Spark (Amy Kathleen Ryan) Discussion

Written By: Kellie - Jul• 26•12

This is a discussion post and therefore absolutely contains spoilers. Consider yourself warned.

Earlier this week I reviewed Spark, the second novel in the Sky Chasers series but was left feeling like there was a lot more I wanted to say.

The romantic arc in this series has been a little unpredictable, which is always fantastic. Yes, we have seen many a female protagonist start off with the person she was supposed to be with only to fall for the other guy, but to have Kieran turn into what he did and be so misguided… well, I didn’t see it coming.

Let’s talk about Kieran for a second. He has obviously had some pretty extreme character “growth” and was unquestionably something of an antagonist in this part of the story… BUT, I was blown away by his moment right at the end where he realizes that he is not cut out to be negotiating on behalf of the entire crew, especially in the face a particularly shrewd adversary. It was unexpected and brought him back to the level of someone that you can almost understand, sometimes things just spiral out of control.

The rest of the characters also managed to follow more nontraditional flight paths. I really enjoyed how individual loyalties changed over time in ways that made sense for each character. As Kieran became more and more out of control, it would only make sense that even some of his most loyal followers would have moments of doubt, and once you’ve had that moment it’s hard to just forget it.

Okay, question for everyone… was there evidence of second saboteur that I missed? There feels like there is and I am just forgetting it so please help me out here. The writing style of these books suggests that everything is very well thought out, so I would be surprised if this huge plot twist was just thrown in at the end to keep us on our toes.

Last question… what did everyone make of Seth’s decision to stay behind on the Empyrean? What is that boy thinking? It’s a good way to keep both ships in the mix though, so we’ll see how it plays out and if he and Waverly get a happily ever after.

Can’t wait to see what happens next!

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This is Not a Test- Courtney Summers

Written By: Kellie - Jul• 25•12

Synopsis: It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self.

To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up. As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live.

But as the days crawl by, the motivations for survival change in startling ways and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life—and death—inside.

When everything is gone, what do you hold on to? -Goodreads

Review: When this book was pitched to me as ‘The Breakfast Club meets The Walking Dead‘, this really isn’t what I was expecting. It’s still really good, but it’s really more of dark contemporary novel that happens to be set in the middle of the zombie apocalypse. The main character Sloane is deeply depressed and has essentially lost all will to live, and this was before the zombie outbreak. Things certainly aren’t going to get any easier.

This books starts with a bang and ends with a bang (and a bit of a cliffhanger considering this seems to be a standalone), and I loved every second. You aren’t going to get a lot of the hows or whys concerning the zombie virus outbreak which I know will bug some people, but for me those weren’t really the important details.

A few reviews that I’ve seen have criticized the slow pace in the middle of the book, but I loved it!  It very much reminded me of how much I loved Life As We Knew It. Sometimes survival isn’t about the epic battles but the quiet moments waiting to see if you’ll live or die. There are some great zombie moments in this book, but the human moments are so much better.

The characters are great and dynamic, they act like real people. For example, the potential love interest for Sloane is a smoker. That is really not something you see very often now (and for good reason) and it made him that much more believable. Sloane’s depression and suicidal thoughts are also a constant presence despite everything that is going on around her. She may be practically alone in an abandoned high school but that girl’s ghosts still haunt her, and that isn’t an easy thing to shake.

I’m not usually a big fan of angst, and when you lock six teenagers in a high school at the end of the world you’re probably asking for trouble but every heart wrenching moment or personality clash was handled perfectly and not just for the sake of adding in some drama. I don’t want to say too much as going into this book mostly blind made for a great read. The zombies will probably be a big draw for a lot of you, but if you’re anything like me you’ll stick around because of anything else. I highly recommend you check this one out.

Buy the book @Amazon (US) @Amazon (CAN)

Rating:

 

 

 

Second Opinions:
@BookNerd.ca
@Debbie’s World of Books
@Novel Thoughts

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Top Ten Most Vivid Worlds/Settings

Written By: Kellie - Jul• 24•12

Presenting my top ten most vivid worlds & settings! Brought to you by The Broke & The Bookish. To mix things up a bit, this week we’re going with a countdown.

10. Anna & The French Kiss- Anna was such a great character to see Paris through, she really brought the city alive. I was lucky enough to go to this fantastic city a couple years ago and thought that Anna really captured her essence and added a dash of teenage wonder. Now I just have to find an excuse to go back.

9. The Lost Crown- Ahhh, Russia. The Lost Crown tells the story of the last days of the Romonov family from the perspectives of all four daughters. Each girl manages to bring Russia and the revolution alive in her own way. From a beautiful palace to a barren prison home, each setting is brought to life.

8. Blood Red Road- While I didn’t love this book, the world it created was more in depth than most that you’ll find in modern books. You could practically feel the dust on your skin as you were reading and could hear each character talk in their strange accents.

7. The Empyrean- Okay, so maybe I just reviewed Spark the other day but this world sticks in my head. This world being a spaceship. There is an entire civilization on this ship, with it’s own rules, roles and general spaceshippy things. You feel like the ship really is the character’s home and that brings it alive.

6. The Tri-Cities- Mercy Thompson lives in our world but with a twist. All manner of paranormal creatures are sharing this world with us. What really brings it to life is seeing the evolution of humans and supernaturals as secrets are revealed and politics start to play a part. Everything is clearly laid out from the first book (who can do what, what each characters limitations are) which makes it feel like ‘hmm, maybe my neighbor could be fae’, lots of fun!

5. Middle Earth- It’s hard to have a list of settings and not to include Middle Earth somewhere. Tolkien was the first to truly build a world from the bottom up and include everything from geography to new languages. Granted, the world may have been a little too bogged down in details to let readers stretch their imaginations but this world provided a lot of inspiration for countless future writers.

4. The Universe (or Douglas Adam’s take on it)- Ridiculousness in all its forms comes to life in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and the rest of Douglas Adam’s books. There is a great big universe out there so who’s to say anything is impossible.

3. Wonderland- One of my all time favorites! Lewis Carroll was among the first to really give the ridiculous a home. While we only get to see a small portion of Wonderland, there is no question that there is so much more out there and that anything goes.

2. Harry Potter- I’m sure this will be on everybody’s list but for a very good reason. J.K. Rowling created such a whimsical and well thought out world that millions and millions spent a lot of time hoping that maybe their letter from Hogwarts just got lost in the mail. It’s not difficult to imagine that there is a castle tucked away somewhere in England which makes this world really come alive.

1. The Black Jewels Trilogy- For me the number one spot belongs to my all time favorite series. The three dimensions that make up the world of The Black Jewels trilogy are just so dark, beautiful and perfectly crafted that I find myself going back again and again.

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The new Joan of ARCs

Written By: Kellie - Jul• 24•12

I have a big, big, big announcement! Something so exciting that I literally have been bouncing around since Friday because of it…

*drumroll*

Not too long ago I applied for an internship with the ever wonderful, YA centric Spencer Hill Press and lucky me, I will be joining their team! I will be playing the role (okay, filling the position) of Joan of ARCs, she who decides where all the coveted review copies get shipped off to from the mound of review requests. I promise not to let the power go to my head ;)

I’m really excited as this is a great first step towards working in the publishing world and to get to do this with a press that focuses on YA titles is pretty amazing. All YA all the time, that’s pretty much living the dream. On top of that, the people I will truly be working with is the YA blogging community.

Anyways, I am sure this is going to be quite the experience as no doubt, there is a lot to learn. Spencer Hill has some fantastic looking titles coming out in 2013 so be sure to stay tuned!

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Review: Spark by Amy Kathleen Ryan

Written By: Kellie - Jul• 23•12

sparkARC provided by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Synopsis: Waverly and Kieran are finally reunited on the Empyrean. Kieran has led the boys safely up to this point, and now that the girls are back, their mission seems slightly less impossible: to chase down the New Horizon, and save their parents from the enemy ship. But nothing is truly as it seems…Kieran’s leadership methods have raised Seth’s hackles— and Waverly’s suspicions. Is this really her fiancé? The handsome, loving boy she was torn from just a short time before? More and more, she finds her thoughts aligned with Seth’s. But if Seth is Kieran’s Enemy No. 1, what does that make her?

In one night, a strange explosion rocks the Empyrean—shooting them off course and delaying their pursuit of the New Horizon—and Seth is mysteriously released from the brig. Seth is the most obvious suspect for the explosion, and Waverly the most obvious suspect for releasing him. As the tension reaches a boiling point, will Seth be able to find the true culprit before Kieran locks them both away—or worse? Will Waverly follow her heart, even if it puts lives at risk? With the balance of power precarious and the clock ticking, every decision counts… every step brings them closer to a new beginning, or a sudden end… -Goodreads

Review: There are dark times aboard the Empyrean in this fantastic sequel to one of my favorite reads of last year. The first book was exactly what I wanted in a space opera type novel (I love the genre on TV but can never find what I’m looking for in a book) and while Spark was definitely a bit different from the first book it still gave me what I was looking for. Spaceship- check! Awesome plot- check! Believable characters- check!

All of the relationships in this second installment were complex and interwoven. If you’d asked me where I thought Kieran, Waverly & Seth were headed while I was reading the last book I never would have been able to predict any of what happened here. Sometimes that can indicate an author who is just jumping around of the sake of a wild ride but here I felt as though each major twist was a natural progression.

I feel like I’m reading a lot of books with political aspects to them (or I am just over analyzing that part of pretty much everything I read) and Spark is no different. I loved watching the power struggle between most of the older kids on the Empyrean and how loyalties shifted over the course of the book. One action could have a big effect on public opinion which in turn had an effect on all of the major players.

The only thing that stopped me from giving this book five stars is that for some reason it took me a few days to really get into it. Once I was hooked I devoured the rest of the book in a day but something was missing for me at first. Maybe it was just the usual growing pains of getting back into a series you’d been away from for awhile, but really it had only been six months or so, so I’m really not sure. Either way, once I was really in there was no turning back so I wont hold it against the series in the long run.

Minor spoiler, but near the end there is a big change that will mix things up a bit for the next book and I’m curious to see how everything will play out. The power struggle is sure to be hardcore and the characters are going to be outmatched and have a lot going against them. Pretty much, a recipe for awesome. Can’t wait for book three!

I feel like there is so much more I want to talk about but can’t get into without getting pretty spoiler-tastic, so if you have read Spark already please check back on Thursday for a discussion post.

Second Opinions:
@Books Live Forever
@Hope, Faith, Books
@The Teen Bookworm

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Throne of Glass- Sarah J. Maas

Written By: Kellie - Jul• 22•12

Synopsis: After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Her opponents are men—thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the kings council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she’ll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.

Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she’s bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her… but it’s the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead… quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.
-Goodreads

Review: Throne of Glass is easily one of the best books I’ve read this year, and my most unexpected BEA love so far. There were definitely similarities between this book and Maria V. Snyder’s Study series (which I also love) but Throne of Glass held its own.

Ever since The Hunger Games hit shelves there has been a non-stop barrage of books with some sort of competition element, so it’s not too shocking when you find out Celaena has to pass a series of tests that are designed to weed out the weak and test all manner of assassination related skills. Still, I thought it was all engaging and managed not to be overly predictable. You will never feel bogged down in minor details of the competition, instead it is just one piece of a greater whole.

Celaena is a great female lead. She’s had some pretty tough times recently so unlike a lot of fantasy women she is absolutely not in her prime. She has a lot of work to do but she does it because it needs doing. This is a girl you would want on your side in any kind of end of the world battle. She has her priorities right where they should be and is great at what she does because she has worked for it. That’s something we need to see a lot more of in not just YA but pretty much any genre.

A significant chunk of that whole of course involves the characters. There were only three or four central characters, all of whom were well fleshed out and the kind of people you could see yourself going to get a drink with. What really made the narrative stand out was the endless supply of people milling about in background of the story, all playing their role. Some only got a passing mention and others became personal favorites, but right through until the last page it feels like this world is truly alive and brimming with people.

There are some romantic elements to this book as well but they are never shoved down your throat. This girl is fighting for her life and dealing with a lot of other drama, if the most important thing on her mind had been her latest crush I doubt I would have loved her even half as much. I’m fairly certain that the love interest I would pick for her won’t be the one that she ends up with, but I still want to see how it plays out in the rest of the series.

What made it obvious to me that this was no ordinary teen fantasy novel were the political elements. This isn’t a land of peace and prosperity, and the King is a bit mad with power but change could be always be around the corner. The building blocks for future conflicts were laid out perfectly in this first installment and I can’t help but hope that a kick-ass revolution is on its way.

Finally, I want to touch on the magical elements that were used throughout the book. Throne of Glass is unquestionably a fantasy novel but in a much more subtle way than most stories. No one is running around with magic wands wreaking havoc, but there are dark forces and fae hidden away in the background manipulating things to their needs. I’m hoping this is something that will be explored more as the series continues.

Not sure yet how many books will be in this series but I’m confident Throne of Glass is going to make a big splash so I’m hoping to be following these books for a long time coming. This was a perfect lead in that always had you wanting more and asking questions about the bigger picture.

Buy the book @Amazon (US) @Amazon (CAN)

Rating:

 

 

 

Second Opinions:
@Two Chicks On Books
@The Readers Den
@Pen to Paper

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Sundays in bed with books (07/22)

Written By: Kellie - Jul• 22•12

This is absolutely a Sunday for reading! Last night around 1am I finished Ashes, Ashes by Jo Treggiari so that’s one checked off the list. I’m trying not to have a million different books on the go all the time, but it never seems to work out that way so I wouldn’t be surprised if I end up continuing one read AND starting another one.

Today I think I’ll be taking Cursed by Jennifer L. Armentrout with me to my aunts pool and probably start reading Changeling on Pulse It! because I’m running out of time and am really anxious to check it out as I’m a big Philippa Gregory fan.

Happy reading!

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The Guild: Knights of Good

Written By: Kellie - Jul• 20•12

ARC provided  by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Synopsis: Set before the first season of the show, these hilarious stories delighted fans and newbies alike and introduced plots that influenced the show itself, including season 5’s backstory of Tink, originally hinted at in these pages. Featuring a huge variety of comics’ best artists as well as many of the talents key to the web series, and leading directly to the moment Zaboo unexpectedly appears at a startled Codex’s front door in episode 1, this collection comprises a true “season 0” ofThe Guild! Collects the one-shots The Guild: Vork, The Guild: Tink, The Guild: Bladezz, The Guild: Clara, and The Guild: Zaboo. -Goodreads

Review: I had an absolute nerdgasm when I saw this title pop up on NetGalley. I. Love. The. Guild. Nerdery at its best! If you’re a fan of the web series this is a great way to get some background on the core group of characters. If you’re not but know a thing or two about MMORPG’s, you may still get a laugh out of reading this.

Knights of Good is broken up into different sections, each telling the story of a different member of ‘The Guild’. Each section is a chunk of hilarity all on its own, so don’t go into this expecting an epic storyline. For me Tinks part of the story wasn’t as enlightening as I was hoping for but still great (she’s my favorite) and Vork was pretty much what I was expecting. Each one shot accomplished exactly what it needed to so well done to the writers.

For those that don’t know what I’m rambling about here, The Guild is a web series about a group of individuals who meet up in real life after spending countless hours teaming up in an online game and forming a guild, The Knights of Good. All of the characters have their own brand of social awkwardness but really embrace who they are. If you haven’t noticed yet… I love it!

It’s hard for me to really comment on the art here as I got so lost in the stories that I don’t think I took enough notice of it, which in a way was a good thing but it would have been nice to see a few more stand out moments. There was never any question about which character was which and the art certainly never detracted from the reading experience. So really, no complaints.

There is no question that I highly recommend that any fans of The Guild check out Knights of Good should you get the opportunity. If you haven’t seen the series yet then head over to watchtheguild.com and be sure to let me know what you think!

Buy the book @Amazon (US) @Amazon (CAN)

Rating:

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House of Night Legacy- P.C. Cast

Written By: Kellie - Jul• 19•12

house of night legacySynopsis: Until recently, Zoey Redbird was an average high-school student worrying about grades, boys, and breakouts. But priorities have a way of changing when you are Marked as a vampyre, enroll in the vampyre academy House of Night, and have to figure out a whole new social hierarchy, affinities for elemental magic, and physiological changes that make you crave blood.
-Goodreads

Thoughts: It has been awhile since I’ve read any of the House of Night books (I feel like I’ve grown out of them… That particular brand of teenage angst or just vampires, I don’t know) so I’m going to try to review this as objectively as I can, after the next paragraph anyways.

Being familiar with House of Night, there were a few things that stood out to me. First off, it was weird to jump back into things near the beginning of the House of Night storyline. It took a few pages to really get into the story. Plus, the main character Zoey doesn’t look at all how I pictured her. She looks so much older in the graphic novel and not at all like a sixteen year old just coming into her own.

If I truly had started this graphic novel with no previous knowledge of this series I think I probably would have had a bad time trying to puzzle out how things tick in this world. Some things were mentioned without any real explanations but nothing really took away from the overall plot (just the world building) The story itself was engaging and fun, and I think it’s a good addition to this series.

My favorite part of Legacy has to be Zoey’s friends. They’re a pretty dynamic group of character and I actually found them to be more enjoyable here than in the books. There were a few moments where the writing was clearly trying for funny but that fell a little flat for me but overall the dialogue worked really well for each character. All of the main characters are written as realistic teenagers.

If you’re a fan of House of Night then I would absolutely pick up this graphic novel (which just came out earlier this month). If you’ve been curious but haven’t gotten around to reading any of the books yet, then I would recommend at least reading the first one before you read Legacy. Finally, if you’re not a fan or if you’ve never had much of an interest in a school full of teenage vampires then I would probably give this one a miss.

Buy the book @Amazon (US) @Amazon (CAN)

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The Pros & Cons of Graphic Novels

Written By: Kellie - Jul• 18•12

Pros
1. The visuals- Yup, this part is blatantly obvious. Graphic novels have pretty, pretty pictures… how clever of me for noticing. They are fantastic though and they change the way you experience a story. When you’re reading a graphic novel set in a world you know from a book it can be really exciting to see things come to life in front of you. This also forces a closer attention to detail that I know I sometimes lack when I am flying through an action scene, desperate to see what happens.

2. A change of pace- This is fairly simple but for those of us who read a lot (so, probably anyone here) it can be nice to change things up a little bit and experience a story in a different way. Graphic novels still possess many of the qualities I love about books but manage to touch my imagination differently.

3. A chance to reunite with old friends- A fairly recent trend in graphic novels is to continue stories (I’ve manly noticed this with TV shows) that may have been unfinished for some fans. The most obvious example of this is the Buffy Season 8 comics, that may not have gone over perfectly with the fan base but were still a wonderful opportunity to return to beloved settings and characters.

Cons
1. The Price- This is always the big one for me. For something I could read in an hour, I need to spend twice as much as I do on a book that might be able to last me a few days? I understand the why’s behind the price, there is a lot of work (and artistry) that goes into a graphic novel or comic book, but it’s still not a choice a lot of consumers can make lightly.

2. The length- As I said above, many of us can read through an entire volume in an hour or two. There is less of a chance to become fully involved in the story. Sad face.

3. Minimal opportunity for imagination- Part of the fun of reading is imagining the characters for yourself. With graphic novels there is very little room for interpretation. Sometimes this can be a great thing, but mostly it can make it more difficult to fully visualize everything in your head.

What are your thoughts on graphic novels? Are we for, against or indifferent?

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