Review: A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray (ARC)

A Thousand Pieces of You (Firebird #1) by Claudia Gray
Harper Teen, 368 pages
Expected US Release Date: November 4, 2014
Format/Source: ARC via Around the World Tours - thank you!

Every Day meets Cloud Atlas in this heart-racing, space- and time-bending, epic new trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray.

Marguerite Caine’s physicist parents are known for their radical scientific achievements. Their most astonishing invention: the Firebird, which allows users to jump into parallel universes, some vastly altered from our own. But when Marguerite’s father is murdered, the killer—her parent’s handsome and enigmatic assistant Paul—escapes into another dimension before the law can touch him.

Marguerite can’t let the man who destroyed her family go free, and she races after Paul through different universes, where their lives entangle in increasingly familiar ways. With each encounter she begins to question Paul’s guilt—and her own heart. Soon she discovers the truth behind her father’s death is more sinister than she ever could have imagined.

A Thousand Pieces of You explores a reality where we witness the countless other lives we might lead in an amazingly intricate multiverse, and ask whether, amid infinite possibilities, one love can endure.
------------------------------Goodreads summary

Notable Quote

This, I think, is the boundary line of adulthood. Not the crap they claim it is -- graduating from high school or losing your virginity or getting your first apartment or whatever. You cross the boundary the first time you're changed forever. You cross it the first time you know you can never go back.

I was a little nervous heading into A Thousand Pieces of You, since I’m a self-admitted time travel hater. I can’t stand time traveling in anything, and I figured this concept of layers of fate would translate the same to me. And it didn’t help when I disliked the beginning pages so much—the storytelling seemed off to me, and I was annoyed with how abstract it felt. I couldn’t grasp at much, and I wanted to give up on it.

However.

I am so, so glad I never did. It quickly turned into this fascinating concept of traveling within your fates, and I was 100% onboard with the idea when it introduced the boundary of only being able to travel to a layer you would actually exist in. THAT was such a tiny but important element that it completely won me over, in every way. It was creative and logical and sensical and brilliant all in one.

Ignoring how I felt about the first few pages, A Thousand Pieces of You just flies by—the pace just keeps picking up and going on and on and you feel like you’re swept away on this amazing, terrifying adventure. The amount of creativity and how stunningly unique all the stories and time periods were just fascinating, and I felt like I fell in love so many times over. Not just with the characters, but with the words and story and the simple idea that all these common words together can still create a breathtaking novel.

I quite liked each character as well, though it took me awhile to come around to Marguerite. Theo I was quick to like and quick to fluctuate on; and Paul pulled me in every single direction. Meeting each of them in each layer was also an interesting facet—while sometimes I felt like they were a little too different to actually be the same character, they relatively retained the same characteristics and personalities throughout. What was solid and true remained, and while it took some digging, a reader can find it and fall in love with them.

I’ve been seeing some complaints about the sci-fi missing in a novel that’s advertised as sci-fi…and I could see that, actually. But for me it was one of the best parts! I’m not a sci-fi reader by any means—it’s not that I hate it, I’m just not particularly drawn to it. I’ve read some ok sci-fi, some good sci-fi, and some brilliant sci-fi, in all age ranges…but it still isn’t something I will seek out. So when A Thousand Pieces of You turned into a sci-fi-but-not-fully-sci-fi, it totally worked for me. There was a little bit of historical elements, a lot of futuristic things, and a whole lot of contemporary and romance and general storytelling. It was nice to not be completely stuck in one genre, and I thought it worked really well with the story itself.

Quite obviously, I was thrilled with the first book in the Firebird series. Great characters, a wonderful, fast-moving plot with one of the most original, fascinating concepts of “fate traveling” I’ve ever seen—I can’t wait to see what else we have in store for this organization and these characters.

5 stars

Review: After the End by Amy Plum (ARC)

After the End (After the End #1) by Amy Plum
HarperTeen, 336 pages
Expected US Release Date: May 6, 2014
Format/Source: ARC via Around the World Tours - thank you!

"I have no idea what is truth and what is fiction. I'm all I've got now. I can't trust anyone."

World War III has left the world ravaged by nuclear radiation. A lucky few escaped to the Alaskan wilderness. They've survived for the last thirty years by living off the land, being one with nature, and hiding from whoever else might still be out there.

At least, this is what Juneau has been told her entire life.

When Juneau returns from a hunting trip to discover that everyone in her clan has vanished, she sets off to find them. Leaving the boundaries of their land for the very first time, she learns something horrifying: There never was a war. Cities were never destroyed. The world is intact. Everything was a lie.

Now Juneau is adrift in a modern-day world she never knew existed. But while she's trying to find a way to rescue her friends and family, someone else is looking for her. Someone who knows the extraordinary truth about the secrets of her past.
---------------------------Goodreads Summary

Notable Quote

Life is easier in black and white. It’s the ambiguity of a world defined in grays that has stripped me of my confidence and left me powerless.

I was definitely intrigued by this book when I first heard about it. I mean, how would you feel growing up thinking you were the next generation after the apocalypse, living this basic, rudimentary life…and then find out it’s all a lie? That everything you were told about the past was actually alive and thriving? That’s a fantastic concept, with so many possibilities.

After the End definitely took a different turn than I thought it would, but I thought it held up to its potential really well. I’m slightly disappointed by it, but there are some really great facets to this book that make it completely worthwhile to read.

Miles turned out to be one of the most surprising elements in this story to me—not because he was shockingly original or took a weird turn, it’s just the idea behind why he and Juneau are on this trip together was so out of the realm I thought it would be. I don’t really want to spoil it, but his circumstance was so outside ‘apocolyptic’ that it was really startling to switch back and forth. It’s almost the opposite, in a weird way, and I felt like I had to adjust my head each time a little peek of his life came through.

That said, I really liked Miles and Juneau together. Some of it felt forced, and I don’t think they have the best chemistry—but I like them together. They’re solid, and upfront, and I kind of loved every moment when he had to teach her something about the modern world.

There was a delicious amount of anticipation and despair all throughout this book, and it made it a real page-turner. I needed to know where Juneau’s clan was, I was dying to find out where they’d gone, would they get caught, when they’re separated what does it mean?! There were so many great moments where I felt like I was on the edge of my seat, whether I was scared for one of the characters or hopeful or anticipating something, and I really loved that part.

I can’t quite pinpoint why I was disappointed, though. As breathtaking as some of the scenes were, there was a distinct lack of excitement for me as I was reading this. I’m not sure I really liked the flow and pacing, though I don’t actually think there’s anything wrong with it. Maybe it was just my mood the few days I was reading it, but I definitely felt like this was missing something.

My unease may have been because of Juneau; I’m not really sure I like her, to be honest. She’s a good character, and everything she is and does and believes in aligns with what she is set up to be. But I just felt like she was a little flat, a little too one-sided and one-dimensional. I wanted her to step up or step out a little, and it never really happened for me.

But something that I was utterly in love with was the creativity put into this book. I loved the situation, how we learn the clan came to be, the circumstances they’re all finding themselves in, watching Juneau discover all these things of the modern world. I love the Yara and that faith, the readings and connections to nature and the world. There’s so much thought and storytelling in After the End, and it’s utterly magical.

I can’t deny that there are some parts of After the End that let me down, but how much I loved the rest of this book make it easy for me to let the others slide. I can’t wait for Book 2, to learn more about this world and how Juneau and Miles will intertwine.

3.5 stars

Review: Relativity by Cristin Bishara (ARC)

Relativity by Cristin Bishara
Walker Childrens (an imprint of Bloomsbury), 288 pages
US Release Date: September 10, 2013
Format/Source: ARC via Around the World Tours - thank you!

If Ruby Wright could have her way, her dad would never have met and married her stepmother Willow, her best friend George would be more than a friend, and her mom would still be alive. Ruby knows wishes can't come true; some things just can't be undone. Then she discovers a tree in the middle of an Ohio cornfield with a wormhole to nine alternative realities. 

Suddenly, Ruby can access completely different realities, each containing variations of her life—if things had gone differently at key moments. The windshield wiper missing her mother’s throat…her big brother surviving his ill-fated birth…her father never having met Willow. Her ideal world—one with everything and everyone she wants most—could be within reach. But is there such a thing as a perfect world? What is Ruby willing to give up to find out?
---------------------------Goodreads summary

Notable Quote

It seems like a footnote, no big deal--it's just Dad's job--but there's the inevitable ripple effect, the butterfly effect: the seemingly insignificant flapping of a butterfly's wings can effect an atmospheric change, which can alter the path of a tornado. Little alterations, big repercussions.

There’s been a definite trend in parallel universes in YA books, guys. I know it’s been around for awhile, but between The Theory of Everything, Parallel, and Relativity, it’s definitely gaining some ground. And I have to say, I am loving it!

Something I loved about Relativity is the different approach it takes to parallel universes and string theory. It’s not drastically different universes filled with pandas or fantasies, or completely different futures and trajectories – it explores how a fork in the road can alter things but still have some things remain the same. As a big believer in fate, destinies, and meant to bes (except not soulmates), I like how Relativity incorporated the concept of things that would stay the same no matter what choices are made. That some things are meant to happen, no matter where you are or in what dimension.

This was a really great story, guys. Ruby is a fantastic main character, filled with a lot of little things everyone will recognize. The element of her mom being alive in some dimensions and not in the other was really sad and made me cling and get quite invested. Seeing Ruby in all these different situations that were completely familiar was also really fun and gave a great dimension (no pun intended!) to her character. You really get to see a broad range of reactions and personality to her, and I liked that a lot.

The secondary characters were a great mix, though I admit a few of them fell just a little for me. I really loved Sally, Ruby’s mom- she was the perfect mom while remaining her own person. I thought Kandy was a straight up psychotic bitch (in most dimensions), but that was the interesting part to her. I wanted a little more to her story, but what was given was pretty satisfactory. Willow, the step-mom, was kind of the same; she was a bit flat, but what she did lend I really liked. And of course George, who for a character that’s actually not too present in a lot of the book (or dimensions) was REALLY fantastic. I loved him and Ruby and how open he was to all the craziness Ruby threw at him. I wish there was more of him.

Oddly, I really loved the science and how it was worked into this book. I am loving that YA books are getting more into explanation, into giving you the actual research behind certain situations rather than trying to dumb it down or insinuate- and Relativity did it quite well. It was integrated into each character’s personality so smoothly, I barely realized I’m reading about the science of wormholes and string theory.

Relativity was a fun, fascinating read that really made me think about the things in my life that would be there no matter which world I’m in. The ending did leave me slightly unfulfilled somehow (not to be mistaken by incomplete!), but overall I’m really happy to have read this and added it to the growing pile of Parallel Universe YA. If you’re into this style – or even if you’re not—you should definitely give it a try.

4 stars

Review: Cress by Marissa Meyer (ARC)

Cress (Lunar Chronicles #3) by Marissa Meyer
Feiwel & Friends (an imprint of Macmillan Teen), 560 pages
US Release Date: February 4, 2014 (yesterday!)
Format/Source: ARC via Around the World Tours - thank you!

Rapunzel’s tower is a satellite. She can’t let down her hair—or her guard.

In this third book in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles series, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army. 

Their best hope lies with Cress, who has been trapped on a satellite since childhood with only her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker—unfortunately, she’s just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice. 

When a daring rescue goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing stop her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only ones who can.
----------------------------Goodreads summary

Notable Quote

"Yeah, I guess you're right,” he said, squeezing. “Maybe there’s a little bit of a hero in me after all. But…really, Cress. Only a little."

There are so many words I could use for Marissa Meyer and her books; but they all boil down to one fact: they are brilliantly amazing, and I wish she would release new material every day for the rest of life. All of Life, entirely, forever.

I LOVED Cinder (book 1, not the character…though I do love Cinder too), and I loved Scarlet, as well. Perhaps not on the same level as Book 1, but it was bloody fantastic and a great continuation of the series. I’ve a sneaking suspicion I just had too high hopes, which is the only reason it wasn’t quite as BIG BOLD LOVE—which meant I approached Cress with a little more reserve. I knew I’d like it, but which level?

One constant thing that amazes me about Marissa’s books are that even though they are retellings of fairy tales we all know, love, and grew up on – they are entirely new and completely refreshing and unlike any story I’ve ever read. They’re part sci-fi, part action, part romance, part thriller…it is everything I crave and want in a story, using our pre-knowledge (IT’S A WORD NOW, DAMMIT) to the best. She is a wizard with words and stories, and I love it.

And Cress hits that same mark. I loved it, so much…still not as much as I LOVE Cinder, but I think it is better than Scarlet. I had to read Cress in a week so I couldn’t savor it, but I definitely had to take a few breaks and set it down and gather my thoughts and emotions. There’s just so much action and curveballs thrown at you! I was holding my breath and covering my eyes every other page, it felt.

Handling this cast of characters was something I was getting nervous about, since each book kind of introduces a handful more that keep adding on. But Cress incorporates everyone, still progressing characters while letting each one take the stage for equal parts. I feel like I got to know every single character better, more fully, and in more development—even the older, old ones. They’re like old friends that I’m consistently learning more and more about.

Speaking of characters, Cress is so badass, guys. Crescent Moon, the most kickass hacker in all the galaxy. And somehow, she’s still a sheltered, timid girl who just wants a kiss and to do what’s right. She and Scarlet are both kickass, in entirely different ways. Scarlet is headstrong and brash (and dear GOD did it kill me what happens to her in Cress, guys!) and ready to fight for what she wants. Cress is much more like me, the quiet ally with a strong, silent will. Her backstory gives you an immediate reaction to care for her, and it just gets better and stronger the more time you spend with her.

And um..Thorne. I love him. I adored him from Scarlet, and I just…I mean, I will always love Prince Kai. But…can I have a little of Captain Thorne, too?

I’m trying to think of anything bad I can say about this book, since that would balance this gushing, squeal-y review nicely…but I just can’t think of anything! I have to say there were a few things that happened in the story that I wasn’t fond of, but at the end it all just makes so much SENSE. And I can’t imagine it any other way. Even if it does rip my heart to pieces and make me want to wail at the book “NOOOOOOO THEY BELONG TOGETHER!!” (Take that for what you will. I’m evil, I know.)

There are a few more things I want to talk about, but they’d be pretty major spoilers. Like when…well, they get stuck…or when this person dies and you find out…or when that group is torn apart…or what happens to her on Luna…or…

You get the idea.

For longtime lovers of this series, Cress won’t disappoint. If you’re only just now hearing about it, you are missing out on A LOT. If I could spend all my days shouting how amazing this series is from the rooftop, I would…except I’ll have to take frequent breaks to read and re-read and pray for Winter to hurry and come out.

5 Stars

and many moons more

[Une Petite Revue] Parallel by Lauren Miller (ARC)

Parallel by Lauren Miller
Harper Teen, 432 pages
US Release Date: May 14, 2013
Format/Source: ARC via DAC ARC Tours - thank you!
Challenges: Debut Author Challenge, Stand Alone Challenge

Abby Barnes had a plan. The Plan. She'd go to Northwestern, major in journalism, and land a job at a national newspaper, all before she turned twenty-two. But one tiny choice—taking a drama class her senior year of high school—changed all that. Now, on the eve of her eighteenth birthday, Abby is stuck on a Hollywood movie set, miles from where she wants to be, wishing she could rewind her life. The next morning, she's in a dorm room at Yale, with no memory of how she got there. Overnight, it's as if her past has been rewritten.

With the help of Caitlin, her science-savvy BFF, Abby discovers that this new reality is the result of a cosmic collision of parallel universes that has Abby living an alternate version of her life. And not only that: Abby's life changes every time her parallel self makes a new choice. Meanwhile, her parallel is living out Abby's senior year of high school and falling for someone Abby's never even met.

As she struggles to navigate her ever-shifting existence, forced to live out the consequences of a path she didn't choose, Abby must let go of the Plan and learn to focus on the present, without losing sight of who she is, the boy who might just be her soul mate, and the destiny that's finally within reach.
---------------------Goodreads summary

Notable Quote

"A most likely path," Dr. Mann agrees. "Which isn't to say our fates are sealed. In fact, I believe the very opposite is true. At every moment, each person has the freedom to choose a different path, thereby changing the trajectory of his life. Nothing is set in stone."

The Goods

*The science. It’s nerdy, but I love it and it makes so much sense. I love getting to learn why things are happening, or at least the plausibility factor.
*There are certain passages that just blew me away. Some about love, some about destiny, others about finding order in chaos. They were fantastic and eye-opening and I want to have them pasted around my walls.
*Caitlin. Such a great best friend and anchor throughout all the changes and effects. I love that she offers explanation at the same time as being a casualty, too.

The Bads

The only bad thing, and it was BIG, was the ending. I seriously want to just tear out the last 2-3 pages of the entire novel. I didn’t watch Lost for the entire series run, but I watched enough of it to watch the series finale, and I think Parallel’s ending is on the same plane as that. The whole “It was all a dream” effect.

The Consensus

Save the last 3 pages, Parallel was gripping and fantastic, with brilliant characters and a great intelligence woven through all the pages. I love that it felt like it was told in dual narrative (dual time is probably a little more appropriate).

The Recommendation

READ READ READ this book! There’s great insight into our lives and how we live it, how one choice or situation can change our entire lives. Just…perhaps stop 3 pages before the end. Or if you read it, just disregard them, as I am.

4.5 stars

Review: These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner (ARC)

These Broken Stars (Starbound #1) by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
Disney-Hyperion, 374 pages
US Release Date: December 10, 2013

Format/Source: ARC via Around the World ARC Tours - thank you!

It's a night like any other on board the Icarus. Then, catastrophe strikes: the massive luxury spaceliner is yanked out of hyperspace and plummets into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive. And they seem to be alone.

Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a young war hero who learned long ago that girls like Lilac are more trouble than they’re worth. But with only each other to rely on, Lilac and Tarver must work together, making a tortuous journey across the eerie, deserted terrain to seek help.

Then, against all odds, Lilac and Tarver find a strange blessing in the tragedy that has thrown them into each other’s arms. Without the hope of a future together in their own world, they begin to wonder—would they be better off staying here forever?

Everything changes when they uncover the truth behind the chilling whispers that haunt their every step. Lilac and Tarver may find a way off this planet. But they won’t be the same people who landed on it.

A timeless love story, THESE BROKEN STARS sets into motion a sweeping science fiction series of companion novels. The Starbound Trilogy: Three worlds. Three love stories. One enemy.
-----------------Goodreads summary

Notable quote

"If it's true, then we know we're not mad," I say, keeping my eyes on the sky.

"And if it's true, we know we're not alone." He, however, sounds more troubled than relieved.

If Titanic and Across the Universe decided to have an interdimensional Under the Never Sky baby, These Broken Stars would be it. And trust me: it. Is. AWESOME. I went into this book expecting to be blown away. I’ve heard about this book since last year, the cover has long been coveted, we all know about it. So safe to say: expectation. To the max.

I’ve been trying to write what I thought was the best part, and I keep deleting to put in something else. Which leads me to: everything is the best part. I loved the set-up of the disaster, the exploration and adventure Tarver and Lilac are forced to go through as they explore this planet, the tension and action so perfectly weaved together into a brilliant tale of hopelessness, even the scary parts made me love it!

There is definitely a creep factor here guys, and I have to admit how surprised I was by it! Just reading the summary, you know there are voices. But how they’re presented, how they slowly build into something – it is so fantastically terrifying and oh my god I would go batshit nuts if I were hearing and seeing the things Lilac was.

Perhaps the best part is that even though this book focuses almost entirely on a romance and relationship, it barely feels like it at all. Not that I’m opposed to relationships, we all know I’m a huge romance/contemporary relationship kinda gal. Give me that any day. But how the relationship built up, how they slowly started to mean something to each other, how it all comes together and gets fiercely tested and ripped apart time after time…it’s interesting and crazy and heartstopping, and it really makes the relationship feel secondary. And somehow, it still manages to maintain sweetness and sentimentality! Amie Kaufman and Megan Spooner are phenomenal masters.

We all know how much I love a dual narrative. And this one is amongst the best – you get first person narratives from both Tarver and Lilac. You get to really feel who they are, understand what they’re becoming, sense what they’ve been. You get to see some situations from both points of view, which gives a great roundness to scenes and settings. Both are perfectly crafted, and I love both for very distinct reasons.

Of course I love Tarver though. Military man? Check. Real? Check. Strong? Check. Considerate, can-do, get’s-his-shit-done? Check check, more check. Poet? OH. YOU. KNOW. IT. It sounds crazy, but it all wraps up into one character so perfectly and trust me when I say you will swoon like it’s nobody’s business when he worms his way into your heart.

These Broken Stars yanks at every string I ever had in my heart, and made me discover more. It’s crazy how it made me feel so attached and in love and hopeless and lost with them, and I haven’t even begun to describe it all. Read this, guys. It’s your new favorite.

5 stars

Review: Across A Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund (ARC)

Across A Star-Swept Sea (For Darkness Shows the Stars #2) by Diana Peterfreund
Balzar + Bray (an imprint of Harper Teen), 464 pages
Expected US Release Date: October 15, 2013
Format/Source: ARC, via Around the World Tours - thank you!

Centuries after wars nearly destroyed civilization, the two islands of New Pacifica stand alone, a terraformed paradise where even the Reduction—the devastating brain disorder that sparked the wars—is a distant memory. Yet on the isle of Galatea, an uprising against the ruling aristocrats has turned deadly. The revolutionaries’ weapon is a drug that damages their enemies’ brains, and the only hope is rescue by a mysterious spy known as the Wild Poppy.

On the neighboring island of Albion, no one suspects that the Wild Poppy is actually famously frivolous aristocrat Persis Blake. The teenager uses her shallow, socialite trappings to hide her true purpose: her gossipy flutternotes are encrypted plans, her pampered sea mink is genetically engineered for spying, and her well-publicized new romance with handsome Galatean medic Justen Helo… is her most dangerous mission ever.

Though Persis is falling for Justen, she can’t risk showing him her true self, especially once she learns he’s hiding far more than simply his disenchantment with his country’s revolution and his undeniable attraction to the silly socialite he’s pretending to love. His darkest secret could plunge both islands into a new dark age, and Persis realizes that when it comes to Justen Helo, she’s not only risking her heart, she’s risking the world she’s sworn to protect.

In this thrilling adventure inspired by The Scarlet Pimpernel, Diana Peterfreund creates an exquisitely rendered world where nothing is as it seems and two teens with very different pasts fight for a future only they dare to imagine.
----------------------------Goodreads summary

Notable Quote

We made many errors. I told you, I no longer believe in the way the revolution is playing out. But that doesn't make the goals that brought us to this point any less valid. Sometimes bad things happen when you try to do something good.

If you didn't know, I love love LOVED For Darkness Shows the Stars (read my awesome review here - I think I'm pretty hilarious). It was one of my favourite reads of 2012, and EVER. There's such beauty and grace to Diana Peterfreund's writing, and I was not disappointed with Across A Star-Swept Sea, either.

Now, again, I haven't read The Scarlet Pimpernel before so I can't say if it pulls inspiration well or anything - but I definitely want to read it after this. Diana Peterfreund solidified herself as an author I will read anything from. Again, it's not like it's the most action-packed, page-turning thriller; but the details are really something else, and it just makes for a story bursting with elements you fall in love with.

I don't know about you, but this is possibly the coolest futuristic, science fiction-y historical romance I've ever read. Sounds pretty contradictory, right? It totally is, but it had all those elements rolled into one! The drama and intrigue and gossip of a Queen's Court, with the great inventions created in this Post-Reduction dystopian environment, rolled into a revolutionary tale. If that isn't the best pitch for a book ever, I don't know what is.

The characters were fantastic in this book too - I liked how everyone wasn't quite what they seemed. Persis was pretty fascinating, though sometimes I felt the dichotomy between her and the Wild Poppy were a little too...much. I know she had to create this fake persona, and I completely understand why and how it worked -- but sometimes I felt like it was too extreme. Still, it made for a lot of fun little plot points and you really start to root for either of them and the shared cause. And of course, we all love a faked romance! Especially one where...I mean, c'mon. You know. You just know how it will end, and it's slowly, torturously, awesomely fun to get dragged along and get so caught up in the "OMG IT MEANT MORE I SWEAR" and the "DON'T YOU SEEEEEEE?!"

I have to say that I still love For Darkness Shows the Stars more - but that's expected, as I had expectations going into the second novel and knowing what I already loved. Which does bring me to: KAIIIIIIII <33333.

Ok. That's really it. Across A Star-Swept Sea was a fantastic read, one that immerses you into this great little revolutionary tale as we try to figure out what is ethically right and sound at the same time as rooting for the characters to all prevail and triumph -- which is brilliant, since a lot of them are opposing. The enemies are great, the protagonists even better, and getting to continue on with Kai and Elliot was just a cherry on top.

5 Stars

Review: The Theory of Everything by Kari Luna (ARC)

The Theory of Everything by Kari Luna
Philomel (an imprint of Penguin), 320 Pages
US Release Date: July 11, 2013
Format/Source: ARC, via Around the World ARC Tours - thank you!
Challenges: SARC 2013, Contemporary Challenge

Sophie Sophia is obsessed with music from the late eighties. She also has an eccentric physicist father who sometimes vanishes for days and sees things other people don’t see. But when he disappears for good and Sophie’s mom moves them from Brooklyn, New York, to Havencrest, Illinois, for a fresh start, things take a turn for the weird. Sophie starts seeing things, like marching band pandas, just like her dad.

Guided by Walt, her shaman panda, and her new (human) friend named Finny, Sophie is determined to find her father and figure out her visions, once and for all. So she travels back to where it began—New York City and NYU’s physics department. As she discovers more about her dad’s research on M-theory and her father himself, Sophie opens her eyes to the world’s infinite possibilities—and her heart to love.
-------------------------Goodreads summary

Notable Quote

But Finny stayed right where he was. He didn't bundle me up and put me in the car in the middle of the night or pretend he didn't hear me. He held on and didn't let go. All so that I could.

I feel like there’s been a trend of “smart” books in YA, of books that really delve into the science behind certain phenomena. Some I’ve read I really love; others, it doesn’t quite fit. The Theory of Everything is one that definitely fits into one I absolutely LOVED.

One of my main notes I wrote down was: Chaotic. There is a certain amount of chaos that permeates this entire book, and sometimes it was a little odd or hard to track; but at the same time, it really works and reflects the content well. This is about String Theory and parallel worlds and traveling across time and dimensions – I’d be a little more worried if it were straightforward and clear! Still I should warn that there are some moments where I definitely had to re-read a few paragraphs to reorient myself to what was going on. It was mostly when Sophie was shifting into another world, but a few other times as well.

The entire plot of this novel was so funny and creative, I couldn’t help but fall in love with it. I mean, how could you not want to visit a panda-verse and have a panda shaman?! I want a panda guide! Even if he was so frustrating with his riddles and letting her figure things out for herself (guides, man – so unhelpful until you realize how helpful they are). All the dimensions Sophie finds herself in are so much fun, and I love that they’re unique and adventuresome without being terrifying or too old for the novel. It creates this awesome playful vibe as you read, and I loved being in it. Even though at it’s core it’s about her missing father and her search for his love, there’s still a nice happiness and anticipation that moves through all the words.

A lot of that is probably thanks to Finny, Sophie’s new physics-obsessed friend. I LOVE FINNY. Oh my goodness. I have never wanted to snatch a friend out of a novel so badly and keep him as my own. He’s such a loyal, brilliantly funny friend, and he is perfect for Sophie. If I could hug him forever, I would.

One of the only things I had to keep doing was remind myself Sophie is only 14. I can’t figure out if I thought some of the things she was going through were a bit older, or if I thought she should be older to fully understand some of the things going on—but I definitely had to take a few steps back and say “she’s 14. She’ll get there.” It was most obvious when she was just getting to know Drew, since it’s her first real crush and possible-relationship. It was like she was just discovering what it meant to be the object of someone’s affection, and somehow it seemed a bit odd fitting into this whole story about love and how love is possible and cures all.

Can I just say though, there was a quote that I Instagram’d from this book because I LOVE IT SO MUCH:

There were so many things I loved about this book. The weird family and how they fit together even when they were kind of breaking apart. All the lists that Sophie made to get through situations. Even how we kind of know what may happen in the end was satisfying, and I wouldn’t want it to work any other way.

The Theory of Everything has a little of everything in it for everyone: friendship, romance, family, and the overarching lessons of love and how it can literally push things beyond what we know.  You’ll love the people you meet, the places you go, the musical numbers that surprise you, and the panda that guides you.

4.5 Stars

Review: Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza (ARC)

Mila 2.0 (Mila 2.0 #1) by Debra Driza
Katherine Tegan Books (an imprint of HarperTeen/HarperCollins), 480 pages
Expected US Release Date: March 12, 2013
Format: Print ARC
Source: Borrowed from friend (thanks Natasha!)
Challenges: Debut Author Challenge

Mila 2.0 is the first book in an electrifying sci-fi thriller series about a teenage girl who discovers that she is an experiment in artificial intelligence.

Mila was never meant to learn the truth about her identity. She was a girl living with her mother in a small Minnesota town. She was supposed to forget her past —that she was built in a secret computer science lab and programmed to do things real people would never do.

Now she has no choice but to run—from the dangerous operatives who want her terminated because she knows too much and from a mysterious group that wants to capture her alive and unlock her advanced technology. However, what Mila’s becoming is beyond anyone’s imagination, including her own, and it just might save her life.

Mila 2.0 is Debra Driza’s bold debut and the first book in a Bourne Identity–style trilogy that combines heart-pounding action with a riveting exploration of what it really means to be human. Fans of I Am Number Four will love Mila for who she is and what she longs to be—and a cliffhanger ending will leave them breathlessly awaiting the sequel.
------------------------Goodreads summary

Notable Quote

I felt that same tiny flare of hope from before...that same rise of breathless anticipation that maybe, just maybe, I'd come to the wrong conclusion, even though I knew better.

"I'm sorry, Mila."

Three words, I realized with a choked sob. That's all it took for hope to die.

Mila 2.0 is one of those books I went into with reservations, because I had wanted it for SO LONG. I had anticipated it so much, had so much hope and expectation, that I was like there is no possible way for it to live up to what I want it to be. I've known Debra for several months at this point (almost a year!) and I adore her, and I was like "can it be possible that this brilliant woman I know in real life translates to the page too!?" It seems impossible.

Oh, but it is not. She does it fantastically, improbably, and so, so amazingly.

If you were to look at my past in books, you'll see one thing in common: contemporary romance. I adore it. I am all about the love stories, the swoon and the emotions and feelings. Something not really there? Action. I don't not like it, I just...I don't gravitate to it at all. Sometimes I think it's hard to read about because I want to see it, sometimes I'm just not feeling it.

Mila 2.0 is 80% action, 20% romance AND I DON'T EVEN GIVE A DAMN I LOVE IT.

This is one action-packed, non-stop book. I swear every other page felt like we were on the run from something, or hiding, or fighting - and the pages that weren't were filled with the delicious tension of waiting for it to happen because you knew it was inevitable. The beginning does start out a little slow (and bitchy - anyone else want to slap Kaylee?!), but power through guys! Trust me that it will pick up, because we have to see the human side to Mila to understand just how difficult it is for her to come to terms that she's actually not one. And even though I do say it's 80% action and movement, the best part is how balanced this entire novel felt. Sure, you're speeding at a million miles a second, but I never felt rushed. I never felt like we were missing important details, and what was given to us is perfect.

I really loved all of Mila's Android capabilities, too - they're so much fun! I loved how she discovered or was told each one, and the part they all played. It was so creative, and her flaw of emotions were brilliant to see. There is one part that I'm not going to spoil, but let's just say we get to see what she's supposed to be versus how she's "too human," and it is fantastic. Such a great additional element to this story.

There's really not much else I can say about Mila 2.0, except this is an amazing debut from an equally amazing writer. You're immediately drawn in, and even though it is a hefty word count (almost 500 pages!), you won't even notice it. You fly through the pages because there's a certain ease to Debra's writing that just connects to you. Seriously, reading this is like watching a movie! There are so many fantastic scenes that have a great tension or emotion or feeling to it, and I can't recommend it enough.

And ok, like I could really do a review without talking about the love interests/boys (even if they are only 20% of the story)! They're not too big of a deal, but the scenes they are in? So good. I can easily fall in love with both of the boys that show up here, especially Lucas. He's got that nerdy scientist hot thing going - at least in my head, anyway haha. Their scenes are short, but meaningful, and I cannot wait to see what part they play in the rest of the trilogy.

5 Stars

Review: When We Wake by Karen Healey (ARC)

When We Wake by Karen Healey
Little, Brown BYR, 304 Pages
Expected US Release Date: March 5, 2013
Format: ARC
Source: Around the World ARC Tours - thank you!

My name is Tegan Oglietti, and on the last day of my first lifetime, I was so, so happy.

Sixteen-year-old Tegan is just like every other girl living in 2027--she's happiest when playing the guitar, she's falling in love for the first time, and she's joining her friends to protest the wrongs of the world: environmental collapse, social discrimination, and political injustice.

But on what should have been the best day of Tegan's life, she dies--and wakes up a hundred years in the future, locked in a government facility with no idea what happened.

Tegan is the first government guinea pig to be cryonically frozen and successfully revived, which makes her an instant celebrity--even though all she wants to do is try to rebuild some semblance of a normal life. But the future isn't all she hoped it would be, and when appalling secrets come to light, Tegan must make a choice: Does she keep her head down and survive, or fight for a better future?

Award-winning author Karen Healey has created a haunting, cautionary tale of an inspiring protagonist living in a not-so-distant future that could easily be our own.
-------Goodreads Summary

Notable Quote

...it creeped me out, and I was worried about what they might do to persuade me, but I was much less concerned about a weirdo cult that expressly didn't want to kill me than I was about a powerful government that possibly did.

You've got to have priorities.

I'm not sure how I didn't realize this would be a sorta-political novel, especially after rereading that summary, but there it is: be prepared for a lot of enviro-speak and politics-based battles and things of that sort. It's not heavy, nor is it a lot to trudge through. In fact, it's actually all pretty fascinating and worked really well into the plot! But it's there, and it was a bit of a surprise for me. I'm actually glad I didn't realize it, because I'm usually really closed off to talk about politics, religion, you know--issues. I've got crazy avoidance tendencies when it comes to those, and I would have missed out on a fantastic novel if I'd fully grasped what was going on!

Something that also took me by surprise was how much fun I had while reading this. The humor here is fantastic - a bit dry, a bit deprecating, a bit sarcastic, but done so well that I was kind of enjoying watching Tegan and Bethari and Joph and Abdi struggle. It takes a pretty decent writer to make me have fun when I'm feeling so many things and stressing so hard about the characters!

I'm a little iffy on all the futuristic elements - mainly, the language. I enjoyed it all, don't get me wrong - and I think this is probably one of the best I've read in terms of likelihood and consistency - but I'm always a little hung up on those things. I start to consider if "ONTD" will really become a slang noun of the future, and before I know it I'm completely distracted or insisting that it's not going to happen. There are a few in When We Wake that I highly doubt would exist, and distracted me a bit, but I enjoyed a lot of others! Given more time, I might try to work a few of the words into my vocabulary (I totally use "frexing," fellow ATU fans!).

My favourite part of the novel has to be the characters - each one is so distinct and has such personality, I really loved them all. I updated my Goodreads status completely in support of Tegan once, because she's got great attitude (and by attitude, I actually mean attitude. Not a good outlook!) and I love how she's got uncontrollable rage going. She's not mean or out of sorts or obnoxious - she's angry and emotional and completely justified in all of it. I really loved Bethari and Joph, though I will tell you Beth was my favies because she's a journalist and I am totally her. There was one specific passage where I had to laugh because it's completely me when I'm trying to dig for info or get answers to questions that have been plaguing me. It was also a little crazy how quickly I came to care for Marie, she was such a fantastic mother figure to Tegan to the very end. Abdi took awhile to grow on me, and he still feels to be the most "typical" of characters. His character arc is pretty easy to guess, and there were no surprises with him. Not to say I didn't like him - I'd still hug Abdi in the dark any day - but all the others were so stellar, so he kind of fell to the background.

And ok - the ending. I can't...I mean. It's not the craziest ending there ever was, but it was still a bit cliffhanger-y and heart stopping! The structure of the novel itself was a lot of fun, how it's Tegan telling her story to us; and I loved when we found out exactly why she is. It ties everything together so well and makes so much sense. But then the end, when...I can't say, of course, but damnit where is Book 2 when I need it?! (THERE IS A BOOK 2, RIGHT?!)

Best surprise ever with this book? Every chapter title is a Beatles song, and I loved that. They were all so relevant to the content, and it was like a fun little soundtrack since I would get the song stuck in my head the moment I read the title!

4.5 Stars / 5

Review: Pivot Point by Kasie West (ARC)

Pivot Point (Pivot Point #1) by Kasie West
HarperTeen, 320 Pages
Expected US Release Date: February 12, 2013
Format: Print ARC
Source: Around the World ARC Tours - thank you!
Challenges: Debut Author Challenge

Knowing the outcome doesn’t always make a choice easier . . .

Addison Coleman’s life is one big “What if?” As a Searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes. It’s the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought. When Addie’s parents ambush her with the news of their divorce, she has to pick who she wants to live with—her father, who is leaving the paranormal compound to live among the “Norms,” or her mother, who is staying in the life Addie has always known. Addie loves her life just as it is, so her answer should be easy. One Search six weeks into the future proves it’s not.

In one potential future, Addie is adjusting to life outside the Compound as the new girl in a Norm high school where she meets Trevor, a cute, sensitive artist who understands her. In the other path, Addie is being pursued by the hottest guy in school—but she never wanted to be a quarterback’s girlfriend. When Addie’s father is asked to consult on a murder in the Compound, she’s unwittingly drawn into a dangerous game that threatens everything she holds dear. With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which reality she’s willing to live through . . . and who she can’t live without.
----------------------------Goodreads summary

Notable Quote

He shrugs. "Doesn't help to waste my time thinking about would've-beens."

Laila whispers, "He says to the girl with a mind full of them."

If you had the opportunity to see the outcomes of a choice, would you? Would you knowingly see what would happen on either side to make your decision? I'm not sure I would, to be honest. It'd be tempting, and I might do it once or twice - but I think it's a dangerous thing to know. How can you knowingly choose something over another? If it were a simple decision, it'd be easier to live with, of course - but if it were a decision like Addison's? I'm not sure I'd have the strength for it.

I loved Pivot Point so much, you guys. It's a fantastic concept with just the right amount of tension and worry and swoonage. The world of the Paranormals is so much fun to learn about, and I love that it's one that co-exists in a Normal world - not a true Dystopian, but one that's like a hidden society (that I would TOTALLY love to be a part of! I want an Ability!). It's a little bit paranormal with a little thriller, a little science fiction, and the best part to me? Totally reads like a contemporary!

Something I was a little iffy on was the idea of Addison's parents getting a divorce - I know it has to happen to make her Search her futures and see what would happen depending on who she opts to live with, but it felt like such a flimsy reason and a little too device-y for me. It's one of those plot elements that's necessary, but I personally resent them because they're forced and make me feel like I'm being manipulated to believe it. Especially since it's such a small portion of the novel anyway; it's the catalyst, but most of the pages are dedicated to each of her futures. The divorce hardly gets revisited, and while I don't want to dwell on that part or turn Pivot Point into some emo novel, I was definitely expecting it to be a larger part.

But that's a small annoyance, and I only had 2! The other is that the conclusion comes pretty fast. I read 300+ pages, for it to be done in what felt like 5. There is the set up for more (as this is part of a series, it makes sense), but it's quick and I seriously feel like if you blink too fast, you're going to miss the end to this. Which I suppose is fine, but it messed with my pacing for just a brief few moments.

Other than that? I LOVE THIS BOOK. I had no idea how much I would love it! It's fascinating getting to see Addie's life in the Norm world trying to assimilate versus her life staying in the Compound and getting to have a life using Abilities and being surrounded by people with abilities. And while I of course had my favourite path, I enjoyed both extraordinarily. The entire plot concept is so clever, because I definitely went into reading this wondering if I'm just going to read two versions of this girl's life, she'll figure out which one is ultimately better (sure, there'd be heartache, but it'd be worth it in the with her upstanding and humane decision), and then we move along. But it is SO SO much more, and I loved that moment where it clicked that these two futures are irrevocably tied together. Especially when one starts to influence how you see the other; Kasie's writing is fabulous and works so well making you heart leap between the two Futures.

How could I possibly do this without chatting about the boys?! Duke, the asshole douche with a heart that you can't help but love; and Trevor, the quiet cowboy with a solid stance and secret behind his eyes. It was never a question which one I prefer (I don't really do cowboys but there is absolutely ZERO way to resist Trevor), but I have to say I was surprised how much I liked Duke, too. He's so typical and charming and you want to hate him, but he's perfectly the character you can't help but laugh at. We all have those boys in real life, and Kasie does him wonderfully to make him real, too. There was a brief, flickering moment where I thought "Oh no, do I like Duke more?!"....but then I read the Norm future with Trevor and was like "Nope. Not a question. Nope nope nope." I usually scoff at readers who "claim" characters and say this boy is hers or that boy is hers for keeps - but omg, I CLAIM TREVOR.

Wow. That got ugly.

Pivot Point is a fantastically tense novel, with tons of characters to love, situations to agonize over, and decisions to make. You will feel every bit of anxiety and pressure Addison does, just as you will come to understand how impossible the decision is to make. You will love it, I assure you.

4.5 Stars / 5

Review: The Archived by Victoria Schwab (ARC)

The Archived (Archived #1) by Victoria Schwab
Disney-Hyperion, 336 pages
US Release Date: January 22, 2013 (go buy it!)
Format: Print ARC
Source: ALA Annual 2012 - thank you Hyperion!

Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books.

Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures that only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive.

Da first brought Mackenzie Bishop here four years ago, when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined to prove herself. Now Da is dead, and Mac has grown into what he once was, a ruthless Keeper, tasked with stopping often-violent Histories from waking up and getting out. Because of her job, she lies to the people she loves, and she knows fear for what it is: a useful tool for staying alive.

Being a Keeper isn't just dangerous-it's a constant reminder of those Mac has lost. Da's death was hard enough, but now her little brother is gone too. Mac starts to wonder about the boundary between living and dying, sleeping and waking. In the Archive, the dead must never be disturbed. And yet, someone is deliberately altering Histories, erasing essential chapters. Unless Mac can piece together what remains, the Archive itself might crumble and fall.

In this haunting, richly imagined novel, Victoria Schwab reveals the thin lines between past and present, love and pain, trust and deceit, unbearable loss and hard-won redemption.
------------------------Goodreads summary

Notable Quote

Ignorance may be bliss, but only if it outweighs curiosity. Curiosity is a gateway drug to sympathy...

The Archived is unlike anything I've ever read before. The concept itself was fascinating and immediately drew me in - mostly because I couldn't help but think of drone-like shells of people sitting on shelves, heads drooped in sleep mode - and I have to say, it did not disappoint!

It baffles me that people refer to this book as a Dystopian, because I just don't see that anywhere. It's hard to pin down, actually - a little bit fantasy, a little bit science fiction and paranormal, a little bit thriller and mystery. Whatever way you want to try and categorize it, just know that you will find something you like within it. My favourite part was the concept of The Archived itself and how Histories can be woken to the point of escape. It's such a clever, unique idea, and I can't wait to see what the rest of the series will bring to us.

I'll admit that it took me a little bit of time to get into the story - while the beginning is necessary by ways of explanation, there was something just a little too slow for me. But past the first 50 pages, I was absolutely, totally in. I highly suspect that Victoria meant it to be that way, actually - it made getting caught up in the story that much more of a whirlwind. Suddenly, your heart is pounding as she's in the narrows and hunting Histories, and you're screaming at the book for her to turn around, he's got a knife!

If I told you that I actually got scared by this book, would you believe me? Because you should. And it's not like it's an exceptionally scary book, or made to be terrifying or horror. Because it's not! But there was something about the writing and the scenery, the Narrows and how I imagined them to be the stuff of horror movies (dim hallways, fog drifting and lighting up only certain white chalk marks and vague doors that lead to God-Knows-What...), how it's about dying people who have been disturbed and are now trying to figure out where they are. Add in the idea of Keepers being able to read people and their pasts through a simple touch, and my imagination just goes wild. It is thrilling, in a disturbingly awesome way.

And...ok, we have to talk about the boys. Wesley first, since OMG I WANT HIM.  Guyliner and all (actually sometimes it can be hot...but we'll pretend I never said that). He's so hilarious and witty and surprising - sometimes a little too perfect, but I can accept it here because it works so well off Mackenzie. I'm not going to give away what part he plays with the whole thing, but...I believe in him. I believe in his abilities and his personality and his support and what he can do and omg can I just have him in my life, PLEASE?!

Moving on to Owen. Who I'm not going to say what he is or does either, but...I knew it. I KNEW IT. How dare Victoria toy with me in regards to him! I was so on the fence, and then I was so certain, but then it was all ripped away, but then I doubted the ripping...he's a fantastic character for getting me all riled up and invested. He's such a mystery, and then when I finally learned what he was doing, I wished so hard it could go back to the mystery. I hate him as much as I love his role.

But this story isn't just about boys, no matter how much I'm making it seem so. It's about love and family and how that can transcend the planes of existence into the Archived and what that bond can do. It's about friendship and coworkers and teams and just what is done to maintain that. It's about the belief in yourself and what you can do, and what you need to do to maintain who you are to those around you and who are you to yourself. It's about strength, and weakness, and how often one of those needs the other.

I am so excited for the rest of the series. I'm glad that Victoria says she doesn't do cliffhanger endings, because I seriously think a little bit of me would have died if she'd ended The Archived any other way. But how she does is a perfect setup for what's to come, too. There are still so many questions I have, and I love how much we learn about The Archived and its "employees" towards the end. Definitely whet my appetite, and I am going to be anticipated Book 2 like crazy now!

PS. MAJOR COVER LOVE. One of my favourites yet.

5 Stars