Book Review: The Nightmare Affair

Sixteen-year-old Dusty Everhart breaks into houses late at night, but not because she’s a criminal. No, she’s a Nightmare.

Literally.

Being the only Nightmare at Arkwell Academy, a boarding school for magickind, and living in the shadow of her mother’s infamy, is hard enough. But when Dusty sneaks into Eli Booker’s house, things get a whole lot more complicated. He’s hot, which means sitting on his chest and invading his dreams couldn’t get much more embarrassing. But it does. Eli is dreaming of a murder.

Then Eli’s dream comes true.Now Dusty has to follow the clues—both within Eli’s dreams and out of them—to stop the killer before more people turn up dead. And before the killer learns what she’s up to and marks her as the next target.  Quoted from Goodreads

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If I were to sum this book up in one word, I would have to choose fun.  I suppose there are other, more creative words out there (bubbly, vivacious, effervescent, to name a few) but I'm sticking with fun.  I'm not going to claim it's the most original story, but it's still rather delightful.

Like is says in the summary, Dusty is a Nightmare, a creature who feeds on dreams. There's a lot of different ways to slant this.  Rachel Vincent went for a little bit darker take in her Soul Screamers series.  Mindee Arnett, on the other hand, plays it to full comedic effect.  Sure, there's the whole clues to a murder mystery hidden inside Eli's dreams thing, but there's also the awkwardness of sneaking into a cute boy's room at night to feed off his dreams.  In fact, the whole situation is rather hilarious.  

Dusty is a fun, strong character with a distinctive, witty voice that I really enjoyed.  I also quite liked Eli, the other half of Dusty's dream-seer team.  Sure, he follows the standard YA trope by being gorgeous, popular, but secretly really sweet, and his girlfriend just doesn't get him, etc.  Still, I really did enjoy his interactions with Dusty.  After waking up to find her sitting on his chest in the middle of the night and the resulting chaos, he has every right to be a bit disturbed and hostile towards her.   

I also adored the whole idea behind this world.  I liked how Dusty had to search out the murderer both in Eli's dreams and in real life.  The whole dream-seer team, and I found this to be a wonderful interpretation of the Nightmare mythology.  I also enjoyed how it played out in Dusty's magic.  The whole thing was really creative.  

Unfortunately, there were also a lot of things in this story that reminded me of other books.  This is one of the few books I really do want to compare, world-building-wise, to Harry Potter, but it's also pretty reminiscent of the Hex Hall series.  Sure, they're both great books, so the comparison isn't bad, but the world itself isn't memorable because of it.  The mystery was also a little bit weak. I liked the visions twist, but I wish there had been more of a sense of urgency or pertinence to Dusty in particular. 

Still, like I said before, it's a really fun, fairly quick, read, one that made me wish I had read it sooner. I'm awarding it a solid 3.5 stars, and I will absolutely be reading the next one.

Book Review: The Archive

Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books.

Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures that only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive.

Da first brought Mackenzie Bishop here four years ago, when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined to prove herself. Now Da is dead, and Mac has grown into what he once was, a ruthless Keeper, tasked with stopping often—violent Histories from waking up and getting out. Because of her job, she lies to the people she loves, and she knows fear for what it is: a useful tool for staying alive.

Being a Keeper isn’t just dangerous—it’s a constant reminder of those Mac has lost. Da’s death was hard enough, but now her little brother is gone too. Mac starts to wonder about the boundary between living and dying, sleeping and waking. In the Archive, the dead must never be disturbed. And yet, someone is deliberately altering Histories, erasing essential chapters. Unless Mac can piece together what remains, the Archive itself might crumble and fall.

In this haunting, richly imagined novel, Victoria Schwab reveals the thin lines between past and present, love and pain, trust and deceit, unbearable loss and hard-won redemption. Quoted from Goodreads

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This is such a unique book. The dead shelved as books, all their memories accessible to Librarians?  It's kind of crazy and awesome at the same time. Honestly it was one of the books I was most looking forward to coming out in January.  So why has it taken me three months to review it?  Good question.

First, for this book to make sense, you need to know that Da is her grandfather, not her actual dad.  This utterly confused me in the beginning.  She would talk about Da's death, then have a conversation with her father.  It didn't make sense to me until I figured out their actual relationships. Two, this book starts out kind of slow.  There is so much world-building here, plus setting up her brother's death, her family's move, they mystery of the place they're now staying, it takes a minute to pull everything together and get to the heart of the story. That's why I didn't finish this back in January.  I couldn't get past the first couple of chapters.  But, knowing how much I loved Victoria Schwab's The Near Witch, I decided to give this book another try, and it was absolutely worth it.

First, I love the writing.  It's almost tactual.  She does a great job of immersing you in the world, letting you feel the Narrows along with MacKenzie, walk into the archives with her. She also sets up a delightfully eerie atmosphere.  We have the crumbling hotel/apartment building, all the glitches and problems the Archive was experiencing, and a 60 year old murder waiting to be solved.

Plus, the author does a good job of characterization. You really get to know, Mac, her parents, Roland, Wesley, Owen, even Ben and Da, though they're dead before the book begins.  Each relationship also balances out nicely against the other ones.  MacKenzie's parents are messed up by Ben's death, but they are still there for her.  I love her relationship with Roland, a sort of Librarian mentor, and Da more than anyone influences what and how  Mac does what she does.  Then there's Wesley and Owen.  They give just the right smattering of romance to the story without it ever overwhelming the rest of the plot or even sinking into a standard love triangle pattern.

Again, I'm going to gush about the world building.  The whole premise of this book is so unique.  Plus, the Histories are fun, very different, paranormal characters. It's kind of like if everyone turned into a ghost/zombie/vampire/library book after they died and escaped from their graves. Sort of.   And really, the whole book is a mystery, which just makes it more fun.  

So if you're looking for a fun, unique read, this is it.  Just remember that the beginning is a bit slow, but once you get into the plot, it's hard to put down.  It's not the most mysterious mystery, you sort of see it coming, but there were some twists that totally blind-sided me. All in all, It's a solid 4 stars for me.  If you're looking for something that sort of breaks the standard YA mold, this is an excellent option, so check it out.

Flashback Friday: The Thief

I've been at a writing conference these past couple of days, and it's been interesting. The highlight has absolutely been meeting and listing to the various authors.  Today, I actually got to meet Megan Whalen Turner, who is absolutely amazing, so I thought I'd choose her first book The Thief for today's Flashback Friday.

The king's scholar, the magus, believes he knows the site of an ancient treasure. To attain it for his king, he needs a skillful thief, and he selects Gen from the king's prison. The magus is interested only in the thief's abilities. 
What Gen is interested in is anyone's guess. Their journey toward the treasure is both dangerous and difficult, lightened only imperceptibly by the tales they tell of the old gods and goddesses. Quoted from Goodreads

If you're looking for a good adventure with amazing characters and twists and turns, look no further.  This is the book for you.

Honestly, everyone should read this book.  Let's start with the writing.  It's rich and beautiful without becoming lost in itself.  It always takes her a couple of years for her to come out with her next book (I think it was 4 years between The Queen of Attolia and The King of Attolia), so you know she spends time on her craft, and it absolutely pays off. She does such a good job of describing her world and her characters.  There is a nitty-gritty realistic feel to the entire series that is rarely duplicated, and while this is a fantastical world, it never feels like one.  It's almost like an alternate greek history, and I think it's delightful.

Then there's Gen himself.  He's a delightfully irreverent thief and slightly unreliable narrator who you can't help but love, and he only gets better as the books go on.

The beginning develops the characters and the world, and it almost comes across more as a character driven plot than an actual adventure.  Then the action starts and we get chases, fights, betrayal, tragedy, and an excellent ending.

This is a wonderful 4 stars for me. It's hard because it's been several years since I read it, but I'm thinking about reading it again soon. If you're looking for a YA book that is perfect for adults as well, this is it.  Then, of course, you have to read the next one in the series, which is possibly even better.  And that leads to the third one, and the fourth one.  And finally you can join the ranks of us who suffer waiting for the fifth one to come out (but don't worry. Each book is complete in itself, so you aren't stuck with a horrible cliff hanger.  You just want another chance to experience Turner's world, writing, and characters).

Book Review: Shades of Earth

Amy and Elder have finally left the oppressive walls of the spaceshipGodspeed behind. They're ready to start life afresh--to build a home--on Centauri-Earth, the planet that Amy has traveled 25 trillion miles across the universe to experience.

But this new Earth isn't the paradise Amy had been hoping for. There are giant pterodactyl-like birds, purple flowers with mind-numbing toxins, and mysterious, unexplained ruins that hold more secrets than their stone walls first let on. The biggest secret of all? Godspeed's former passengers aren't alone on this planet. And if they're going to stay, they'll have to fight.

Amy and Elder must race to discover who--or what--else is out there if they are to have any hope of saving their struggling colony and building a future together. They will have to look inward to the very core of what makes them human on this, their most harrowing journey yet. Because if the colony collapses? Then everything they have sacrificed--friends, family, life on Earth--will have been for nothing.

FUELED BY LIES.
RULED BY CHAOS.
ALMOST HOME.    Quoted from Goodreads

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I knew January would be a good month.  January is always a good month for books, and this one absolutely didn't disappoint.  Shades of Earth has that perfect blend of so many different genres: sci/fi, dystopia, mystery, romance, action, suspense, etc. I loved it.

Heads up, I will be giving a few things away from the first and second book, so be warned.  One of the things I was most excited for in this book was the change of scenery/new characters.  Don't get me wrong, I love the Godspeed.  It was an interesting world/ship that Revis created, but I was ready for a change, and boy did Shades of Earth deliver.  Not only is there the new planet and all the challenges therein, but we also have the awakening of the Frozens, who introduced a completely different set of characters that challenged Elder and Amy.  

First the planet.  I loved that the planet itself was a mystery. It wasnt' the biggest one, in my book, at least, but I did enjoy the mystery of who had lived here, what were the dangerous monsters, etc. Plus, it was a different type of world.  I loved Elder's reaction and the other shipborns to the sky and the rain.  Despite all the unknown dangers, so many of them fell in love with it almost instantly.  

Elder and Amy had gotten rid of most of the "problem" people from the last two books, so this time we are introduced to the Frozens, aka Amy's parents and the other specialists/military personnel.  Honestly, sometimes I was so frustrated with them. Then I would think that they were trying to do the right thing.  Then I would be frustrated again. The best part is I felt like it was always believable.  How would most adults react to finding a 16 year-old boy in leading over a thousand people? Why wouldn't Amy's parents still view her as a child?  As annoying as some of the conflicts and secrets were, I could understand why many of the frozens acted the way they did.  I may not agree with it, but I completely believed it.

I loved  how Amy and Elder finished growing up in this book. Oh, they're still not perfect, but I loved them at the very end.  Amy said the things I wanted to say, and Elder really learned what it was to be a leader and put his people first.  

The stuff that didn't work for me?  Chris.  Don't get me wrong, I like that Beth Revis gave Amy another option and he was an interesting and rather complex character, but I felt Amy was a little bit stupid about him sometimes.  Maybe the hint of a a love triangle was supposed to add tension to an already action-paced, suspenseful book, but I could have done without it.  I was fine with Chris falling for her, I just wish she had been a little less stupid about him.  Plus, I wanted an epilogue.  I do think the ending was just about perfect, but I would have liked a glimpse of what happens to the characters down the road. 

From the beginning, I could hardly put this book down.  It perfectly wove a dozen different conflicts together, was blended with action and mystery, and had wonderful characters.  It was the perfect ending to a really fun series, and absolutely deserves it's shining 4.5 star rating.  I rarely thing the third book in a series is the best.  Usually it's the first, and sometimes the second, but this one is probably my favorite of the three, and I'm sad to see it end. Now I'm just waiting to see what Beth Revis will come up with next.  

Amanda Monday: Ruby Red

Earlier this month Rachel posted some books coming out in October (click here).  Among these books was Sapphire Blue, book #2 of the Edelstein Trilogy, and sequel to Ruby Red.  I absolutely cannot wait for this book to come out.  If it's anything like Ruby Red, it will be well worth the LONG wait.  So I thought that for this week's "Amanda Monday", I would introduce the first book in the series, in hopes that you would read it just in time for the next book in the installment to come out.  May you all be as addicted as I am!

Gwyneth Shepherd's sophisticated, beautiful cousin Charlotte has been prepared her entire life for traveling through time. But unexpectedly, it is Gwyneth, who in the middle of class takes a sudden spin to a different era!

Gwyneth must now unearth the mystery of why her mother would lie about her birth date to ward off suspicion about her ability, brush up on her history, and work with Gideon--the time traveler from a similarly gifted family that passes the gene through its male line, and whose presence becomes, in time, less insufferable and more essential. Together, Gwyneth and Gideon journey through time to discover who, in the 18th century and in contemporary London, they can trust.   - Quoted from Goodreads

First of all, let me just say that Goodread's summary does not do the best job of captivating how great this book is.  While it does mention time-travel, mystery, and romance, it leaves out secret societies, a deliciously evil villain, magic, and ghosts.  To quote the movie "The Princess Bride",  this book, "has it all."  

But.  None of this would have been enough for me to love this book if I didn't absolutely love Gwyneth herself.  Gwyneth is so like-able because she is absolutely real.  She is smart (without perfect grades).  She is pretty (without that being her greatest asset).  She has friends (and a few "frenemies").  She has the teenage love/annoyed relationship with her family (loves her mom, tolerates her siblings, dislikes her grandma, and is ignored by her cousin).  But most of all, she is confident and funny.  She is the perfect dose of common sense and normalcy to balance out a world that is anything but.

Author Kersten Gier does a marvelous job of creating characters that are both modern and decidedly less so.  I particularly enjoy how Gwyneth interacts with them.  Her modern sensibilities mixed with old-fashioned values and morals held by so many of the people she meets in the past create plenty of funny moments.  Gier also does a good job with weaving a plot around the ever-tricky time-travel factor.  She sets up rules and parameters within the world of time-travel so that the reader does not feel like the plot is contrived.  And the romance?  The villain?  The action?  All excellent.  

This book earns the prized 5-star rating from me, both for how much I like it and how well it's written.  I don't want to oversell it, but, well, I just love it.  Read it, so that when Oct. 30 rolls around, you will be ready for this:

Happy Monday!

Book Review: Unraveling

Two days before the start of her junior year, seventeen-year-old Janelle Tenner is hit by a pickup truck and killed--as in blinding light, scenes of her life flashing before her, and then nothing. Except the next thing she knows, she's opening her eyes to find Ben Michaels, a loner from her high school whom Janelle has never talked to, leaning over her. And even though it isn't possible, she knows--with every fiber of her being--that Ben has somehow brought her back to life.

But her revival, and Ben's possible role in it, is only the first of the puzzles that Janelle must solve. While snooping in her FBI agent father's files for clues about her accident, she uncovers a clock that seems to be counting down to something--but to what? And when someone close to Janelle is killed, she can no longer deny what's right in front of her: Everything that's happened--the accident, the murder, the countdown clock, Ben's sudden appearance in her life--points to the end of life as she knows it. And as the clock ticks down, she realizes that if she wants to put a stop to the end of the world, she's going to need to uncover Ben's secrets--and keep from falling in love with him in the process.

From debut author Elizabeth Norris comes this shattering novel of one girl's fight to save herself, her world, and the boy she never saw coming. Quoted from Goodreads

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This is how the world ends.  Literally.

Okay, so I've read a lot of Utopia/distopia books lately, and they all have one thing in common.  Once upon a time, the world ended, and then strange societies rise up out of the ashes, and thus the story begins. In contrast, this book is about the end of the world, and I love it.

The book starts out with paranormal leanings.  Janelle is mystically saved by a mysterious boy after being run over by a truck and dying.  See? Paranormal.  But things quickly move into scifi/mystery territory and tend to stay there the rest of the book.

Plot: In the beginning Janelle was hit by a man who's face was literally melting off.  He suffered from extreme radiation burns, and was basically dead when he hit her. So besides Janelle's miraculous recovery, there is the question of what happened to the poor man who ran her over.  And things just go up from there. Everything keeps building and building up to a perfect climax.  The book has lots of short chapters (sort of like The DaVinci Code) that forces you to keep turning pages when you know you shouldn't. Plus, there were a couple of things that happened that completely blindsided me.  I also really liked the countdown to the end.  It helps build the sense of urgency as the numbers grow lower and lower (and no, they didn't stop at 00:00:00:01, so you an avoid that lovely cliche).

Characters:  First and foremost, Janelle.  I really liked this girl.  She is smart, over achieving, caring, funny, and has an excellent voice. She comes across as real, confident, yet vulnerable. Then there's her Dad.  Honestly, you don't see him in the book all that much, but I felt like I really got to know him, and he was a great character.  Now Alex, her funny best friend, who stands by her, but will call on her crap when she makes a bad decision.  Finally, Ben, the mystery boy/love interest who sort of starts the end of the world. Yes, that's right.  He sort of does.  Are you intrigued?

Just a heads up, this book does have some language issues, nothing that you wouldn't hear daily in Jr. High---oh wait, yeah, Jr. High is worse. I thought the writing was good, though filled with a few too many pop culture references, which will unfortunately date the book a little.  

This is yet another lovely 4 star book.  What can I say? I like experiencing one author's version of the end of the world, or at least a lot of catastrophes.  This book is an excellent mix of a small group of people's problems that have global repercussions.

Book Review: Unspoken

Kami Glass loves someone she’s never met . . . a boy she’s talked to in her head ever since she was born. She wasn’t silent about her imaginary friend during her childhood, and is thus a bit of an outsider in her sleepy English town of Sorry-in-the-Vale. Still, Kami hasn’t suffered too much from not fitting in. She has a best friend, runs the school newspaper, and is only occasionally caught talking to herself. Her life is in order, just the way she likes it, despite the voice in her head.

But all that changes when the Lynburns return.

The Lynburn family has owned the spectacular and sinister manor that overlooks Sorry-in-the-Vale for centuries. The mysterious twin sisters who abandoned their ancestral home a generation ago are back, along with their teenage sons, Jared and Ash, one of whom is eerily familiar to Kami. Kami is not one to shy away from the unknown—in fact, she’s determined to find answers for all the questions Sorry-in-the-Vale is suddenly posing. Who is responsible for the bloody deeds in the depths of the woods? What is her own mother hiding? And now that her imaginary friend has become a real boy, does she still love him? Does she hate him? Can she trust him? Quoted from Goodreads

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Well, my lovely readers, yet again I am going to gush about this book.  I was first introduced to Sarah Rees Brennan when I read her Demon's Lexicon series (which I have yet to convince anyone to read.  Honestly, I think it's the cover, which could be better).  In fact, I trusted her enough that I didn't even read the above summary before reading the book.  I knew it was a paranormal mystery and that there was a gothic influence, but that's it.  No character's name, no plot points, not even the main conflict. And I loved it.

I loved Kami's character.  Think half-asian Veronica Mars/Lois Lane (but more VM). Enough said.

Seriously, she was smart, focused (started her own high-school newspaper), knew what she wanted, had very present and involved parents, and quirky friends.  I feel like Sarah Rees Brennan sort of took everything that she hated about a lot of contemporary female characters in YA and made absolutely sure Kami was none of the above.

Let's examine the whole bond between her and her "imaginary friend" Jared.  When she finds out he's a real person, we could have a) insta-love  b) been creeped out because suddenly a real person literally knows everything about you c) scared but willing to work through this to become friends d) kill the other person to get rid of the voices in your head.  If you guessed b and c, you are correct!

I really liked the way she explored what you would really do if the voice in your head suddenly was a real live flesh and blood person.  And for all I loved Kami, I also loved Jared in a different way.  He sees and feels things very differently from Kami.  Despite their lifelong connection, they come from completely different backgrounds,  including, but not limited to, where they grew up (USA vs. England) Family life (supportive vs. neglectful/evil), gender (obvious), race (half-asian vs. beautiful blond), etc. And this affects the way they think and act about their sharred bond.

Plus, I think Sarah Rees Brennan is funny.  She likes to throw in little witty clips all over the place, many of which make me smile. This can be slightly embarrassing in public, so be warned (but you might be safe.  City of Bones also cracked me up, but no one laughed like I did, so it might just be me. But probably not).  Now, to be fair, there was a spot or two that made me go, what?  (like the rainstorm and the tower. I had to read it three times before I really got it), but that may just be the mysterious setting being a bit too mysterious. Still I give her a 3.5 for writing (three because it was good, and the extra half because it made me laugh).

By far the biggest problem with this book I had was the ending, as in, Is she trying to kill me?  June 2013 can not come quickly enough.

I absolutely give this book 4 stars.  It is great, especially if you like British writers, mystery mixed in with a gothic (and I'm talking Jane Eyre and The Fall of the House of Usher) setting, and great characters.  Maybe after you all read this, you will go back and pick up the Demon's Lexicon, and then I will finally, finally have someone to talk to about these books.

Amanda Monday: The Westing Game

Hello, one and all!  My name is Amanda, and I have the honor and pleasure of doing a guest post on Rachel's Reads.  I am kind of intimidated to be here, but excited.  I hope you like the book I've chosen for today, which is:

When an eccentric millionaire dies mysteriously, sixteen very unlikely people are gathered together for the reading of the will...and what a will it is! - Quoted from Goodreads

I know that Halloween is almost two whole months away, but when the leaves begin to change and the air begins to cool,  I am drawn to the classic "whodunit" mysteries, and this book, I believe, is the quintessential mystery novel.  

Since Goodreads is a little sparse in their description, let me elaborate a bit on the summary.  An eccentric millionaire, Sam Westing, dies unexpectedly in his mansion.  Nearby, a new apartment complex, Sunset Towers, has just filled all it's vacancies.  Coincidentally, (or is it?) nearly all the tenants of the apartment complex, from the bellboy to the restaurant owner, are named as heirs to the Westing fortune. The only catch?  In order to inherit Sam Westing's millions, they have to discover who MURDERED him.

Sounds like a classic mystery-type novel.  Some of you might even call the plot cliche.  But there is nothing cliche about this masterfully written book.  The author does a wonderful job of weaving clues and red herrings throughout the entire novel, making the story tightly woven.  This, in the end, gives you great satisfaction when you finally figure out "whodunit".  I love when an author has the ability to leave clues along the way so subtly that you never pick up on them, and when the big reveal is announced, you think, "how could I have missed those?!"  But you did, even though they are obvious in retrospect.  I am not a person who is taken by surprise.  I hardly ever fail to see plot twists in books and in movies.  But here I most certainly did.  And so, I bet, will you.

The characters are also deliciously unique and imperfect.  Most of them have some rather annoying qualities, but somehow they are made endearing in the telling of this story, and in the end, you are cheering all of them on, even the most grumpy, or short-tempered, or vain, or . . . well, you get the idea.  I think it takes real skill to make such people protagonists, yet I found myself enjoying each and every one of their quirks.  

Lastly, I love this book because it is perfect for nearly all ages. I first read this book when I was in 4th or 5th grade.  I loved it then, I loved it when I re-read it again in Junior high, and loved it even more when I read it in high school and in college.  It is a timeless book for two reasons:  one, because you can read it time and time again, and two, because it appeals to readers of all ages.  That is why I am giving it a 5-star rating.  I probably have maybe ten books in the entire world I would give that rating to, and this book is one of them.  So if you are in the mood for a little thrill and mystery, check it out and enjoy.  And if you do, perchance, guess who killed Sam Westing, I will personally give you $1,000,000;).  (Ha, ha, you never will!)