A Straight Drag Queen who falls in love with the snarky but super sweet girl next door.If that didn't convince you to read it...I dunno. Read This.Just Do It.Now I'm gonna go take a few deep breaths.
3.5 StarsThe Color of Grace is many things.It's a coming of age story that deals with one girl's journey of self discovery.It's a contemporary romance that makes you sign and swoon.It's a moving story that confronts tough issues like sexual harassment.The book starts out with Grace going through some major upheaval in her life-Her mom's remarrying so she she has to move in to a new town.This means she'll be leaving her best friends and since Grace isn't exactly a social butterfly this is really not a good thing.And the worst part the new school she'll be enrolling at is the rival school.Although Grace is not exactly happy about this arrangement she copes quite well.Despite being awkward and more than a little insecure she was a really nice person who cared about her friends and family.Ryder Yates,the golden boy who has the looks,money and charm that'll make you go Woah.But he's also a sweet person who genuinely cared about the people around him.I loved the easy banter between Grace and Ryder-their comebacks and flirtations got me smiling. “So that’s why we’re stuck being in love with each other. I dragged you into it.”“With your big green eyes?”“Exactly.”I also loved the way Linda Kage incorporated the symbolization of colors into the story.Linda's writing style is something that I liked very much,it was smooth and enhanced the story.But there were a few things that broke the spell for me.There's this instance where Barry,Grace's new step-dad buys her a gold chain.Grace's mom does not approve of it and she makes that very clear to Barry.This pisses off Grace and she says this:She was probably feeling self-conscious because Barry hadn’t given her anything sparkly to wrap around her own wrinkly, old throat.Hellooo who says that about their own mom??That's completely disrespectful.This is not something that can be justified no matter how angry Grace is.Yes,it's just one sentence but it definitely put a damper on my love for this book.There were also a few times where I felt that some parts were overly descriptive.Overall,The Color of Grace was great read.You should check it out if you're a fan of contemporaries.*Source: Received an e-copy in exchange for a honest reviewStop by my blog,Say It With Books to read the the interview with Linda Kage and Enter to win a copy of The Color Of Grace.
A little disappointing.Maybe because my expectations were impossibly high? :(My experience with steampunk has been less than satisfactory so far.Maybe the genre is not for me.Lots of Maybes.Full Review to come soon.
And we have another hit by Sarah Dessen.Dessen Rocks.She never disappoints.Loved It.Full Review Later.
Heidi Acosta's Barbie Girl reminds me of Cindy C Bennett's [b:Heart On A Chain|10295484|Heart On A Chain|Cindy C. Bennett|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1326962009s/10295484.jpg|15197369] & [b:Geek Girl|8883501|Geek Girl|Cindy C. Bennett|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347953327s/8883501.jpg|13441997]-Don't ask me why,it just does.I loved both Heart on a Chain & Geek Girl so I mean this in a good way.If you've read either book & enjoyed it you have to read Barbie Girl.I gotta admit that when I stumbled across Barbie Girl I was a little bit wary-maybe it's the cover or the word "Barbie" in the title name?But Barbie Girl was quite a surprise,definitely not the fluffy read that I expected!The protagonist,Barbie(Don't judge.I promise that there's a story behind this name) is a character with a lot of layers and her fair share of flaws and issues.On the outside she's a Barbie look-alike but she's far from being a perfect lil girl.I loved her 'I don't care what ya think' attitude,she was NOT the person that she appears to be(i.e. a slut)-deep down she's a really nice person.Barbie doesn't attempt to prove that she's not a slut-she thinks that if no one can get close to her they won't be able to figure out her secrets.And Boy Oh Boy she DOES have a lot of secrets.Dylan is the guy that Barbie's crushing on,he's also her Math tutor.He's the cute nerdy guy who's pining after Kate,the school's popular girl aka his long time crush.I was alternating between wanting to drool over him and wanting to smack him on the head for not seeing what was right in front of his eyes! The story is told alternatively from both Barbie's and Dylan's POV. “I am dying. Every part of me is shattering; falling to the floor, a hole in my chest is ripped wide open for the world to see. The earth is set into motion again spinning faster than before, nothing makes sense, but everything makes sense.”And Third,Dylan's adorable friend-Aw this guy was HILARIOUS. Every time Dylan acted like a tool Third was there for Barbie.And Roxie,the goth girl who loves pink-No one can accuse her of being a stereotype.Like Third she was there for Barbie during the tough times.This book was bittersweet with moments that had me thinking 'wow this is intense' and making me laugh out loud too.Honestly I didn't expect to like it that much but yes Heidi Acosta definitely surprised me with this one.It's great book apart from the occasional cliches and few mistakes
Sophie is sick of doing the same old things day after day. She’s graduating soon but she feels as if she has no direction or purpose whatsoever. So once Sophie find's her dead aunt's bucket list she finally feels like she has something to do. So Sophie and her friends decide to give this list of dares a chance.None of the Regular Rules is a wonderful coming of age story that deals with self-discovery, fear and love. It’s also a lesson that points out that nothing is as it seems.You cannot help but fall in love with the characters that Erin Downing has created-They were lovable, flawed, funny and very very real.I could relate very well to the MC Sophie, she was a cautious girl who preferred to watch life from the side-lines rather than be a part of it.No she was not just a wallflower, she was more than that. She wanted to be a part of all of it.She wanted to come out of her shell. Her need to be something more was relate-able. Sophie and her friends Grace and Ella are very different but this does not stop them from being very close. Their friendship was portrayed well and it's a very important part of the story. This was a pleasant change because usually the book revolves around a love story.Sophie's love interest Jonny Rush (yes, that really is his name!) seems like the cliché golden college boy with his good looks and charm. He is the life of the party. But that's not all he is, he’s so much more.Jonny's relationships with Sophie was realistic and well built. None of that silly insta-love.With a little help from the bucket list their friendship evolved into a sweet romance.Erin Downing is an amazing author who deals smoothly with sensitive issues and yet manages to make you believe and feel good.None of the Regular Rules is a bitter sweet novel that leaves you with hope and inspires you to be more.
4.5 Stars Character Interview-Dean & Axel stopped by Say It with Books-These two are THE bomb people.For real!Sometimes you come across certain books that you read in one sitting because they are just that awesome?And then once you are done you feel so heart broken because now that all the awesome-ness is over you have to wait for another year for the sequel to experience another dose of that awesome-ness?Well,Dracian Legacy is one such book.You know what I loved the MOST about Dracian Legacy?The Characters.The characters have been crafted in such way that each and every one one of them feels vital to the story.The story is told from Ren's POV and boy Oh boy isn't she one kickass protagonist!Her sarcasm and sense of humor made me have some serious giggling fits.She was not like certain unbearably whiny YA heroines-she was compassionate,loyal and brave despite being pushed head first into some seriously over-whelming situations.Her sense of humor was like an ever present sidekick!“Ah hell, this was bad. Double-chocolate-chips-goes-to-my-hips kinda bad.” And then we have Axel-a sweet,romantic and protective guy with an admirable sense of honor.He cares a lot about the people he loves.He's also a man with a mission-the mission being finding the prophesied one.“You make everything about my existence worthwhile.”Dean-Despite what certain people think,Dean is mine(anyone who'd like to dispute that can meet me for a duel).This guy is hilarious.Sweet.Cocky.And haaaawt!I double dare you to read Dracian Legacy and NOT love this dude.Honestly,he's soooo swoony!Under all that misguided egotistical attitude there's one sweeeeeeeeet guy.For Real. *sniff sniff* “You look super cute when you get all worked up. If it weren't for that razor-sharp tongue of yours,I'd suck that cuteness right out of you.”Joshua,Cassie,Pey,Landon,Tyler were great supporting characters too.The story moved very smoothly and there were a couple of twists and turns that surprised me.The relationship between the characters was well developed,loved the easy banter!There were plenty of adrenaline-rush-moments thanks to the well written action scenes.And the ending totally caught me off guard-I really wasn't expecting something of that sort!The cliffhanger wasn't that big but I still cannot wait to get my hands on the sequel(I think it'll be out in Feb 2014 Hopefully we'll be able to get our hands on it earlier).If you haven't read this fantastic debut,please go do it NOW-You have no idea what you are missing out on!
3.5 STARSFantasy is a genre that I've have very little experience with so I was very eager to give Watcher a try. Watcher was an entertaining read that had its highs and lows. A book with well-developed characters is always a good book in my opinion and Watcher did not disappoint.I loved the main characters, each of them was unique. The characters had both admirable characteristics and flaws so they were believable enough.Goran is a holy man with a prophesy to help fulfill-to say that he was not very eager to go through his quest to find and unite the Chosen Son and the King's Flower would be putting it mildly. It is during this that he stumbles across Watcher, an orphan girl. Watcher was an interesting character-she was intelligent, mischievous and adorably naive. Her childhood was completely different from that of the other normal children so she had some issues with social interaction. Watcher and her pet bear, Kitty (no, I’m not kidding she really does have a five hundred pound bear named Kitty!) were very protective of each other.Benaiah, the Chosen Son has a special gift (something that a lot of people feared) and this does not make his childhood very easy. Benaiah is raised by Marta who's very sweet and protective of him, her sharp tongue had me giggling a couple of times.The world building was great although sometimes I felt that it was too descriptive.I also felt that about halfway through the book, the reader is bombarded by a LOT of characters-keeping track of who's who was a bit difficult especially with the a lot of them having unusual names! I would have been a little more comfortable if the characters were introduced with a little breathing room in between each introduction.Overall an intriguing book, one that might appeal to a lot fantasy fans.*I received a copy from the author in exchange for a honest review.
2.5 StarsExposure is yet another Shakespeare retelling by Amy Helmes & Kim Aksew. While Tempestuous was an enjoyable retelling of Shakespeare's Tempest,Exposure is based on Macbeth.Macbeth was a compulsory part of my literature curriculum in high school so I did have a vague idea of what Exposure was based on.So in Exposure we have a Sky a self conscious,wall-flower kinda girl who's fascinated by photography.She's the kind of person who watches from the side lines and doesn't really get involved in much.I could relate to her on her certain level although sometimes she did grate on my nerves with the way she put up with the way that Craig treated her.And there's this part where she overhears that Craig may have had something to do with a MURDER-Instead of reporting him or reacting in some normal way she makes excuses for his behavior and blames his girl friend,Beth!What The Fudge?? O.oAnd then we have Craig,popular unattainable "golden" boy-The way he treated Sky was appalling,his attitude was sometimes hot and sometimes ice-cold.He was a total wimp-azoid most of the time.This pretty much sums up my reaction everytime Craig opened his mouth--> Beth,Craig's girl friend is the cliche psychotic,mean girl with major issues.I was torn between giving her well-deserved slap and sympathizing with her.“Whoever said it's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all was a moron.”There were some great moments in Exposure but the main characters were just too frustrating for me to actually enjoy this book.I enjoyed Twisted Lit #1 & had high hopes for this one but I was really disappointed with the Exposure. :(
3.5 StarsGretchen Powell’s debut is a YA dystopian with a sci-fi twist. The science fiction part was a surprise, a pleasant surprise nevertheless.Thanks to Powell’s attention to detail the book had exceptionally amazing world building. This dystopian world was described vividly allowing the reader to picture the skycities and Terra Rhodon’s life on the barren earth. Terra also earns brownie points for originality because I haven’t seen the concept of ‘scavenging’ in any other YA dystopian novels. The protagonist, Terra Rhodon was forced to grow up too fast due to the absence of parents. Because of this she’s forced to take care of her 13 year old brother, Mica. It was easy to like Terra because she was a brave, stubborn, sarcastic and strong character who was willing to do whatever it takes to survive the harsh conditions. She also has a great sense of humor especially when it comes to her little brother. The interactions between Terra and her brother were adorable and helped lighten the tone of the book. “Why aren't you at school?" I ask suddenly. "It's a holiday," he says, a little too quickly. "Right. What holiday would that be? National Talk Out of Your Ass Day?” Adam, Terra’s mysterious, blue-eyed love interest enters the story claiming to be a researcher. Their romance was cute and awkward but sadly it lacked depth. Their relationship progresses way too quickly so the romance falls into dreaded insta-love category. I hope to see their relationship explored a bit more in the next book.“Looks like sunsets are growing on you.” The book was well paced, not too fast and not too slow. There were quite a few unexpected turns and the little plot twists kept me on the edge. Overall, a great debut-one that I'd recommend to fans of dystopia and post-apocalyptic genres. The ending was a bit of a cliffhanger so yes I'm definitely looking forward to the sequel.*Source: Received a copy from the author in exchange for a honest review
Enter To Win A Copy of Prophecy Girl!!! Review & Giveaway @ Say It With Books“Yes,”she choked out the word. This was always the hardest part, giving her mother what she wanted —unquestioned obedience.There are lot of YA Fantasy books out there with the same cliché plots and cliché characters; honestly this cliché-ness does not bother me that much as long as the book is well written. But there are some books that come up with some completely different concept-Prophecy Girl was one such book.Prophecy Girl has interesting combo of characters-you get werewolves,seasonals(that's a completely new and interesting one),a girl who can make things happen by praying for them, a girl who sees the future, a psychotic mom and a guy who's obsessed with sunglasses!The book started out with Samantha and her family moving to Lacuna Valley, it's a really small town and Sam's not really happy about the move. McKay does not ease into the child abuse issue, she does not sugar coat instead she makes one witness the Sam's abuse right in the beginning.Initially I did not like Sam very much-she was weak and didn't stand up for herself when she's bullied at school. She takes it all instead of fighting back. But as the story progresses Samantha grows stronger and learns to stand up for herself. I loved Sam's relationship with her sister Violet-Violet is a really adorable kid and the interaction between the sisters was really sweet. Sam loves her sister and she goes to great lengths to protect her sister from her mother.Violet was pretty awesome for a 9 year old kid because she felt guilty about using her powers to control things. And then we have Nick-he was a really sweet guy. There was no insta-love,Sam and Nick had a complex relationship. Nick had his entire life planned out for him and he didn't want to enforce his destiny on Sam. He was really protective of Sam and his younger brother, Zach.Sam and Violet's mom was power crazy and she was determined to get what she wanted even if it meant using her own children.When it comes to the pace of the story I loved the first and last parts of the story-I felt that the story was a bit dragged out during the middle. I also didn't feel that Sam's dad was really "in" the story, he was just there and he didn't do anything about the whole situation. I hope he'll be a little more involved in the sequel. I didn't really get some of the pop culture references either. And I wasn't entirely comfortable with the writing style; it was an engaging read nevertheless.
“And then he hugs me. Really hugs me. Like he thinks that there's only one of me and I'm special and I'm enough for him. Like he doesn't need anything else. Like he was alone and then I came along.”3.5 StarsReview also available @ Say It With BooksWhen I stumbled across Uses for Boys a few weeks ago my first thought was "Ooooh,look at that gorgeous cover!".The fairy lights and the muted colors give you the impression that it's a light & romantic read.Even though the synopsis hints that Uses for Boys is "real & shocking" I had no idea it would be such an intense read.If you are looking for a fairy tale teen love story,you are looking at the wrong book.Uses for Boys is written in first person POV.During most of Anna's childhood her mother is not at home.Anna's mother is a single parent,a horrible one who moves from one man to another.I found Anna's mother completely selfish and uncaring-She left Anna to fend for herself at a really young age while she went out on "dates" with a string of men.Since Anna lacks the attention that she craves as a child and she starts to look for this love in other boys.Anna's narration is breathtakingly honest and shocking.Her view of love and relationships is warped because she was brought up that way.Anna jumps from one "relationship" to another in search of the love that her mother didn't give.Scheidt touches on some really sensitives issues and she doesn't hold back when she explains some of the situations.Sam is such a sweet and innocent guy and he helps Anna get over her insecurities and helps her fill the void that was left by her mother.Toy,Anna's friend in the story is as equally messed up as Anna-their relationship was....unusual. Uses for Boys is a gritty read that pulls at your heart strings-it leaves you disgusted,shocked,hopeful,sad and thankful for all the wonderful things that you have and Anna does not.
3.5 StarsBefore reading Tempestuous I had no idea what Shakespeare's Tempest was about.So before reading Tempestuous I looked up the Tempest and here's a short summary that might give you an idea of what it is about.Tempestuous was a quick and light read-It wasn't the kind of book that I usually read but it was definitely entertaining!Most retellings fall short of my expectations for some reason but Tempestuous was not one of those books.The similarities between Shakepeare's Tempest and Tempestuous were subtle and not overly stressed so it didn't come across as forced.The smooth writing and the witty dialogue made experience very enjoyable.The characters were strong and flawed so this made relating to them quite easy.Miranda is no longer the popular high school girl,kicked out from the inner circle by her "friends" she has become a social leper who's forced to work at a hot dog stall in the mall.....in hideous hat that has a plastic wiener spinning on top of it!Miranda's friend and co-worker,Ariel was adorably chirpy.Although Ariel comes across as a bit of an airhead at the beginning she surprised me with her thoughtfulness and crazy ideas as the story progresses.Caleb too turns out be much more than a moody loner.Miranda and Caleb end up handcuffed together and this helps to reevaluate their love-hate relationship.The romance builds slowly as soon as they both realize that there's more to each other than what meets the eye.The "bad guys" were believable since they each had their own set of flaws.There were some interesting twists and turns in Tempestuous and I definitely see that ending coming!Tempestuous with it's quirkiness and laugh-out-loud moments would make a great summer read.See here for my review of Exposure - Twisted Lit #2
 - Faith McKay)
