Review: Boundless by Cynthia Hand

Boundless
Unearthly #3

Author: Cynthia Hand

Publication Date: January 22, 2013

Publisher: HarperTeen

Genre: Fantasy

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Synopsis:

The past few years have held more surprises than part-angel Clara Gardner could ever have anticipated. Yet from the dizzying highs of first love, to the agonizing low of losing someone close to her, the one thing she can no longer deny is that she was never meant to live a normal life. 

 Since discovering the special role she plays among the other angel-bloods, Clara has been determined to protect Tucker Avery from the evil that follows her . . . even if it means breaking both their hearts. Leaving town seems like the best option, so she’s headed back to California - and so is Christian Prescott, the irresistible boy from the vision that started her on this journey in the first place. 

 As Clara makes her way in a world that is frighteningly new, she discovers that the fallen angel who attacked her is watching her every move. And he’s not the only one. . . . With the battle against the Black Wings looming, Clara knows she must finally fulfill her destiny. But it won’t come without sacrifices and betrayal. 

 In the riveting finale of the Unearthly series, Clara must decide her fate once and for all.

My Thoughts: I have enjoyed this series since the beginning and Boundless certainly kept up the greatness of the previous two books.  I'll admit, for most of the series I was kind of hoping that she could have her cake and eat it too, as the saying goes, with Tucker and Christian.  Unfortunately, at the end of the series a choice had to be made.

In the last novel of the Unearthly Series we find Clara and her best friend, Angela, finally going off to the college,  Not just any college though, the one that Angela has seen in her angelic visions since she can remember.  There, Clara once again runs into Christian Prescott - who just happens to be attending the same university as her.  When she realizes that the fallen angel, Samjeeza, is still following her with his drowning sorrow Clara is determined to find out why and put a stop to it.

So much went on in this novel in regards to plot it really is hard to nail down an exact summary without giving too much away.  I was super excited to see Clara warming up to Christian a bit more.  Since Angela goes a little AWOL during their time in college for a while, Clara and Christian end up spending a lot of time together.  As a reader, this made me super happy because, despite all of the Tucker lovers, I was and still am firmly on Team Christian.

Clara seems more sure of herself in some ways in this book.  She has finally wholly accepted what she is and seems to have embraced it more fully.  So, when her dad shows up and starts training her with a sword in preparation of a battle to come, and knowing that Christian had seen a vision of himself fighting with a sword, Clara jumps headlong into the training.  However, every time she tries to "jump" places using her glory, somehow she always ends up in Tucker Avery's barn the whole way across the country.

Christian just made me root for him more and more throughout this book.  We get to see him a lot more than any of the previous books and really get some alone time between him and Clara without Tucker in the middle of it.  I always felt that these two have a deep connection and if Tucker had never been there, despite their rocky start, they could have had something awesome.  Now that Tucker is the whole way across the country, you can really see the tension and sparks between Clara and Christian.

Tucker wasn't really in much of the novel, except for when Clara unexpectedly pops into his barn and again near the end.  I was both sad that I didn't get to see more of him, but also enthralled in what was happening back at college in California.

Overall, I think that this book was an excellent wrap up on a series I really liked.  It wrapped up all of the loose ends that I could think of and, though part of the end was a little unbelievable for me, I felt like the story was completed - which is always a good feeling at the end of a series.

Review: Independence by Shelly Crane

Independence
Significance #4

Author: Shelly Crane

Publication Date: December 18, 2012

Genre: Fantasy

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Synopsis:

In the fourth and final installment, Maggie and Caleb must tie up all the loose ends of their lives and make a way to be together completely on their own. With everything that happened with Bish and Maggie's father, she's almost reluctant to move on and move out. And now she must figure out all of this...stuff...with Haddock. But of course, nothing can stay simple for the Jacobsons. Enemies who were thought to be dissolved have decided to not go down so easily. And old flames come calling for more than just Maggie. Caleb is torn between leading his family and personal wants. Maggie is torn between Caleb and being the leader of their people. But neither will let what they need most to be pushed to the wayside. They are determined to make it all work, design a plan toward destiny, and make everything right again for themselves and their family. 

And then there's a wedding...

My Thoughts: I had been waiting on this novel for what seemed a very long time.  When I finally held it in my hands (or rather, my Kobo with it newly loaded) I almost did a happy dance.  Okay, maybe I did do a happy dance.  I was so completely invested in Caleb and Maggie that it took no time for me to pick up exactly where I left off in the series.

This is the last book in a four book series that I adore.  If you check out my review for the first one, here, then you will know that I love the premise, background, lore and characters that are present throughout the series. It is also the first book that I wrote a review on, so the series has a special place in my heart.  But regardless of that, it is still one that is definitely worth checking out.

Maggie and Caleb are finally getting everything they have wanted, dreamed of and even seen.  Now that they both have their own places carved out for them in their world everything is beginning to come together.  That doesn't mean that they aren't overcome with hardships on the way though.  I did find that in this last novel, things weren't quite as dramatic as the previous ones.  Some of the tie-ups were very anti-climatic and almost strange how they happened, but at least everything got settled.

By the end of the novel, everything was tied up in a neat little bow - just as the end of the series should be.  It didn't leave you asking questions.  I also LOVED how at the end in the epilogue you get a sneak peek into the future after all of this is finished.  It really just added the icing to the top of the cake and made me feel like the story was really complete.

Given how much I loved the Significance series, Shelly Crane anything from Shelly Crane is definitely on my TBR pile.

Review: Looking for Alaska by John Green

Looking for Alaska

Author: John Green

Publication Date: December 28th, 2006

Publisher: Speak

Genre: YA/Contemporary

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Synopsis:

Before. Miles "Pudge" Halter's whole existence has been one big nonevent, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave the "Great Perhaps" (François Rabelais, poet) even more. Then he heads off to the sometimes crazy, possibly unstable, and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed-up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young, who is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart. After. Nothing is ever the same.

My Thoughts: This book surprised me emotionally. I went into this completely unprepared for what I was about to experience. I honestly expected another heart torn romance. An unrequited love, a life changing romance. And while it is kind of those things it is also so much more.

This book dares to go there. It dares to take you to the darker places. I feel like it lays so much bare, almost so that you feel exposed. While that may sound confusing, maybe you'll understand once you read it, or if you have read it already. The window we get into these young people's mind is just so clear, so honest and real, and it holds nothing back.

It's  another story about coming of age, about finding real friends, and the real you. We get to go on the journey with a group of teenagers who we might call misfits. They are the branches off the norm, the eccentric. But they boldly accept their titles and wear them with pride. While I felt like they were so much more grown up than I was at their age, I think it comes with what they've experienced and also with being at a boarding school. This made it a little bit harder for me to develop a connection with the characters, but the story was riveting nonetheless.

At the end we are still left with some questions, but the answers seem unattainable as we know from reading the story. It's as if we are suffering along with the characters. In their goal to find the answers no matter what the cost. And again in their acceptance that in the end, not everything is meant to be known and we just have to take what we get and make the best of it.

It's a really great story that I would recommend to just about anyone and it definitely earned it's place among the top 100 YA list.

Book Review: The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Author: Stephen Chbosky

Publication Date: February 1st, 1999

Publisher: MTV & Pocket Books

Genre: Contemporary/YA

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Synopsis:

Charlie is a freshman. And while he's not the biggest geek in the school, he is by no means popular. Shy, introspective, intelligent beyond his years yet socially awkward, he is a wallflower, caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it. Charlie is attempting to navigate his way through uncharted territory: the world of first dates and mix-tapes, family dramas and new friends; the world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite. But Charlie can't stay on the sideline forever. Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor.

My Thoughts:   I never heard of this book really until  I heard about the movie. Which I feel kind of bad for, but I did the right thing and I read the book before I watched the movie, so I don't feel as bad about it anymore. It also happens to be on a list of top 100 YA books I am attempting to tackle, so it was a good excuse as any to crack it open.

I really haven't read many contemporary books. I've definitely read more just this year though than I ever have. That being said, my total amount read is still pretty low. I never had much of a taste for them before. I always wanted  fantasy, paranormal or sci-fi. But I am beginning to really like them. The few I have read this year I have extremely enjoyed. Including this one.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower was definitely written with the teenagers in mind. I'm sure it was aimed at them specifically, but I also think that it makes for a good read for any age really. It's a story about finding yourself and also a story about losing yourself. It's dual messages don't stop there either because I found it to carry good messages for not letting other people take you down, but also, not letting you take yourself down either. It showed us that message that is so popular lately, it gets better. And again it's teaching us two things at once because it's brutally honest as it shows us that things usually get worse before they get better.

Charlie has a lot going on in that mind of his. He has experienced so much emotionally and he doesn't have the ability to talk about it. Charlie doesn't talk much at all period. He's an observer and he is really good at taking things in. But in is where they stay and that doesn't work out so well for him.  It of course doesn't help that he doesn't really have any friends. Not since his closest one committed suicide unexpectedly. Until one day he comes upon Sam & Patrick and his life takes on a brand new light. He finds people who can actually accept him for who he is, people who make him feel normal, and even loved.

The method in which the story was written was so unique and  made the it all that much more interesting. I think it takes some pretty good ability to be able to tell the story in such a fashion. We are the readers of letters that Charlie is writing anonymously. As a means to alleviate the endless thoughts he has in his mind, a way to talk about his feelings on daily events without feeling judged. It's such a different idea and Chbosky pulls it off so well.

For once my favorite character wasn't actually the main character.  My favorite character was definitely Patrick. I fell in love with him right away, and at times I even sympathised more for him than I did for Charlie.  I could easily read a story written about him and his own experiences. I almost wish I could read the whole book again, but from his point of view. Not that I didn't enjoy Charlie's character as well, but I definitely had a major soft spot for Patrick.

This book is an oldie, but if you're like me and you still haven't read it. Than I really think you should :) Especially those of you out there who are also just beginning to discover yourself and find your place in the world. It's not easy task, but a book always makes for a great companion!

Review: Insatiable by Meg Cabot

Insatiable

(Insatiable #1)

Author: Meg Cabot

Publication Date: June 8, 2010

Publisher: William Morrow

Genre: Fantasy/Romance

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Synopsis:

Sick of vampires? So is Meena Harper.
But her boss is making her write about them anyway, even though Meena doesn’t believe in them.

Not that Meena isn’t familiar with the supernatural. See, Meena Harper knows how you’re going to die (not that you’re going to believe her; no one ever does).

But not even Meena’s precognition can prepare her for what happens when she meets—then makes the mistake of falling in love with—Lucien Antonescu, a modern-day prince with a bit of a dark side . . . a dark side a lot of people, like an ancient society of vampire-hunters, would prefer to see him dead for.

The problem is, he already is dead. Maybe that’s why he’s the first guy Meena’s ever met that she could see herself having a future with. See, while Meena’s always been able to see everyone else’s future, she’s never been able look into her own.

And while Lucien seems like everything Meena has ever dreamed of in a boyfriend, he might turn out to be more like a nightmare.

Now might be a good time for Meena to start learning to predict her own future . . .
If she even has one.

My Thoughts: Meena Harper was just a regular dialogue writer on a soap opera - except for the small fact that she could see how everyone around her would die. Although, no one usually believes her. Then, she meets the handsome prince Lucien Antonescu and her life changes forever.

I love Meena (short for Wilhelmeena) Harper. Yeah, sure, she writes and loves soap operas and eventually fell in love overnight - but hey, gotta believe in love at first sight once in a while. This girl is definitely not a push-over though. She takes everything with a grain of salt and stands up for her beliefs, even when other people are telling her otherwise. She also has an iron-clad conscious that forces her to help everyone and anyone she believes she can.

There is a small love-triangle between Meena, Lucien (her vampire boyfriend) and Alaric Wulf (vampire-hunter). I hope that in the next book in this series that it will be explored more fully and certainly could be an interesting and even more complicated set of relationships.

Oh, and Meena’s unemployed brother Jonathan (Jon) is hilarious in a sad sort of way. He gave me chuckles a few times in this novel.

There were a few unrealistic aspects to this novel. Falling in love in a couple of hours seems strange, but I can give love at first sight the benefit of the doubt there. However, when everyone the character seems to know starts turning out to be vampires - I find that a little over the top.

But overall, I enjoyed this novel for what it was - a vampire novel with some pretty gorgeous guys that have a lot of money. Throw in some blood, battles and a five-hundred year old sibling rivalry combined with a giant fire-breathing dragon and you have Insatiable. This series is definitely on my radar for a good guilty pleasure.

Review: Abandon by Meg Cabot

Abandon

Author: Meg Cabot

Publication Date: April 26, 2011

Publisher: Point

Genre: Fantasy/Mythology

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Synopsis:

Though she tries returning to the life she knew before the accident, Pierce can't help but feel at once a part of this world, and apart from it. Yet she's never alone . . . because someone is always watching her. Escape from the realm of the dead is impossible when someone there wants you back.

But now she's moved to a new town. Maybe at her new school, she can start fresh. Maybe she can stop feeling so afraid.

Only she can't. Because even here, he finds her. That's how desperately he wants her back. She knows he's no guardian angel, and his dark world isn't exactly heaven, yet she can't stay away . . . especially since he always appears when she least expects it, but exactly when she needs him most.

But if she lets herself fall any further, she may just find herself back in the one place she most fears: the Underworld.

My Thoughts: This book wasn’t exactly what I had expected when I first opened it, but that wasn’t a bad thing in this case. I was expecting another re-telling of the classic Hades and Persephone relationship or some other form of it (which it kind of was) but it wasn’t exactly how I had imagined it going.

Pierce Oliviera died when she was fifteen. Then, she did what all people do when they die – wait in line. Until she sees a man that she recognises from childhood on a horse and he appears to be in charge. She catches his attention and her afterlife was never the same. Until she woke up – alive in her mother’s arms.

This romance kind of confused me a bit. I mean, I am used to the quick-love thing that seems to be present in most YA novels, but this one was a bit much for me. These two met for about 10-20 minutes about4 times in a year and a half span. Each resulted in arguments, near-death for other people and once with hot tea in the face. Then suddenly, professions of love.

But, I have to admit, I was a guilty pleasure of mine to enjoy it.

Pierce is kind and caring in a pretty legit way. She actually sincerely cares about everything. She risks her life to save animals and easily forgives people (maybe with the exception of John).

John’s mood swings are fast and pretty intense. One minute he is insanely angry and the next completely calm. The relationship between the two certainly has an interesting dynamic.

The book ended kind of abruptly (although, despite being a pet-peeve of mine I didn’t seem to mind in this case). The relationship came on fast and strong. The book doesn’t exactly begin at the start of the story either. Regardless of all that, I still enjoyed the book a lot – which says a lot about the characters and the writers. I would definitely recommend this to people who love the Underworld as much as I do!

Review: The Giver by Lois Lowry

The Giver

Author: Lois Lowry

Publication Date: January 24th, 2006

Publisher: Ember

Genre: YA/Dystopian/

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Synopsis:

Jonas's world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear or pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the Community. When Jonas turns twelve, he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life. Now, it is time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back.

My Thoughts: This was a pretty short read so I won't be able to say too much about it. But I can tell you that I really enjoyed it. It was compelling and a definite page turner. I finished it in less than a day, which isn't that impressive when you think how short it is. But as a mom of 3, I don't get a lot of free time haha. It was hard to put it down and I was always excited to pick it back up and get a few more minutes reading in.

Don't laugh, but I didn't even know what Dystopians were until a fairly recently. Once I found out what they were I realized I had already read a few of them, but I have discovered that I really like them. I don't think I've read one yet I didn't enjoy.  This was was really good and probably close to the top of my favorite Dystopians. It reminded me a lot of 1984 by George Orwell. They were the same in the way that no one was in control of their own lives, no one gets to make choices. But in the Giver they take one thing even further. In 1984, they altered history and events to their own advantage, but in The Giver, history doesn't really exist. All these people live in essentially a little box. They only know what the ancients want them to know, which isn't anything at all really. How to do their job and that's it. Even families aren't made by choice. Matches for partners are made by the ancients, and even children are matched to parents. I'm not even entirely sure how kids are made in this world. I know some women are assigned the role of Birth Mother. It's their job to have babies, literally. But, as far as I can tell, there are no such thing as sexual relations in this story. In fact the main character is told to take a pill that wipes out all such urges and thoughts.

So at the age of 12 you are given your job, what your roll for the rest of your life will be. The main character Jonas receives the most important and hardest job of all. He is chosen as the Receiver. The Receiver and The Giver are the ones who hold all the memories of the past. From the really amazing things, like sunshine, and love. To the really terrible things like war and sickness.  Jonas was completely unprepared for what he is about to take in. Immediately upon learning about these things that no longer exist, even colors, he wants to share them with his friends. But that is against the rules. But Jonas and The Giver are looking to change those rules. They agree it's time to give the memories back to everyone.

It was so interesting and fun to read about someone discovering and being amazed by all these things that seem so commonplace to us. I feel like this book also carries a deeper message about freedom and choice and what kinds of things have lead us to the world we live in today. In many ways, this world is better by far. But then again, who wouldn't like to live in a world where there is no sickness or war or hunger. Would you be willing to sacrifice almost everything you know now for those things?

It definitely ended on a cliff hanger! I need to get to the library and read the rest of the series for sure. I would definitely recommend this book. Especially to all Dystopian fans since it's pretty much a classic.