Revolution

From the book cover:
BROOKLYN: Andi Alpers is on the edge. She’s angry at her father for leaving, angry at her mother for not being able to cope, and heartbroken by the loss of her younger brother, Truman. Rage and grief are destroying her. And she’s about to be expelled from Brooklyn Heights’ most prestigious private school when her father intervenes. Now Andi must accompany him to Paris for winter break.

PARIS: Alexandrine Paradis lived over two centuries ago. She dreamed of making her mark on the Paris stage, but a fateful encounter with a doomed prince of France cast her in a tragic role she didn’t want—and couldn’t escape.

Two girls, two centuries apart. One never knowing the other. But when Andi finds Alexandrine’s diary, she recognizes something in her words and is moved to the point of obsession. There’s comfort and distraction for Andi in the journal’s antique pages—until, on a midnight journey through the catacombs of Paris, Alexandrine’s words transcend paper and time, and the past becomes suddenly, terrifyingly present.

Jennifer Donnelly, author of the award-winning novel A Northern Light, artfully weaves two girls’ stories into one unforgettable account of life, loss, and enduring love. Revolution spans centuries and vividly depicts the eternal struggles of the human heart.


I've had my eye on this book for a while. I had it recommended to me by a friend and when I spotted it at a Border's going out of business sale for dirt cheap I snapped it up. I almost took it on my cruise, but ended up putting it in my to-get-for-Christmas pile. Which is why it's taken me so long to read. :D

I thought it was brilliant. I read The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly (which I thought was a little too soap-opera-y but with a fabulous setting) and liked this much better. The history and the little bit of time travel are so well-done and on top of that, there's music history! I'm not an expert on classical guitar but I enjoyed learning about it. I was so into all the discussions on classical music and music theory (there's a whole conversation about tritones!) and how it influences modern music. The main composer in the book is one Amade Malherbeau, and though he is a fictional character I learned a lot from Jennifer Donnelly's portrayal of a french composer in the 18th century. I also learned a great deal about the French Revolution along with that I was led to ponder some of the heavy moral questions that go along with that particular time period.

And all this learning that I did came in the vehicle of a highly entertaining and fast-paced story with a touch of romance. Andi's character spoke to me, and though she's not the pleasantest mind to spend time in (she suffers from depression and suicidal tendencies at times in the book) I can empathize with her and I loved the fact that music was what helped her heal and what sustained her while she was suffering. There's a lot about music therapy in this book, which was a profession I very nearly pursued. I fully intended to become a music therapist for about four years. Anyway, I really enjoyed this book and I am so glad I bought it.

The Eyre Affair

Goodreads summary:
Welcome to a surreal version of Great Britain, circa 1985, where time travel is routine, cloning is a reality, (dodos are the resurrected pet of choice), and literature is taken very, very seriously. England is a virtual police state where an aunt can get lost (literally) in a Wordsworth poem, militant Baconians heckle performances of Hamlet, and forging Byronic verse is a punishable offense. All this is business as usual for Thursday Next, renowned Special Operative in literary detection, until someone begins kidnapping characters from works of literature. When Jane Eyre is plucked from the pages of Brontë's novel, Thursday must track down the villain and enter the novel herself to avert a heinous act of literary homicide.

This was the only book I ended up reading on my cruise - and most of it I read on the airplane home from NY. It's not that I didn't have time to read, but every time I tried I ended up falling asleep. Blame it on being medicated for seasickness.

I enjoyed this. Such a clever premise and so fun for book/literature lovers. I can't say that I'd want to live in Jasper Fforde's world, but it would be fun if more people were obsessed with literature. It felt a bit slow, though, which might just be my perception because it took me a whole week of reading a page here and there to finish it. It seemed like it took forever for Jane to get stolen from the novel - the thing I was expecting because it's right there in the summary. But, I thought this novel was very funny at times and ridiculously clever on occasion. There was a lot of language, though. Just putting that warning out there for those of you who may be sensitive to that (lots of "F" words). There are six novels in the Thursday series so far, and I have the second one on hold at the library now. I'm in no rush to buy it, which shows that I liked this book, but I'm not desperate to continue the series quickly. Plus, the first one wraps the plot up very neat and tidy-like. It was a fun read and I definitely recommend it to fans of classic literature. Especially fans of Jane Eyre.

Hourglass

Goodreads summary:
One hour to rewrite the past . . .
 
For seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, life is about seeing what isn’t there: swooning Southern Belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents’ death, she just wants the apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She’s tried everything, but the visions keep coming back.

So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson’s willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future, it may change her past.

Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy, barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she says? Why does an electric charge seem to run through the room whenever he’s around? And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death that never should have happened?

Full of atmosphere, mystery, and romance, Hourglass merges the very best of the paranormal and science-fiction genres in a seductive, remarkable young adult debut.

I planned on avoiding this one; I really did. I read a lot of reviews talking about paranormal romance and cheesy love triangles, but I gave in. I blame it on the time travel plot.

Which is hands down the best part of this book.

Oooh I so loved the time travel and the plot. It was a great convoluted mess that made perfect sense in the end. Myra McEntire's plot was intense and mysterious and fascinating - a completely new twist on time travel that I've never read before. Her language and descriptions were also beautifully done. And I loved Emerson as a main character. Strong and intelligent and brave.

But... (you knew that "but" was coming, didn't you?) it's true: the romance is annoying and the love triangle is unnecessary. I liked the second boy better than the main boy too, which was enough to make things really irritating. The romance is too sudden, too "electrical" (gag me), too predictable. But I have to give credit to Myra McEntire's overall plot, because while I thought the romance happened way to fast, she eventually shows that there was actually a reason for it. A reason that made perfect sense. A reason that made me think, "Ok... that was kind of brilliant." Which was how I felt about the book as a whole because as things went on they got better and better and by the time I closed the book I thought, "Ok... that was really brilliant."

I enjoyed this book, but I know a lot of people didn't (and won't). Hopefully I've given you enough information on it so you'll know whether or not it's a book that you will like. :D

The Time Machine

From goodreads: The story that launched Wells's successful career-the classic tale of the Time Traveler and the extraordinary world he discovers in the far distant future. A haunting portrayal of Darwin's evolutionary theory carried to a terrible conclusion.

I read the original dystopian (1984), so I figured I ought to read the original time travel novel. The Time Machine is just plain weird. I'm glad I read it, though. There's something historical and fascinating about this. If H.G. Wells hadn't wrote this novel would sci-fi be the same today? He was arguably the first person to take our current society and try to project it into the future. This was published shortly after Darwin's The Origin of Species became so popular in Europe, so evolution was definitely a big influence on the plot of The Time Machine. Wells' future society shows humankind evolving into two very distinct different species in the future. Naturally, our main character, The Time Traveler, spends most of the novel trying to escape from the more vicious and cannibalistic of the two. Anyway, very interesting and worth a short read. It doesn't take long to get through this.

Ruby Red

Summary:
Sixteen-year-old Gwen lives with her extended - and rather eccentric - family in an exclusive London neighborhood. In spite of her ancestors' peculiar history, she's had a relatively normal life so far. The time-traveling gene that runs like a secret thread through the female half of the family is supposed to have skipped over Gwen, so she hasn't been introduced to "the mysteries," and can spend her time hanging out with her best friend, Lesley, watching movies and talking about boys. It comes as an unwelcome surprise then when she starts taking sudden, uncontrolled leaps into the past.


She's totally unprepared for time travel, not to mention all that comes with it: fancy clothes, archaic manners, a mysterious secret society, and Gideon, her time-traveling counterpart. He's obnoxious, a know-it-all, and possibly the best-looking guy she's seen in any century...

This is the time travel book I have been looking for. It has everything I love in a time travel plot, lots of crazy time mix-ups, people seeing themselves in unexpected years and places, and a timeline that is decidedly NON-linear. All that, plus this has all the charm of a contemporary teen story and is incredibly funny. I laughed out loud multiple times. It all takes place in London and the setting is wonderfully described (especially during London's different time periods). The story is deliciously detailed and has a fabulous air of mystery to it. The characters are awesome, especially Gwen. The biggest problem is that this book feels like 1/3 of a story (makes sense seeing that there will be two other books in the series). Sapphire Blue comes out early next year and I can't wait. This isn't one of those series where each book stands alone. This is a series where I read it feeling like, "Wait, there aren't very many pages left and I still haven't figured out this, this, and this... not to mention THIS!!!" Aahh!! I wish the whole story was all in one book.

This series was originally published in German and as I read it I felt like the cadence and rhythm of the words reminded me of a Cornelia Funke novel (Inkheart trilogy). I figured that was because they were all translated from German, but turns out this novel was translated by the exact same person who translated Cornelia Funke's novels. Makes sense!

Anyway, I loved this. It's exactly my kind of book.

(This is the point where I sigh and complain about how long my to-buy list is getting...)

Series Wrap-Ups

These books are both the final books in their respective series and since I don't feel like I have that much to say about them (I've been lukewarm on both series from the beginning) I figured I could lump them together for you here without getting into too much trouble. :D And since these are sequels I'm not going to provide official summaries because I don't want to give away any spoilers.

That said, my thoughts on The Forgotten Locket can be summed up in a few words: boring, overly-complicated, insipid (which means bland or without flavor). This was my favorite book in the series though, so you can tell from that how much I really didn't like the first two (The Hourglass Door and The Golden Spiral). This one finally dives into the time travel aspect of the plot, but it does so without helping readers along or explaining the complicated premise of Lisa Mangum's time travel theory. Since I'm not a huge fan and have only read the previous books once I felt completely lost at times. I felt like all the complications and time twists were a bit pointless and I could spot several MASSIVE GAPING logic holes in the plot. That, and I've never really loved the romance between Abby and Dante. Blame that on the fact that my past makes it unlikely that I will ever be swayed by a smooth-talking Italian. I disliked that some of the characters I actually liked (Abby's family and friends from the "real" world) were not in this book at all. Anyway, I felt like Lisa Mangum was trying to be overly epic and grandiose and "save the world!" but it come off too heavy-handed for me. A little comic relief would have helped, but there was none. I don't recommend this series. With all the great YA lit in the world, there's no need for you to waste your time on this series.

Forever by Maggie Stiefvater is a significantly better book, just based on the quality of the writing and the plot. Despite that, I've never been overly fond of this series. It is about werewolves, so I'll just get that out of the way right off the bat. It's probably the last werewolf/vampire book I'll read (unless something new comes out with majorly positive reviews) because I'm way sick of them. I'm just... ready for something new. This book wasn't unpleasant to read, however. Maggie Stiefvater has a beautiful way with words and poetry and song lyrics have always played a bit part in her plots. I like that. Another pro for this book is that all the overly-mushy teenage obsessive teen love stuff is all out of this series' system. Grace and Sam have settled into something very real feeling and much more palatable to read. I liked the way it ended (which I won't go into details on). I'm glad I finished this one up, but I can't say that it's on my to-buy list.

Wildwing

Summary:

When Addy is swept back in time, she couldn't be happier to leave her miserable life behind. Now she's mistaken for Lady Matilda, the pampered ward of the king. If Addy can play her part, she'll have glorious gowns, jewels, and something she's always longed for—the respect and admiration of others. But then she meets Will, the falconer's son with sky blue eyes, who unsettles all her plans. 

From shipwrecks to castle dungeons, from betrothals to hidden conspiracies, Addy finds herself in a world where she's not the only one with a dangerous secret. When she discovers the truth, Addy must take matters into her own hands. The stakes? Her chance at true love . . . and the life she's meant to live.


I picked this one up because of the time travel aspect and was hoping to be wowed, but ended up feeling underwhelmed. It sounded interesting, and certainly had interesting elements. Addy is a servant in the early 1900s when she's swept back in time, so this story is a historical fiction within a historical fiction. We get background and details on both time periods and I enjoyed that. However, the believability factor was an issue for me. I had a really hard time suspending disbelief, so I couldn't get sucked into the story like I wanted. Plus, I thought the writing left a lot to be desired. I wanted it to be rich and detailed and it just... wasn't. I will admit to really enjoying all the falconry details, though.

Emily Whitman also recently published another book - a Persephone retelling called Radiant Darkness. Usually I read every greek mythology-based YA fiction book I hear of, but since Wildwing was so disappointing I don't think I'll be in a hurry to check it out.

Steel

Sixteen-year-old Jill has fought in dozens of fencing tournaments, but she has never held a sharpened blade. When she finds a corroded sword piece on a Caribbean beach, she is instantly intrigued and pockets it as her own personal treasure.

The broken tip holds secrets, though, and it transports Jill through time to the deck of a pirate ship. Stranded in the past and surrounded by strangers, she is forced to sign on as crew. But a pirate's life is bloody and brief, and as Jill learns about the dark magic that brought her there, she forms a desperate scheme to get home—one that risks everything in a duel to the death with a villainous pirate captain.

Time travel, swordplay, and romance combine in an original high-seas adventure from New York Times bestseller Carrie Vaughn.

Can you see why I was interested? I love time travel. I love girl-on-a-boat stories (the best one ever is The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi). Also, Pierce is on vacation in the Bahamas when she finds the sword on the beach. I happen to be going to the Bahamas in a couple months on our cruise (!!! Yay !!!). I really should have just saved this book for my cruise. It's very much a vacation book, because it's pure fluff. 


There's nothing really substantial or captivating about this book; it relies on an interesting setting and has a pretty weak - and boring - plot. It sounded so much more exciting from the synopsis, but it turned out to be downright dull. Oh, and the romance? Pshaw. It shouldn't be called a romance. I guarantee you right now: THERE IS NONE. I kept waiting for it, thinking it might make the book more interesting, but it never happened. The "supposed" romance (I'm guessing) was a person who was like a brother to Pierce the whole time and who she had maybe one romantic thought about. I won't tell you how it ends, though I'm tempted, but trust me - it's very unfulfilling. The whole book is about as unmemorable as they come. I had a hard time writing this review because it took me a while to remember what even happened in the book; I forgot it as soon as I read it. In a nutshell, NO. Just skip it.

Across the Universe

Goodreads blurb: A love out of time. A spaceship built of secrets and murder.

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone-one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship-tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

OH.

MY.

STARS.

Yeah - this book blew me away. I finished it a couple days ago and I just can't stop thinking about it. I've even dreamed about it. Of course, I have a little corner of my heart reserved for sci-fi. I don't read much sci-fi, but I've always loved space and imagining what life would be like traveling on a spaceship. After reading Across the Universe, I can only hope that our world will never come to that. YIKES!

Beth Revis' writing is amazing. This whole book is just an incredible piece of work. It's a complete genre mix: sci-fi, dystopian, murder mystery, romance, time travel. The world is so well developed, and (unlike with so many other YA dystopian books) it is based on real science and technology. I can actually see how our world could evolve into the world in Across the Universe. This fact is both creepy and disturbing. The moral and ethical issues this book raises about our own world are seriously worth contemplating.

The characters are fantastic. I love that the story is told from both Amy and Elder's POV, because we got to know both of them - their thoughts, feelings, discoveries, and insights - so well. Their romance was also very organic (I hate when characters fall right in love for no apparent reason). There were some very natural ups and downs between Amy and Elder, but everything felt believable and true to character.

There are some incredibly intense themes in this book and one rather mature scene that Amy witnesses. Other than that, the book is actually very clean. And unpredictable. Holy cow. There are a couple big shockers in this book. One thing I loved about this book, though, is the natural ending. No massive cliff hanger, although there will be two more books in the series. I appreciated that. Let everything get messed up in the next two books - let the characters enjoy a little peace for two seconds for crying out loud!

Anyway, I've rambled on enough. I'll be buying this book and looking forward to more from Beth Revis.

Warped

Summary from Goodreads: Tessa doesn't believe in magic. Or Fate. But there's something weird about the dusty unicorn tapestry she discovers in a box of old books. She finds the creature woven within it compelling and frightening. After the tapestry comes into her possession, Tessa experiences dreams of the past and scenes from a brutal hunt that she herself participated in. When she accidentally pulls a thread from the tapestry, Tessa releases a terrible centuries old secret. She also meets William de Chaucy, an irresistible 16th-century nobleman. His fate is as inextricably tied to the tapestry as Tessa's own. Together, they must correct the wrongs of the past. But then the Fates step in, making a tangled mess of Tessa's life. Now everyone she loves will be destroyed unless Tessa does their bidding and defeats a cruel and crafty ancient enemy.

This book has a lot going for it. I loved the time travel, the nordic mythology (the tree at Yggdrasil and the three Norns/Fates? So cool), the fantasy, and the magic. This book has an all-around solid plot. It was tight and original - interesting and refreshing (there's beginning to be far too much dystopian and paranormal YA lit these days). Other things I loved are the fact that Tessa lives in a used book store and the secret behind her name (which I won't reveal because it's far too much fun - especially if you're a fan of classic children's lit). A lot of plusses for this book.

There's only one thing holding me back from giving this book a stellar review, and that's the romance. It wasn't awful, just a bit bi-polar. By that I mean that one minute Tessa and Will hated each other (screaming and fighting), and a page or two later they were madly in love. And it seemed to happen over and over again. There was a lot of back and forth and I just wasn't buying it. I would have liked this book so much better if the romance had been better portrayed. Still.... with the cool plot and other good things I didn't finish this book feeling dissatisfied. I really enjoyed it - but I don't think it's earned a place on my bookshelf.

Timeless

It was almost all I wanted it to be. Timeless is a fascinating new YA novel using one of my absolute favorite storytelling devices: Time travel. Here's the Amazon summary:

"In Timeless, we are introduced to Michele Windsor, one of the modern bluebloods of the historic Windsor family. Struggling to find her place in a world of prestige and old-fashioned values, Michele sifts through family relics in search of answers. When she discovers her great-great-grandmother’s diary and begins poring through its pages, she finds herself whisked back in time to the Gilded Age. There, Michele meets the man whom she always wished existed, but hadn’t dared to believe in. Inextricably drawn to each other, the two fall in love. But as Michele drifts between modern life and the world of the past, she begins to piece together an alarming family mystery -- one that may doom her life and the life of the man she loves. Timeless is a captivating romance and mystery spanning three decades of high-society life and intrigue in New York City."

Ah the history was great! I loved Michele's first-hand experiences of the Gilded Age, the 20s, and pre WWII eras. Music also played an important role in the story and that always makes me happy. Also, as a big fan of family history, I loved that Michele met and connected with several generations of her ancestors, who each played an important role in the plot. The story was great and had several fascinating plot layers. I also liked that there was no cookie cutter happy ending. The ending was complex and, of course, left it open for a sequel.

I just wish.... well, several things. I thought that Michele and Phillip fell in love so quickly and I wasn't really sure why. It wasn't very convincing to me. Another thing I thought was lacking was a bit of character depth. I wanted to get to know everyone in this novel better: Michele, Phillip, her ancestors, and the modern-day characters (such as Michele's grandparents and NY school friends). I think it would have helped me get more into the story, which could have been so much more moving than it was. All in all, the writing felt a little flat. It was lacking sparkle, pizzazz, originality. Too much cliche.

There are so many good things about this novel. It was sooo close. I'll definitely be checking out the sequel.

My Fair Godmother

This. This is exactly what I'm looking for when I read YA books usually meant for teenagers. I absolutely loved this book. About half-way through I looked at Jon and said, "I'm buying this book." It shouldn't have taken me so long to actually read this book, because I've been hearing from book bloggers and author blogs (namely Shannon Hale) that it's amazing. It was Janette Rallison's other titles that turned me off. Things like Revenge of the Cheerleaders, and It's a Mall World After All. I was worried that this would be a ditzy teen novel, and I was wrong. While it does begin with a teenage/high school-ish setting, most of the book takes place in medieval times.

It's about Savannah, recently dumped by her boyfriend (so he can date her older sister), who qualifies for help from a fairy godmother. Only instead, she ends up with Chrysanthemum (Chrissy) Everstar - who is only a 'fair' godmother with a tendency to seriously mess up wishes. I won't tell you much more, but before you know it, Savannah is stranded in medieval times along with a friend and, essentially, hilarity ensues. That and some serious character development. I loved Savannah; she was a strong heroine, which is exactly how I like my female protagonists.

The plot is multi-layered and interesting. Lots of little details and crazy twists. Fun magic, emotional moments, great romance. Believable characters. Funny, witty. I'm a fan. It reminded me of two of my favorite books: Ella Enchanted and Goose Girl. But not really, because it was completely original. Oh, and did I mention that Janette Rallison is an LDS author? No need to worry about swear words or any inappropriate material of any sort. This is the kind of book our teens should be reading. It has definitely fast-tracked itself to the top of my to-buy list. Fans of YA lit, fantasy, romantic comedy, and fairy-tales: this book is for you!

Before I Fall

I picked this up because I was very interested in its premise. This is essential the YA lit version of Groundhog Day, one of my favorite movies of all time. I wanted to see how the 'living the same day over and over' premise worked in a book. Unfortunately, I can't recommend this book because it was full of objectionable content. Why? Why? Why do books taking place in high school have to be like this sometimes? Not every teenager spends high school drinking, smoking marijuana, speaking with foul language, and being immoral. I was so angry about all the bad parts, because this could have been a truly amazing book.

I was blown away by the beauty of the writing. Truly gorgeous. And the romance (the real romance) turned out to be very clean, very sweet, very sincere. I hated Sam at the beginning of the book, but I grew to really care for her. She dies at the end of the first day, by the way, and spends the next 7 days reliving the day she dies. I won't tell you how it ends, only that it's unpredictable, but fulfilling. There are some very important issues addressed in this book. It's heartwrenching and made me think seriously about my own life.

I am so angry with this book!!! It could have been an all-time favorite of mine. It has amazing qualities. Unfortunately, what's left lingering in my mind are all the bad parts (and the bad parts are nasty). I wish I could recommend it. I truly do. But I can't. I have read, however, that Lauren Oliver's new book, Delirium (which is a dystopian novel) is much cleaner. I'm excited to read it because I think Lauren Oliver has incredible talent as a writer.

The Golden Spiral

The best I can say about this book is that it was forgettable. I was lukewarm on the first book of this series (this is the second), but I thought that maybe this would improve it. Nope. In fact, I thought it was worse. It took one of my favorite things - time travel - and made it incredibly boring. It's the plot that struggles. I could never tell exactly what was going on or why. I never really believed the connection between the two main characters anyway, so I was left feeling neutral about their relationship. Bleh. I can't deny that part of my feelings against the main guy character, Dante, originate from the fact that I am not easily won-over by suave, handsome, Italians. Anyway, another problem with this book is with the side characters, whose plots were slightly more compelling, because they were completely disregarded in this book. A few interesting things were set up, then left hanging. Not a book I'd recommend. I don't think I'll bother with the third whenever it does come out.

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

It's a new semester! I'm in an American Realism class this fall, which is good for me because it's not really my go-to genre and I'll be reading all sorts of books I haven't read before. I'm excited to expand my horizons a bit! Starting off with a familiar friend, though, is Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. It's been years since I've read this book. It's amazing the way a book can change from childhood to adulthood. When I read this as a teen I remember thinking it was funny. And it is funny. It made me laugh out loud and frequently share portions with Jon. What I never realized before is what seriously clever satire this is! As an adult I can see the commentary that Twain is making on his own society and the way romanticism is being attacked. It made me think twice (or thrice or more) about a few aspects of our own society. I really enjoyed this on every level, from intellectually to emotionally. I'm so glad that taking this class made me buy this book, because I think it's a must have for any library.