A Shore Thing by Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi

Published January 4, 2011 by Gallery
3 Stars

Goodreads Review
It’s a summer to remember . . . at the Jersey Shore.

Giovanna “Gia” Spumanti and her cousin Isabella “Bella” Rizzoli are going to have the sexiest summer ever. While they couldn’t be more different—pint-size Gia is a carefree, outspoken party girl and Bella is a tall, slender athlete who always holds her tongue—for the next month they’re ready to pouf up their hair, put on their stilettos, and soak up all that Seaside Heights, New Jersey, has to offer: hot guidos, cool clubs, fried Oreos, and lots of tequila.

So far, Gia’s summer is on fire. Between nearly burning down their rented bungalow, inventing the popular “tan-tags” at the Tantastic Salon where she works, and rescuing a shark on the beach, she becomes a local celebrity overnight. Luckily, she meets the perfect guy to help her keep the flames under control. Firefighter Frank Rossi is exactly her type: big, tan, and Italian. But is he tough enough to handle Gia when things really heat up?

Bella is more than ready for some fun in the sun. Finally free of her bonehead ex-boyfriend, she left home in Brooklyn with one goal in mind: hooking up with a sexy gorilla for a no-strings-attached summer fling. In no time, she lands a job leading “Beat Up the Beat” dance classes at a local gym, and is scooped up by Beemer-driving, preppy Bender Newberry. Only problem: Bella can’t get her romantic and ripped boss Tony “Trouble” Troublino out of her head. He’s relationship material. Suddenly, Bella’s not sure what she wants.

The cousins soon realize that for every friend they make on the boardwalk, there are also rivals, slummers, and frenemies who will do anything to ruin their summer—and try their relationship. Before July ends, the bonds of family and friendship will be stretched to the breaking point. Will the haters prevail, or will Gia and Bella find love at the Shore?

For everyone who loves MTV’s hit reality show, Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi’s sweet, funny, and sexy novel perfectly captures the heat, the energy, the fun, and the drama of Jersey Shore.

Review:  I have a confession.  I love Jersey Shore.  I mean, freaking LOVE it.  I don't know why, but I can't get enough of this fist pumping, hair poofing, GTL-ing mess of a show.  If you're like me and have no idea why you love Jersey Shore as well, then A Shore Thing will be a great summer read for you.

 

A Shore Thing may be a fictional story starring Gia and Bella, but it reads like any episode of Jersey Shore starring Snooki and J-Woww, the obvious inspirations for the characters.  In A Shore Thing Gia/Snooki and Bella/J-Woww get a house on the Jersey Shore for the summer to party and hook up with hot guido gorilla juice-heads, but nothing ever goes smoothly for these two.  I had a lot of fun reading about all of the crazy antics Gia and Bella got up to and I also loved how they were able to charm their way out of pretty much everything. 

 

A Shore Thing isn't a perfect book by any means, the plot is ridiculous at times but always predictable, the writing can be a little clunky, and let's be real this isn't going to be winning any great literature awards anytime soon, but it does address topics like confidence and body issues, friendships and healthy relationships, and what it means to be independent women, and it does it a lot more smoothly than I expected.  If you're looking for a funny summer read with a heart A Shore Thing may be just right for you.

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

#4 in The Mortal Instruments series
Published April 5, 2011 by Margaret K. McElderry Books
3 Stars

Goodreads Review
The Mortal War is over, and sixteen-year-old Clary Fray is back home in New York, excited about all the possibilities before her. She's training to become a Shadowhunter and to use her unique power. Her mother is getting married to the love of her life. Downworlders and Shadowhunters are at peace at last. And - most importantly of all - she can finally call Jace her boyfriend.

But nothing comes without a price.

Someone is murdering Shadowhunters who used to be in Valentine's Circle, provoking tensions between Downworlders and Shadowhunters that could lead to a second bloody war. Clary's best friend, Simon, can't help her. His mother just found out that he's a vampire and now he's homeless. Everywhere he turns, someone wants him on their side - along with the power of the curse that's wrecking his life. And they're willing to do anything to get what they want. At the same time he's dating two beautiful, dangerous girls - neither of whom knows about the other one.

When Jace begins to pull away from Clary without explaining why, she is forced to delve into the heart of a mystery whose solution reveals her worst nightmare: She herself has set in motion a terrible chain of events that could lead to her losing everything she loves. Even Jace.

Love. Blood. Betrayal. Revenge. The stakes are higher than ever in City of Fallen Angels.

Review:  First I just wanted to mention that I listened to the audio book of City of Fallen Angels and was read by Ed Westwick (also know and Chuck Bass from Gossip Girl) and Molly C. Quinn (Alexis Castle on Castle) and they are both absolutely amazing.  I highly recommend this audio book.

I actually liked this a lot more than the previous couple of Mortal Instruments books. If Clary and Jace hadn't been so terribly annoying throughout 98% of this I think It would have been my favorite of the series (Also freaking Alec gave me a migraine. Seriously, I can't tell who has more stupid angst, him or Jace. It's a tie for most obnoxious). As it stands they really knocked it down a few notches. However, I really enjoyed Simon's story. He's becoming a much more interesting character than...morewITH THAT SAID i'M GOING AGAINST THE GRAINwITH I actually liked this a lot more than the previous couple of Mortal Instruments books. If Clary and Jace hadn't been so terribly annoying throughout 98% of this I think It would have been my favorite of the series (Also freaking Alec gave me a migraine. Seriously, I can't tell who has more stupid angst, him or Jace. It's a tie for most obnoxious). As it stands they really knocked it down a few notches. However, I really enjoyed Simon's story. He's becoming a much more interesting character than the Nephilim. I'm curious to see what will come from his mark and I'm hoping he will become more vampire-y as the series goes on. He's basically the only interesting character at this point.  I also didn't hate his love triangle, though I thought he was pretty stupid about the whole thing.  I could relate to liking two people at the same time and not being able to choose one and worrying about hurting the other. I did think the story was interesting as well, at least on Simon's side.  Without giving away spoilers, I liked the cult a lot and hope they show up more.  I was a little disappointed by how the villain was delt with, it felt a little too easy/convenient.  I also thought the cliffhanger ending (and of course there's a cliffhanger) was ok, but I thought it was a little obvious (because Jace always has to have angst). So overall I enjoyed City of Fallen Angels a lot more than I expected.  Cassandra Clare does recycle plot points and characters and nothing in this book is all that original, but it was an interesting set up for a new "trilogy" in The Mortal Instruments series.

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater



 #1 in The Raven Cycle
Published September 18, 2012 by Scholastic Press
4 Stars

Goodreads Review
There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

From Maggie Stiefvater, the bestselling and acclaimed author of the Shiver trilogy and The Scorpio Races, comes a spellbinding new series where the inevitability of death and the nature of love lead us to a place we’ve never been before.

Review:  I absolutely loved the premise of The Raven Boys, but I had a hard time getting started with this novel.  The beginning felt very slow, largely due to the story being told from two separate perspectives (Blue and Gansey have alternating point of view chapters for a while).  However once Blue and Gansey meet and join forces the story takes a major turn.  I flew through the second half of this book and became completely immersed in the story and characters.

The Raven Boys is a bit of a slow burn to start off.  I think this is due to the fact that the marketing materials presented the book like it was going to be all about Blue and her family, but in reality Gansey is the main character for much of the novel.  I went into The Raven Boys expecting a story about a girl living with her psychic family, but instead I got a story about a group of boys trying to find a magical energy line.  This isn't bad necessarily, but it wasn't what I was expecting so I was put off at first. 

The biggest strength of The Raven Boys is the characters.  Each character feels supported and full. Everyone has a unique backstory that shapes their world view.  I really enjoyed reading how each character grows during the course of the book, in particular Blue, Gansey, and Ronan.  I also really enjoyed Blue's family and I really hope that we'll learn more about them in future books.

I'd say the pacing of the book is the biggest weakness.  It was slow and confusing at the beginning, and fast and confusing at the end.  I feel like this is a book I needed to re-read immediately after finishing because I felt like I missed something.  The world building in The Raven Boys sometimes felt too big for the book and that the ideas of the magic and mythology were difficult to get on paper. 

Overall the Raven Boys is an interesting, if sometimes confusing, start to a series.  While the world building and pacing were shaky at times the fantastically developed characters will definitely bring me back for book two.

Friday Face Off Cover Reveal: Cress

Friday Face Off is a meme hosted by one of my favorite book bloggers Misty over at The Book Rat. Usually this meme focuses on different cover designs for the same book and decides which is better for the story. I wanted to take this meme and add a little twist to it today by discussing a cover reveal!

Today I have great news, we got the cover for Cress, the third book in The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer!  I absolutely adored Cinder and Scarlet and Cress is definitely one of my most anticipated books of 2014.  I love the cover and I think it fits so well with the rest of the series.  The title font is to die for!  Do you like it?  Post in the comments below!

August 2013 New Reads

I have to admit, there aren't too many books coming out in August that I'm really excited for.  There's a bunch coming in September and October, but August is usually a slow month.  However there are a few, so let's discuss!

August 15

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke
#1 in the Between Series

Why I'm Excited:  This book has been getting a lot of hype about being something new and fresh in YA.  A lot of my friends who have gotten their paws on ARCs are raving about it, so I can't wait to read it for myself!











August 27

Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan

Why I'm Excited:  I'm excited for Two Boys Kissing largely due to the title and cover.  We get a TON of straight couples kissing covers (ie every Nicolas Sparks book EVER) but not many gay couples.  I love how this cover is designed exactly like so many hetero romances out there, but with two boys.  I am also really interested in the story and I hope that this book will provide the same outlet for GLBT teens as the characters in the novel.










Other Notable Releases

August 1 - Canary by Rachel Alpine

August 6 - Biting Bad by Chloe Neill
                   Infinity Glass by Myra McEntire
                   Elegy by Amanda Hocking

August 8 -  Charmed Vengeance by Suzanne Lazear

August 13 - False Sight by Dan Krokos

August 27 - Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas
                     Origin by Jennifer L. Armentrout

August 29 - Untold by Sarah Rees Brennan

Fever by Lauren DeStefeno

#2 in The Cemical Garden Series
Published February 21, 2012 by Simon & Schuster
1 Star

 Goodreads Review
Rhine and Gabriel have escaped the mansion, but danger is never far behind.

Running away brings Rhine and Gabriel right into a trap, in the form of a twisted carnival whose ringmistress keeps watch over a menagerie of girls. Just as Rhine uncovers what plans await her, her fortune turns again. With Gabriel at her side, Rhine travels through an environment as grim as the one she left a year ago - surroundings that mirror her own feelings of fear and hopelessness.

The two are determined to get to Manhattan, to relative safety with Rhine’s twin brother, Rowan. But the road there is long and perilous - and in a world where young women only live to age twenty and young men die at twenty-five, time is precious. Worse still, they can’t seem to elude Rhine’s father-in-law, Vaughn, who is determined to bring Rhine back to the mansion...by any means necessary.

In the sequel to Lauren DeStefano’s harrowing Wither, Rhine must decide if freedom is worth the price - now that she has more to lose than ever.

Review:  I didn't really like Wither, but I didn't hate it either.  I was put off by the lack of scientific support for the world building but I was interested in the characters and the drama that unfolded.  I thought Wither presented some interesting topics on forced marriages and human trafficking as well as the ethics of genetic manipulation and that in Fever we were going to explore these themes in greater depths.  Unfortunately these topics were barely touched on in this weak follow up.

Fever really suffers from middle book syndrome.  It's almost like the wordiness and overly poetic writing is trying to make up for the lack of character development, world building, or any real plot.    I feel like everything in this book, from the main character to the writing to the world building to even the book itself, is very surface level. Everything is pretty and shiny, but there's no substance, no meat, to anything.  It's like this book is saying "Look at how beautifully I described these girl's dresses and hair! Ignore the fact that they are child prostitutes, let me wax poetic about the fabric of their sex tent!"  The writing is very wishy washy, to the point where I wasn't sure what was happening (specifically with Gabriel and the cage and with Vaughn and his testing).  We're never told clearly what is happening, and instead of creating tension, it only creates confusion.

It's all very disappointing because I really liked the idea of the sex carnival and I thought it was an interesting setting to talk about tough issues like child prostitution.  But it's almost like the author presents these terrible situations but doesn't fully commit her writing or her main character to those situations.  Rhine gets exempt from abusive situations again and again (not having to consummate her marriage to Lindon, not having to prostitute with strangers).  Instead Rhine watches other children be victimized and doesn't do anything to help them other than feel kind of bad.  I feel like there is some indirect victim blaming going on here, that the child prostitutes are dirty and bad for having sex and that Rhine must stay pure and good because she is the main character.  I do not know if that was the intention, but that is the road Fever heads down and it is a very damaging and dangerous path.

Fever is a truly disappointing novel not just as a sequel, but as a missed opportunity to actually say something of value.  It just flits from topic to topic without fully committing to anything.

City of Glass by Cassandra Clare

#3 in The Mortal Instrument series
Published in 2009 by Margaret K. McElderry Books
2 Stars

Goodreads Review
To save her mother's life, Clary must travel to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters - never mind that entering the city without permission is against the Law, and breaking the Law could mean death. To make things worse, she learns that Jace does not want her there, and Simon has been thrown in prison by the Shadowhunters, who are deeply suspicious of a vampire who can withstand sunlight.

As Clary uncovers more about her family's past, she finds an ally in mysterious Shadowhunter Sebastian. With Valentine mustering the full force of his power to destroy all Shadowhunters forever, their only chance to defeat him is to fight alongside their eternal enemies. But can Downworlders and Shadowhunters put aside their hatred to work together? While Jace realizes exactly how much he's willing to risk for Clary, can she harness her newfound powers to help save the Glass City - whatever the cost?

Love is a mortal sin and the secrets of the past prove deadly as Clary and Jace face down Valentine in the final installment of the New York Times bestselling trilogy The Mortal Instruments.

Review:  City of Glass my be the most frustrating book of the entire series.  There are so many cool ideas in this novel, but it's like the interesting aspects of the world building and plot were rushed or pushed to the side so we could get to the stupid angst and drama going on with Clary and Jace.  And there is a lot of drama, but sadly not much else.

My biggest complaint with City of Glass is the writing style and choices.  A lot of the plot developments (what happened to the wizard Ragnor Fell, what happened with Clary's mother, what happened with Isabel and Max, ect.) happened "off screen".  Clary wouldn't be present for the actual event, she would just be told about it later.  There is a lot of truth to the "show don't tell" style of writing and we do not get shown much.  I also have to point out the horrific overuse of similes in this novel (and in Clare's writing in general).  Now, I'm not inherently against similes, when they make sense.  But when you start comparing every single characteristic a person or building or event has to something else seems just lazy to me.  My personal favorite, "There was a crash—the sound of shattering—and a sudden spray of broken glass like a shower of jagged stars."  What does that even mean? 

I found the plot to be very predictable (in fact I was predicting the events of this book at the end of City of Bones) and the amout of drama and angst surrounding this very obvious plot made me roll my eyes and shake my head a lot.  And it's just so disappointing because there really are a lot of cool ideas in this novel that I don't really want to to mention specifically because I don't want to spoil, but they are all so clouded by Clary's inner monologue stuck on her Jace obsession that it's just painful. 

Let's talk really quickly about the ending (no spoilers, promise!)  The final battle is just a huge disappointment.  After being stuck for over five chapters waiting around for the battle to begin, it barely lasts 5 pages!  I want some bloody action!  And the resolution with Valentine was a huge let down.  The whole ending was so anti-climactic and then everything is wrapped up in one convenient little bow.  I hate endings like that, I like it when character are actually affected by the events of the novel and they don't come out perfectly squeaky clean (ie Mockingjay). 

I honestly just don't get what people see in this series.  I think The Moral Instruments is a weak collection of fantasy tropes that are done much better in other series such as Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.