Early Review - Glitch by Heather Anastasiu

"History isn't all fact - it's just the story the victors tell to keep themselves in power. The more time passes, the easier it becomes to reinvent the past.""

I'm truly having a hard time deciding how to write a review for this book, so bear with me while I attempt to put into words my thoughts about this book. While at times the story was interesting enough that I didn't abandon it, it just wasn't appealing to my senses.

The main character was truly awful and it wasn't until the end that I even cared what happened to her or those around her. Could it be that it's not intended for a person of my age? Could be.

The sub-characters like Adrien and Max were just as bad, if not worse because of their actions or in some cases, their non-action. I'm not sure what the point of using words like Shuntin' hell! or "Godlam'd" was. If you were going to have a character using cuss words, use cuss words.

Under most circumstances, I love Dystopian novels. I enjoy reading about the world building and that is what holds the story together when all else fails. In this story the world came to an abrupt end, after nuclear bombs were dropped on the cities. (Or were they?) The survivors were forced to live under ground to avoid the nuclear winter and fallout.

Each survivor lives a bland life at the determination of the so called Community. All except those in what's called the Uppers who can pretty much eat, and drink and do whatever they want to do. Think of the community as big brother telling you what you can say, what you can eat, and how you can live while being monitored for anomalies 24 hours a day. (Kind of like life in a communist country.) The only feeling the survivors are allowed to maintain is fear because that keeps them safe and away from harm.

The year is 2287 and all humans except uppers are required to have a V-chip installed in their heads. These are installed at birth, and then replaced over the course of one's lifetime until they reach adulthood. They are also required to undergo constant quality checks of their hardware, like robots, to ensure that they are not glitching.

Our main protagonist is Zoel Q-24 a 17 year old teenager who is Glitching, or experiencing anomalies in her connection to the Link. She also has the power of telekinesis which makes her a rarity among those experiencing glitches.

For Zoel (Zoe), things change once she saves a little girl from being run over by a train by using her telekinesis. Shortly thereafter, she meets the foul mouthed Adrien who is more than he seems. It appears he has access to the outside world and is a member of the so called resistance.

Naturally, with a YA novel, you have the notoriously awful 3 way love triangle which is truly not what it seems. Thankfully, Zoe comes to the same conclusion that I did and even though Adrien has some serious issues, he's a lot better than the alternative.

As for Zoe, I found her bland and Mary Sue-ish. She has this really awesome power of telekinesis that only unfolds when all the chips are down, and she is put into an situation where people will die if she chooses wrong. She does, however, seem to genuinely care about what happens to her younger brother. Of course, there are other secrets that we learn along the way which tells the reader exactly why she feels that way.

Anyway, long story short, I am not sure if I will continue reading this series. I know there are a bunch of unanswered questions that will hopefully be revealed in the subsequent sequels. One can only hope that Zoe will be given broader character range so that I don't fall asleep at the helm.

*ARC* recvd 04/27/2012 via Netgalley for St. Martin's Press

Author - Heather Anastasiu
Title - Glitch
Publisher - St. Martin's Press
Releases - August 7, 2012

Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake (Anna # 2)

“Girl of Nightmares” picks up six months after the end of “Anna Dressed in Blood”. Cas and his mother have decided to stay in Thunder Bay to finish school. He still has his constant companions Thomas Sabin and Carmel Jones by his side as well as Morfan and Gideon for support.

The problem for Cas is that he is unable to move on and seems to find Anna in every face he's around. He then starts to wonder about his father’s athame (knife) and where the ghosts he kills really go now that the Obeahman is supposedly dead. This causes a rift between himself, Gideon and his mother which eventually leads to his trip to England to find the answers to his questions.

The major problem for Cas is a warning that there are secrets in this world that people kill to keep quiet. People, it seems, are watching Cas and they are the kind of people you don’t want to have watching you, or your back. These are the same people Cas’s own father used to work for and left because they had a falling out of sorts over the athame and how to use it. These are also people who are willing to replace Cas with someone more qualified and trained under their guidance.

While I liked the story well enough, this was not Anna Dressed in Blood. There was definitely more action, originality, suspense, and gore in the previous installment than in this book. I’m not saying I disliked the story. In fact, the story and the pacing and the way Cas eventually learns the truth that not everything is black and white, was done just right.

Cas was a real a downer in this book. He misses Anna like missing a body part and he starts seeing and hearing her everywhere he goes. He attempts to go out on a date, and falters...badly. He also nearly ends up getting his best friends hurt badly by continuing to take them on ghost hunts when he knows his mind is not in the game.

Cas meets up with his father's former group called the Order after Gideon tells him to stop with his nonsense and stay away. There he ends up reuniting with Anna at the near cost of his own life.

Then there are the side-kicks --Carmel and Thomas. I really wanted to throttle Carmel in this book for her actions and her flip flopping in what seemed like every 20 pages or so. I really felt sorry for Thomas in that he ends up being hurt by her shenanigans and should have moved on without her. Yet, Thomas and Carmel are made for each other and in the end, the duo ends up sticking by Cas’s side through thick and thin.

I'm UBER disappointed with Cas's mother. She’s supposedly a witch with some talent yet, she plays the third, and sometimes fourth string fiddle to Cass, Thomas, Carmel and even Morfan in this story. You wonder what exactly her purpose is in life besides being the one with the money to send Cas on his ghost hunting trips.

I guess I am like other reviewers in that I just didn't get the feel for this book like Anna Dressed in Blood. I liked the story well enough. I thought that Anna Dressed in Blood was one of the best books of 2011.

This one doesn't come close to being anywhere near as gory or suspenseful and that for me is the reason I'm not rating the book as high.
My actual thoughts upon finishing this book were…really? This is it? Are you effing kidding me?

So, while I'm rating it 3.5-4 stars, it's because I'm a wee bit disappointed in the overall concept of the story and not because Blake decided to change things up a little bit. I'm also highly disappointed that Anna didn't play more of a role in this book. After all, this series is called Anna, and not Cas.

Lastly, I’m disappointed in that this appears to be the last we shall see of Cas and Anna and crew and that is a shame. Please remember, these are my opinions, and may or may not reflect what others think about the story, the characters, or the actual plot of the story.
 
*Recvd 07/18/2012* Southern Book Bloggers Tour
Expected publication: August 7th 2012 by Tor Teen

Author - Kendare Blake
Title - Girl of Nightmares
Publisher - Tor Teen
Releases - August 7, 2012

Early Review - Throne of Glass by Sara J. Maas

"“You must listen to what I tell you. Nothing is a coincidence. Everything has a purpose. You were meant to come to this castle, just as you were meant to be an assassin, to learn the skills necessary for survival.”" Queen Elena to Celaena (Taken straight from ARC)

18-year-old Celaena Sardothien is serving out hard labor after being betrayed and captured by her enemies. After ending up in the salt minds of Ednovier where she is nothing more than a slave, she staves off attempts at murder and rape by the guards and fellow prisoners.

Having trained since the age of 8 to be the best assassin ever, she’s not easily killable as numerous guards and prisoners find out.
Celaena is known as Adarlan’s most skilled and feared assassin and it was her misfortune to trust the wrong people at the wrong time which got her sent to Ednovier in the first place.

Now, faced with certain death, she is given an opportunity by the Crown Prince of Adarlan Dorian Havilliard, to become the Kings Champion. All she has to do is face-off against 23 others, all of them men, in a battle of survival and skill sets and she will have her freedom after 4 years of service to the King. Given the bleakness of her future in the mines, she gladly agrees to Dorian’s proposition.

Yet, not everything is at it seems. The King of Adarlan is a piece of work. He is evil incarnate and wishes to expand his empire at the expense of anyone who gets in the way. There is also evil within the walls of the Glass Castle that wants to put an end to the competition and kill all the competitors.

"“Something evil dwells in this castle, something wicked enough to make the stars quake. Its malice echoes into all worlds,” the queen went on. “You must stop it. Forget your friendships; forget your debts and oaths. Destroy it, before it is too late, before a portal is ripped open so wide that there can be no undoing it.”"

Let me say right off the bat that I adore Fantasy of this nature. I love the fact that Maas created an alternative world that is straight out of Lord of the Rings. I love the fact that Maas also creates a strong, beautiful female lead character that isn’t afraid to show emotion and can kick some serious ass in the process. I highly disagree with anyone who compares this story to the Hunger Games. There is no comparison.

Although this is clearly billed as a YA novel, I would highly recommend it for all ages. I absolutely loved the world building that Sarah J Maas creates. I also enjoyed the sub characters like Dorian, Captain of the Guard Chaol Westfall, Princess Nehemia, and Queen Elena.

There is a bit of romance thrown into the storyline to make things more interesting. Yet, it’s not the highly objectionable 3 way love triangle that gets under my skin and causes me so much angst.

I can’t say enough about how Celaena was written. She is by far one of the best characters that I’ve read about in a very long time. She’s willing to take chances, she’s extremely brave, a bit on the sarcastic side, and she has an intelligence that rivals that of Dorian and Chaol. She loves to read books, and she plays music to remember those who have fallen before her. She becomes friends with Princess Nehemia and former Fae Queen Elena who both end up saving her life. Elena’s connection with Celaena is a mystery and one which I hope ends up being explored in the next installment.

Although Throne of Glass is the first book in the series, it doesn’t get bogged down by world or character building. The story is straight forward in it's mystery, suspense and conclusion. Celaena lives in a dangerous world where the King of Adarlan is an evil SOB who wishes to conquer all corners of the globe. She has one main mission and that is to survive and defeat the last men standing so that she can finally be free.

I’m obviously hoping to learn more about Celaena’s background in the next installment and how she ended up being trained by an assassin after her parents were murdered. In as far as my rating, I’m like a hanging chad in Florida, I can’t make up my mind what I want to rate this book. So, I shall leave it hanging between a 4, and 4.5 for now.

*ARC recvd 04.24.2012 from Bloomsbury Children's Books via Netgalley.com --Releases August 07, 2012.

Stacking the Shelves # 13

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

Thank you so much for those who stopped by and checked out my goodies for the week!

If you leave comments below, I shall endeavor to return the favor post haste :O)

Let's get right to it shall we?

Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake 

*Recvd via Southern Book Bloggers Tours*

Boyfriend from Hell by Jamie Quaid 

*Recvd from Pocket Books via Edelweiss*

Breathe by Sarah Crossan 

*Recvd from Greenwillow Books via Edelweiss*

Geekomancy by Michael R Underwood 

*Recvd from Pocket Star via Edelweiss*

Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff 

*Recvd from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley*

Inbetween by Tara Fuller 

*Recvd from Entangled Teen via NetGalley*

And, that's all folks!

You have to admit that when you get more than (1) book a week, you are doing

awesome! Nice to see that Entangled, St. Martin's Press, and Pocket Books are

so awesome in allowing access to their works!

Have a great week and enjoy your reading!

Feature & Follow Friday # 24

Q: Christmas in July! Someone gives you a gift card for two books (whatever that costs). What two books will you buy?

My Answer:

There are so many to choose from. I literally have over 1,000 books on my TBR

folder right now! However, I would probably choose the following books:

 

Both of these books have been on my recent Waiting On Wednesday feature.

The Friday Society sounds really, really good, while Alien vs Alien looks

to be another seriously wicked story by Gini Koch.

Those are my choices, what are yours?

I would love if you would leave commentary bellow with your linkage.

I also love new followers and will automatically follow you right back!

Have a great Friday!

Early Review - J.C Daniels "Blade Song"

"My sword aim is mighty. I will not falter. I will not fail." Kit's mantra

Truth be told. I haven't read any of J.C. Daniels/Shiloh Walker's previous novels so I can't compare them to any other author I do follow regularly. However, after reading BLADE SONG, and hopefully it's sequel called NIGHT BLADE, I will end up going back and revisiting her other works sometime in the near future.

Daniel's world building was actually pleasantly surprising and interesting. Those are normally the two things I look at when reviewing and rating a UF novel. In this world, supernaturals have gone public and have been living alongside humans for 50 years. Then, you have a group called Banner, (an extermination group) that targets dangerous non humans when they step out of line and cause problems. I'm not sure who is scarier, Kit or the Banner group.

Kitasa (Kit) Colbana is an investigator/bounty hunter who has a knack for killing things. She's part Aneira (see Amazon warrior) and part human. She has the ability to fade out (go invisible) and was trained to not only be an assassin, but a thief as well. She is also being chased by a vampire (Jude) thanks to asking him for help with a delicate situation 6 years before.

The story, at it's core, is Kit's attempt to find a missing cat shifter and bring him back to his pack as well as finding those responsible and bringing them to Kit's own form of justice. Of course, the Alpha just happens to be a psychotic beoyatch, and she ends up with a body guard (Damon) to keep her safe and focused on the job. Kit's background is a bit disheartening and disturbing knowing what she went through for the first 15 years of her life because she was part human. The fact that she escaped the abuse and torture and made her own way in the world is a huge part of the story.

I can't help but compare Kit with Kate Daniels. They are both demi-humans. They both carry a big bad swords that call to them. They both end up with a sexy ass shifters who just happen to be the Alphas of their respective packs. They both can take a beating like nobody's business and bounce back with a little help from their friends.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that people will probably love Damon. I hated him from the first moment he was introduced to the story. It wasn't until he shows his mettle and sticks up for Kit in more ways than one, that I had a change of heart. I dislike having any male characters call a grown woman little girl. It's truly demeaning and churlish and a bit disturbing. I realize Damon is a shifter, but I also hate all the touching he does throughout this book. In the end, Damon ends up being Kit's supporter, bodyguard, and lover.

J.C./Shiloh Walker - Thank you so much for providing me a copy of this to review and read. I definitely recommend this book to those who love a good UF story.

Expected publication: August 1st 2012 by Shiloh Walker, Inc

Waiting on Wednesday # 19

 

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted here, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. it origins from Breaking The Spine and we're glad to be able to use it .

I apologize for missing last week. I figured with all the new cover reveals I

did, it was enough for one week. So, what am I looking forward to this week?

Description:

Be your own hero.
An action-packed tale of gowns, guys, guns--and the heroines who use them all
Set in Edwardian London, "The Friday Society" follows the stories of three very intelligent and talented young women, all of whom are assistants to powerful men: Cora, lab assistant; Michiko, Japanese fight assistant; and Nellie, magician's assistant. The three young women's lives become inexorably intertwined after a chance meeting at a ball that ends with the discovery of a murdered mystery man.
It's up to these three, in their own charming but bold way, to solve the murder--and the crimes they believe may be connected to it--without calling "too" much attention to themselves.
Told with Adrienne Kress's sharp wit and a great deal of irreverence, this Steampunk whodunit introduces three unforgettable and very ladylike--well, relatively ladylike--heroines poised for more dangerous adventures.

This is yet another steampunk novel set in merry old England.

 I love the premise of this story, and am trying my

hardest to gain a copy of this book before it comes out!