Review: The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

Title: The Body Finder
Author: Kimberly Derting
Pages: 329
Publisher: HarperTeen
Series: The Body Finder #1
Released: March 16, 2010
First Line: "Violet Ambrose wandered away from the safety of her father as she listened to the harmony of sounds weaving delicately around her."
From Goodreads: "Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the sixteen-year-old is confused by her new feelings for her best friend since childhood, she is more disturbed by her "power" to sense dead bodies—or at least those that have been murdered. Since she was a little girl, she has felt the echoes that the dead leave behind in the world... and the imprints that attach to their killers.

Violet has never considered her strange talent to be a gift; it mostly just led her to find the dead birds her cat had tired of playing with. But now that a serial killer has begun terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girls he's claimed haunt her daily, she realizes she might be the only person who can stop him.

Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet on her quest to find the murderer—and Violet is unnerved to find herself hoping that Jay's intentions are much more than friendly. But even as she's falling intensely in love, Violet is getting closer and closer to discovering a killer... and becoming his prey herself."

My Thoughts:

 I was so excited to read The Body Finder, but I'm sad to say that I was disappointed with this book. I was hoping for so much more, but this book didn't meet the high-expectations I'd set after seeing the great rating on Goodreads and all of the raving reviews. I guess this is one of those books that is over-rated.

I was drawn to this book by its title: The Body Finder. Sounds creepy and interesting, right? The idea of a psychic girl who senses dead bodies sounded really cool. The story starts out strong with an attention-grabbing scene of an 8 year-old Violet discovering a body in the woods. But unfortunately the story was lacking and by the end of the book I found myself skimming. There wasn't a whole lot of body-finding going on as much as there was boy-pining.

There was just too much romance in my opinion--it took over the story. Violet pines for her best friend Jay, who she suddenly discovers she has feelings for. What really irritated me about this romance is that she developed romantic feelings for him because he had 'developed into a man' and now he was 'hot' and she and every other girl in the book were now taking notice. Come on. Why couldn't she have fallen for him because he was an awesome guy? I know she liked him in part because he was nice, but the author talked about Jay's physical attractiveness sooo much that that got overshadowed and Violet began to feel shallow to me.

The romance just didn't work for me. Which sucks because it took up 2/3 of the story. I think the reason why was because of the characters. They were all underdeveloped and forgettable, and I didn't feel attached to them. Jay was nice but boring. Violet was alright, but Jay was always saving her which got annoying fast because, #1 Why couldn't she save herself for a change? and #2 Every time Violet got into a bad situation it became predictable that Jay was going to save her which killed the suspense.

But what irked me the most was the first kiss scene where the author switched back and forth between the killer's POV and Violet's and wrote it in a way that made it seem that Jay was the killer. And Violet was kissing him. I was so confused that I didn't even care that they had finally kissed. I didn't figure out Jay wasn't the killer until the next page, but by then I was irritated with the author and had totally given up on the romance.

It is true that a romance either works well or falls flat, and unfortunately in this case it was the latter for me.

Recommendations:

Overall, the book was just meh for me though there were some scenes that kept me on edge. The writing was average and could use more strengthening, and the initial concept was great but for me failed in execution. I don't think that I would recommend this book to a friend, and I won't be reading the sequels. Borrow it from the library if you have to read it.

My Rating: 

Writing: 3/5
Characters: 2/5
Plot: 2/5
Creativity/Originality: 4/5 (for initial idea)
Kept me interested: 2/5

Review: Taken by Storm by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Title: Taken by Storm
Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Pages: 314

Publisher: EgmontUSA

Series: Raised by Wolves #3

Released: May 22, 2012

First Line: "I ran as though my life depended on it."

From Goodreads: "Bryn knows first-hand that being the alpha of a werewolf pack means making hard decisions, and that being human makes things a thousand times worse. She's prepared to give up her humanity, but the wolf who promised to Change her is waiting - though for what, Bryn doesn't know. Still human, she must take her place in the werewolf Senate, the precarious democracy that rules the North American packs. Standing side by side with werewolves who were ancient long before she was ever born is enough of a challenge, but Bryn soon learns that the Senate has been called to deal with a problem: the kind of problem that involves human bodies, a Rabid werewolf, and memories that Bryn, Chase, and the rest of their pack would rather forget. With bodies stacking up and political pressure closing in from all sides, Bryn and her pack are going to have to turn to old enemies and even older friends for help - especially when it starts to look like this time, the monster might be one of their own."

My Thoughts:

Alright, so I really love these books. I just love werewolf books in general. The psychic angle that Jennifer Barnes puts on the story makes things interesting and sets it apart from other werewolf stories. But in this book I was a little thrown, because things got even weirder. I won't say how because it will give things away, but I'm just not sure how I felt about one of the twists. This is the main reason I decided to give this book a 4/5, because the aforementioned twist was just a little too weird for me.

Jennifer Barnes is really good at creating a story that keeps you turning the pages, and there was lots of suspense, mystery, and a few twists I didn't see coming. I like how the books build off of each other in a way that isn't predictable and is based on the character's actions and the consequences they have or the problems they create.

I really love some of these characters! Devon and Lake are probably my favorites, and their dialogue always gets me grinning or laughing. And Bryn is an awesome, strong heroine. But while Jennifer Barnes is strong plot-wise, the romantic elements are definitely her weakness, which is disappointing. Chase isn't developed much as a character at all, and his and Bryn's relationship isn't developed much either. I wish the romance had been better, but it didn't stop me from enjoying the story.

The pacing of this story felt a little weird to me. The ending almost felt rushed, like the author was trying to tie up too many loose ends too quickly. But there is still one loose end we never get a proper explanation for, which could potentially lead into another sequel? And while the book does end in a satisfying way, there is somewhat of a cliffhanger that could be suggesting another book.

Recommendations:

 I laughed, I cried, I fell in love with the characters and cheered them on. I loved Taken by Storm, and I would recommend the whole trilogy to those who enjoy werewolf stories. I'm not certain if the author is planning another book, but I really hope she is and I will definitely be reading it :]

My Rating:

Writing: 3/5
Characters: 4/5
Plot: 4/5
Creativity/Originality: 4/5
Kept me interested: 5/5  

Where have all the bookstores gone?? (My bookstore adventure)

Where Have All the Bookstores Gone?

I'm sure that if you love to read, you've probably noticed the shrinking number of bookstores. It's like they're becoming an endangered species. I was devastated when Border's went out of business, and one of the Books-A-Million stores in my area also closed and was turned into an Old Navy. Old Navy? Really? Really?? 

Today when I was out I found a Books-A-Million, and I was so excited when I saw it (and saw that it wasn't closed). Of course, I couldn't resist going in.

Oh, the smell! I'd forgotten how wonderful that bookstore smell is, that mixture of ink and paper. I hadn't realized how much I had missed bookstore visits. I felt like a little kid in a candy store and I spent nearly an hour browsing the YA section.

There were so many lovely, lovely books in one place! And so many that I wanted to buy, but I had to restrain myself because they were hardcovers and expensive.

But I think this partly is why bookstores are going out of business--people go there to browse, not to buy. I buy my books off of Amazon.com because I know I can get them cheaper there, and as a college student I need to save as much money as I can. In fact, I rarely even buy books anymore unless it's a sequel to a book I loved, or a book by an author I'm crazy about. Now I get nearly all of my books from the library, and if I fall in love with one I buy it later.

My Bookstore Finds

But I do love bookstores. I love looking at all the beautiful covers, reading all the titles, being able to pick up a book that interests me and skim through it. Browsing through bookstores allows me to make new discoveries, and I did find a few books on my outing today that I hadn't heard of before but will be adding to my to-read list:

Blood Ninja by Nick Lake

Ninjas and vampires? Yes, please!

Daughter of the Centaurs by Kate Klimo

I love horses and horse mythology. This sounded interesting!

 The Game of Triumphs by Laura Powell

Doesn't have the best rating on goodreads, but it sounds so interesting!

And of course, I couldn't resist leaving the store without a book ^.^ I decided to buy a softcover, which was less expensive. I decided on:

Sold by Patricia McCormick

I usually don't stray out of the fantasy genre too often but this is supposed to be a good one, and I feel very strongly about the issue of human trafficking. Can't wait to read it!

So Tell Me...

• Why do you think bookstores are disappearing?
• Where do you buy your books?
• Do you visit the bookstore anymore?

Happy reading!

Top 10 Characters I Would Like To Switch Places With For 24 Hours

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week's theme is...

Top 10 Characters You Would Like To Switch Places With For 24 Hours

How many times have I wished to swap places with fictional characters? *le sigh* Here are my picks (links lead to goodreads):

1. Hermione from the Harry Potter Series

Oh goodness, what I wouldn't give to switch places with Hermione Granger! She's smart, brave, and basically my role model. And who wouldn't want to go to Hogwarts to learn magic??

2. Eowyn from The Lord of Rings

Ok, so I've never actually read Lord of the Rings, but I love the movies! *sheepish grin* I would love to swap places with Eowyn--not only is she a brave, kick-ass shield maiden but she's from Rohan and is a horse person like me :D

3. Clary Fray from The Mortal Instruments Series

One word: Jace. *swoon*
And it would also be awesome to be a Shadow Hunter and kick demon butt ;)

4.  Tessa from The Infernal Devices Series

Two words: Will + Jem *double swoon*
Plus, Victorian London is awesome!

5. Jacinda from Firelight

I would love to be Jacinda for 24 hours! How awesome would it be to be a part-dragon with special senses and the ability to shift and fly?? Heck. Yes.

6. Evie from Paranormalcy

I wonder how many paranormals I could take down in 24 hours with a tazer...

7. Charlisse in The Redemption

Pirate ships and Captain Merrick...yes please!

8. Karou from The Daughter of Smoke and Bone

9. Susan Pevensie from The Chronicles of Narnia

I would love to go running around Narnia with a bow :D

10. Wendy from Peter Pan

I've always been fascinated with Neverland and would love to go there! Plus I kinda have a thing for Peter...










What were your top ten?

Review: Hallowed by Cynthia Hand

Title: Hallowed
Author: Cynthia Hand
Pages: 403

Publisher: HarperTeen

Series: Unearthly #2

Released: January 17, 2012

First Line: "In the dream, there's sorrow."

From Goodreads: "For months part-angel Clara Gardner trained to face the raging forest fire from her visions and rescue the alluring and mysterious Christian Prescott from the blaze. But nothing could prepare her for the fateful decisions she would be forced to make that day, or the startling revelation that her purpose—the task she was put on earth to accomplish—is not as straightforward as she thought.

Now, torn between her increasingly complicated feelings for Christian and her love for her boyfriend, Tucker, Clara struggles to make sense of what she was supposed to do the day of the fire. And, as she is drawn further into the world of part angels and the growing conflict between White Wings and Black Wings, Clara learns of the terrifying new reality that she must face: Someone close to her will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain, the only thing Clara knows for sure is that the fire was just the beginning."

 My Thoughts:

 “Our purpose on this earth is not one single event, an accomplishment we can check off a list. There is no test. No passing or failing. There's only us, each moment shaping who we are, into what we will become.”

Oh goodness I loved this book! This is going to be a difficult book to review without giving anything away...

Hallowed was very emotional, and at times heart-wrenching. It made me cry, and it's not often that a book does that. I'm just going to say that Clara is put through a lot in this book, and I could both sympathize/empathize with her pain and struggle.

A huge part of Hallowed is Clara finding out that there is more to her purpose than just saving Christian from the fire, but what exactly that is she doesn't know yet. All she does know is that she believes her purpose might have something to do with Christian. Clara has to decide whether she will accept her purpose or fight it if it means giving up Tucker and choosing Christian. Clara wrestles with this throughout the book, not wanting to be controlled by her destiny and wanting to make her own decisions. I really liked the themes in this book about fate, free will, purpose, and our choices.

In Hallowed Clara is also trying to figure out her feelings for Christian. I'm not a big fan of love triangles, but this one worked for me though it wasn't the best love triangle I've seen. I love, love, Tucker, but I'm not as crazy over Christian. I feel that his character is a little too mysterious and needs more development. I can't really say much here without giving anything away, so I'm just going to shut up x]

While I'm on the topic of characters, Angela is easily one of the best characters in this book! She's smart and quirky, and she made me laugh which helped to balance out the emotional parts of the book. Clara is also a great heroine--she is strong but flawed. She is stubborn, she struggles, and she makes mistakes. There is also lots of character conflict in this book to keep things interesting--conflict between Clara and her mom, Clara and Jeffrey, and Clara, Christian, and Tucker. 

In Hallowed we find out more about the angel-bloods, angels, and Black Wings, and there are also some surprising plot twists. Most of the plot is character driven, but there is a little bit of action too! The ending isn't a cliffhanger and it leaves you satisfied, but at the same time it leaves you anticipating the next book as well.

Recommendations:

 Hallowed is well-written and further develops Cynthia's Hand interesting take on angels with their purposes. I'm very excited for Boundless, especially after the hint near the ending of where it will be set :] I would definitely recommend Hallowed to those who loved Unearthly or to those who love stories about angels!

My Rating:

Writing: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Plot: 5/5
Creativity/Originality: 5/5
Kept me interested: 5/5  

 

Review: Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock

 Title: Hemlock
Author: Kathleen Peacock  
Pages: 416
Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books
Series: Hemlock #1
Released: May 8, 2012
First Line: "Blood ran down my hands in thin rivers."
From Goodreads: "Mackenzie and Amy were best friends.

Since then, Mac's life has been turned upside down. She is being haunted by Amy in her dreams, and an extremist group called the Trackers has come to Mac's hometown of Hemlock to hunt down Amy's killer:

A white werewolf.

Lupine syndrome--also known as the werewolf virus--is on the rise across the country. Many of the infected try to hide their symptoms, but bloodlust is not easy to control.

Wanting desperately to put an end to her nightmares, Mac decides to investigate Amy's murder herself. She discovers secrets lurking in the shadows of Hemlock, secrets about Amy's boy-friend, Jason, her good pal Kyle, and especially her late best friend. Mac is thrown into a maelstrom of violence and betrayal that puts her life at risk.

Kathleen Peacock's thrilling novel is the first in the Hemlock trilogy, a spell-binding urban fantasy series filled with provocative questions about prejudice, trust, lies, and love."

My Thoughts:

 "Old people asked each other where they'd been when JFK was shot; my generation asked each other if they could remember the day werewolves officially came out of the closet."

Alright, I'm going to go ahead and warn you that I'm partial towards werewolf books *stupid grin*. So this review may be a little biased because I'm more willing to forgive flaws in werewolf books because I love werewolves so much. I know, I'm hopeless. *sigh*

Anyways, on with the review!

I really liked the world that Kathleen Peacock created that gave a fresh take on werewolves. The government has admitted that werewolves exist, and rehabilitation camps have been set up across the country. Anyone with Lupine Syndrome or LS is required to turn themselves in and are sent to live out their lives in these camps. Of course, not everyone turns themselves in and many live in secret among humans. That's why there are the Trackers, an extremist group that goes around trying to uncover werewolves in hiding and send them to the rehabilitation camps.

The Trackers, and especially their leader, Derby, gave me chills. They were ruthless and cruel and when they made a threat you knew it wasn't a bluff. Several aspects of the story actually reminded me somewhat of WWI. The werewolves are seen as an inferior race and sent to rehabilitation camps, similar to what happened with the Jews with concentration camps (though no horrifying mass killings). The Trackers come to Hemlock and begin recruiting teens, which reminded me of the Natzis and the Hitler Youth. Posters are put up around Hemlock urging people to turn in those who they knew or suspected to be werewolves, just as people were urged to turn in Jews. These similarities to a real-life event made the Trackers all the more frightening and chilling to me. It also made me think about racism and prejudice in real-life.

For the most part I really liked the plot--having the culprit they're looking for be a werewolf gave it an interesting twist to the age-old murder mystery. There was plenty of suspense as well as some action and twists. There was also a touch of romance, but I'm sad to say the romance part just didn't work for me.

A large part of this was because Kyle's character wasn't developed enough for me to become really attached to him. I felt like all I knew about him was that he had been friends with Mac for 3 years, had shaggy brown hair, and a crazy ex. I felt like I didn't really know him. Other characters like Serena and Trey were a bit more developed, but still could have used more work. I felt like the most developed characters in the story were Mac and Jason. I really liked Mac, though at times the drama going on between her, Kyle, and Jason sometimes got annoying and confusing.

Recommendations:

 Overall, the mystery/action part of this plot kept me reading late into the night even though the romance didn't work for me. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy werewolf stories, but don't raise your expectations too high for the romance part.

My Rating:

Writing: 4/5
Characters: 3/5
Plot: 4/5
Creativity/Originality: 5/5
Kept me interested: 5/5 

If you've read Hemlock, what did you think? What is the best werewolf book you've read? Please, do tell! :D

Happy reading!

Top Ten Most Vivid Worlds In Books (TTT 2)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week's topic is...

Top Ten Most Vivid Worlds/Settings In Books

 I was very excited about this one, but it was difficult to choose! Here are my ten picks (all links lead to goodreads):

1. The Wizarding world in the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

When I was a kid, I wanted to go to Hogwarts. (Ok, I still do!) J.K. Rowling did such a magnificent job of creating a unique, interesting world with fun details. There are so many great settings--Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, the Burrow, Diagon Alley, Gringotts, Platform 9 3/4--and so many details that bring the world to life--Quidditch, Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Butter Beer, the Whomping Willow, the Marauder's Map. J.K. Rowling made an entire world that I wanted to visit myself.

2. Narnia in The Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis

Alright, I confess: when I was a kid, I checked my closet to see if I could find a way into Narnia. *embarrassed grin*

3. The island of Thisby in The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Maggie Stiefvater did an amazing job in bringing Thisby to life, and the setting was a character itself. The sea, the water horses, the November cakes... The fictional island felt like a real place that I could go visit.

4. District 12/Panem in The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins

Katniss's world is frightening and brutal, and not one I would really like to visit, but Suzanne Collins makes it come alive.

  

5. Inkworld in the Inkheart trilogy by Cornelia Funke

Cornelia Funke has a real talent for making a scene feel so real that you feel as though you are actually there. From Italy to the Inkworld, Cornelia Funke drew me right in!

6. Victorian London in The Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare

While reading the Clockwork Prince I was really drawn into the Victorian London setting. It was dark, mysterious, captivating... And Cassandra Clare also does an excellent job with the world of the Shadowhunters  as well.

7. The world of Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Maggie Stiefvater has a real talent for bringing settings to life. Not only do I remember the characters and scenes from this series, but the settings stand out to me as well: Beck's house, the bookstore where Sam works, the woods of Mercy Falls, the paper cranes hanging from the ceiling in Sam's room... The setting felt very real to me.

8. The futuristic New Beijing of Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Cinder is one of the best books I have read this year! It was such a creative and fun read! The world of New Beijing is filled with cyborgs, robots, and hover cars, and described in a way that draws you right in.

9. The pirate ships/high seas in The Redemption by M. L. Tyndall

I read this trilogy back in high school, so I'm a little fuzzy on the details but I remember that the author did a great job in making me feel like I was really on a pirate ship in the Caribbean with the characters.

 10. The enchanted moors of The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

This is one of those books where the setting itself is a character. The moors were haunting and beautiful as well as mysterious.










What books did you choose?