck me in.

This one was a little more frustrating than others because the story didn't come out until the very end, and even then the characters kept telling Luce "You're going to have to figure it out on your own.", "We can only tell you so much.", etc. Of course, it has me wanting to read the next book (Yay for September 2010!), but at the same time, I want more of the story. 

Luce didn't feel like a heroine. In fact, she felt whiny. There's the whole back story of why she ended up at the boarding school--the death of Trevor--but there's no explanation or resolution to it. I hope that comes in the next book. 

Daniel was hot and cold throughout the book. Yes, he was a good guy, but he was so hands off for most of the book, it was kind of frustrating to see him as the romantic hero because he is absent for most of the book. I don't know what I would rather have him do--anything to get him to play a better role.

Cam was an AMAZING bad guy. Goodness. He pulled off dashingly handsome but you knew that he was too good to be true. Loved it.

All in all, it definitely kept me reading and I do want to read the next one. 

My Recommendation: if you're willing to read through the slow start, buy it. Otherwise, check it out from your library to be sure before purchase.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

The Golden Spiral by Lisa Mangum

The Golden Spiral by Lisa Mangum

Synopsis:

The hourglass door has closed behind Dante, sending him back in time to hunt down Zo, Tony, and V. Abby knows that Dante, as a Master of Time, is the only one who can stop them from destroying time itself. She also knows that he will need her help. But almost immediately, things start to change, and Abby’s worst fears are realized when Zo begins targeting her past specifically.

As Abby’s world fractures around her, she must face a terrible truth: either Dante didn’t make it through the door, or he is lost forever. So with Dante’s blueprints in hand, she begins construction on a new door, a new time machine that will either save Dante—or doom him.

With each new change that ripples into her present, Abby’s life continues to spiral out of control. Her relationships with Jason, Natalie, and even her family are threatened to the breaking point—and beyond. Zo’s power is greater than Abby ever imagined, but as she struggles to free Dante, she receives help from an unexpected—and unlikely—ally. The bank is eroding. The barriers are thinning. And time is running out.

My Thoughts:

I finished this in record time. Two days.

Two days of wanting to read instead of work. Two days of having the book at my desk taunting me to just continue. 

Two days of avoiding all of my homework just to finish this book.

And it was so worth it!

I love Dante. I think he's great. He's not as dangerous as all of those characters that have appeared lately. He's actually very good. And he's very bent on Abby living her own life, making her own choices. I like that. A lot. I was sad to see him leave at the end of The Hourglass Door.

But this book was definitely non-stop action. 

Zo is the ultimate bad guy. The incredibly handsome, charismatic, completely evil guy that you just can't quite figure out. I still don't know what his plan is--but I do want to know!

Sadly, I did miss Jason in most of this book. While he's there at the beginning, the poor guy disappears. Poor guy can't seem to catch a lucky break. Here's to hoping he gets a happy ending in book 3.

Natalie was the break-out character for me. While Valerie is still stuck in her la-la ways, Natalie steps in as best friend and sidekick for Abby. I loved her loyalty and her willingness to trust Abby (although if it were me, I would definitely be staring at her and saying "What?").

I definitely know that it HAS to be hard to write a second book in a trilogy. You know that you have to aggravate the plot more and nothing you do can come to a resolution. And I think Lisa Mangum does it this time. It's pretty successful. The time-travel does get a little weird and there was a moment when all of the time paradoxes were throwing me for a bit, but I can't wait to see what the third book comes up with!

Recommendation: Buy!!! It comes out May 10, 2010! 

Rating: 4.5/5 stars (only becomes time travel doesn't always make sense to me!)