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: 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: The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd (ARC)

The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd
Balzar + Bray (an imprint of HarperTeen/HarperCollins), 432 pages
Expected US Release Date: January 29, 2013
Format: Print ARC
Source: Around the World ARC Tours - thank you!

In the darkest places, even love is deadly.

Sixteen-year-old Juliet Moreau has built a life for herself in London—working as a maid, attending church on Sundays, and trying not to think about the scandal that ruined her life. After all, no one ever proved the rumors about her father's gruesome experiments. But when she learns he is alive and continuing his work on a remote tropical island, she is determined to find out if the accusations are true.

Accompanied by her father's handsome young assistant, Montgomery, and an enigmatic castaway, Edward—both of whom she is deeply drawn to—Juliet travels to the island, only to discover the depths of her father's madness: He has experimented on animals so that they resemble, speak, and behave as humans. And worse, one of the creatures has turned violent and is killing the island's inhabitants. Torn between horror and scientific curiosity, Juliet knows she must end her father's dangerous experiments and escape her jungle prison before it's too late. Yet as the island falls into chaos, she discovers the extent of her father's genius—and madness—in her own blood.

Inspired by H. G. Wells's classic The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Madman's Daughter is a dark and breathless Gothic thriller about the secrets we'll do anything to know and the truths we'll go to any lengths to protect.
-------------------Goodreads summary

Notable Quote

Montgomery might already have a bullet in his skull. Maybe Father would kill me, too. Then again, maybe not. There were worse things on the island than dying.

Prior to reading The Madman's Daughter, I would never have said I like Gothic Horror/Thriller. Or that I read it. Or that I would consider reading it (I'm easily scared). But now? Oh hell yes. I am DOWN with this genre if it's all like Megan Shepherd's book!

There were so many fantastic elements to this book I have no idea where to start! I picked it up because I'd always wanted to read The Island of Dr. Moreau, and I figured a YA version had to be pretty awesome - plus, I'll admit that I'm buying into the hype. So many people had this book on their WoWs, or were talking about how badly they wanted to read it, and then so many people signed up for the ARC Tour, and I was like "What is up with this book?! What makes it so awesome?"

The answer: EVERYTHING. EVERYTHING, I TELL YOU.

It really is a creepy tale. The idea of experimenting on animals and vivisection (live dissection) to make them talk, act and think like docile humans is enough to make my squirm; and then the details that are given just make it that much more gruesome. Megan can reeeaaally paint a picture, guys - guts and body parts and heartbeats while a scalpel is cleanly slicing through. It is terrifying and heart-pumping and awesome all at once. Like I said, I scare easy, but there's something so captivating about the writing and how each scene is described as well as how it plays into the entire story that had me absolutely riveted.

I'm not sure what it is, but female MCs are a bit of a struggle with me most times - I'm very critical of them simply because I compare them to myself and I am quite self-criticizing, no matter how often we are told not to do it. That said, I was surprised at how much I liked Juliet! She's got a fantastic personality mixed with a great heaping of strength and realism and intelligence. At the same time, I found her completely relatable in how much she doubted and yearned for love from her father and how scared she was of this madness that might be within her. She's well-rounded and well-developed and I can't wait to get to know her more through the rest of the trilogy.

Who else do I want to get to know? MONTGOMERY. In an entiiiiiiiiirely different way than I want to know Juliet though, and a whole lot less ladylike. I am so in love with this character, it is ridiculous. It's something to do with how smart and hopeless and broken he is, how he hates himself but is proud and how compassionate and caring he is towards everyone - animals and humans and the unfortunate inbetweens. Every scene between him and Juliet was crackling with delicious tension, and I can't even formulate how jealous I was of her for having his intentions. Even though he's blonde (ech...not my kind of man!) and arguably as intelligently mad as the father sometimes, I love him. All of him. Every bit. Yes.

Anyway. What was I saying? Right.

This was a phenomenal story. I haven't read the original tale, so I don't know what is taken from there or what is original or added, but I was totally taken for a ride. Things I thought would happen either didn't at all, or did in a way I never expected. Every time I thought I had something figured out, I was thrown through a loop and reminded that I am just a pawn in Megan's writing game. The pacing and tone is unreal, and I was completely, totally lost in the story. I found myself immersed with no hope of getting out until I'd read the very last word, and I have absolutely no regrets.

Here's what the magic is in this book: yes, it's creepy. It's weird to think of hybrid animals and humans, especially when there are characters who are spelled out exactly what they are (one character is a sheep + 3 rabbits and completely resembled a human. Yeah. Dwell on that). Kinda makes the skin crawl, actually. Juliet's father really is a madman, and you have no idea the extent of it (I barely believe it and I read it!). But through all this violence and weirdness, you also immensely care about everyone involved. You completely understand how the Father would think he's not mad and how he believes his experiments will improve humanity. You don't blame Montgomery for assisting the father all these years, through all the horrors. You fall in love with him, in an all-encompassing way. You want to hug Juliet to you and help her struggle her way through figuring out her Father and the island. And even though Edward is...well, I can't quite say what his placement in the story is (I had a hunch about mid-way through, but it still shocked me how everything played out!), but you still love him a little bit and want to run after him to the jungle.

Read this book, guys. I can't recommend it enough. If you're like me and think nah, I'm not into Gothic Horror - GET OVER IT. THIS IS WORTH IT.

But that ending? OMG. WHERE IS BOOK 2?! MY HEART!

5 Stars

Cover Love (1) + Book Trailer Badassery (1)

Badassery. Totally a word. In my world.

I don't normally do Cover Love posts, but two were just officially revealed that I cannot get over. LOVE.

Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

PEREGRINE <333333. That's actually not really how I pictured him, but I'm down with this version. I dig his True Blood Bill Compton/Stephen Moyer style goin' on. Aside from the man candy though, I do love the colours, as well as the swirling around him. I take it to be Ether, but who can really say?

Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza

I AM SO GLAD THIS HAS OFFICIALLY BEEN RELEASED. It's been floating around but not "official" so I chose never to post it, but thankfully it's here and I can finally squeal about it. Do you not LOVE this?! The colours. The imagery. The font. I want I want I want.

What do you think of Veronica's and Debra's covers?

Love it? Hate it?

I'm not a Book Trailer girl. I don't know why, it's just not something that appeals to me. I'll watch one if it keeps popping up on my Twitter feed, or if I am really curious about the book, but it's rare. Well, I happened to watch these 2 over the weekend and I basically fell in love. You should watch them too!

52 Reasons to Hate My Father by Jessica Brody

Doesn't this look like a real TV show or movie?! Awesome! I think it has been optioned for movie rights, so maybe one day we'll have a real movie trailer, too!

The Forsaken by Lisa M. Stasse

This is a book trailer I can get behind: few real people (because I dislike having impressions of characters before I read them), gorgeous landscape, great treatments, nice amount of teaser and intrigue...perfect. I am also dying for this dang book.

Do you like book trailers? Recommend one to me!

Top Ten Tuesday: Cover Love!

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish!  This week's topic is:

Top 10 Favourite Covers

For having a pretty solid memory, I'm pretty bad at remembering covers. So, mine are all from the last two years or so...(click all the images if you want the bigger versions!)

The Selection - Kiera Cass*

(just beautiful!)

Across the Universe - Beth Revis 

(I loved this so much it's a background on my computer)

Pure - Julianna Baggott*

(it's even more beautiful in real life, with the gloss/matte variation)

Winter Town - Stephen Emond*

(I love that the snow is hole punches!)

I'll Be There - Holly Goldberg Sloan 

(funnily enough, I had an ARC of this in my house 6 months before it was released and I didn't even realize -- because it didn't have a cover! The only reason I picked it up at the library was because of the cover!)

The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers - Lynn Weingarten*

(the stars!)

Illuminate - Aimee Agresti*

(everything: the font, the design, her dress, the shadow of wings...adore)

It's Kind of A Funny Story - Ned Vizzini

(it's poignant, and even more so once you read the book!)

A Great and Terrible Beauty - Libba Bray

(so elegant and classy)

The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern*

(the graphics!)

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Bunheads - Sophie Flack

(it's beautiful and different and a bit eerie)

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer - Michelle Hodkin

(this one stays with you for awhile)

Beauty Queens - Libba Bray

(it feels so wrong to see a pageant sash with bullets!)

*denotes an unread book

What are your favourite covers?

Leave your link in the comments and I'll check it out!