Meme Monday

Book Review: Royally Lost

Dragged on a family trip to Europe’s ancient cities, Becca wants nothing more than to go home. Trapped with her emotionally distant father, over-eager stepmother, and a brother who only wants to hook up with European hotties, Becca is miserable. That is until she meets Nikolai, a guy as mysterious as he is handsome. And she unknowingly finds herself with a runaway prince.

Nikolai has everything a guy could ask for-he's crown prince, heir to the throne, and girls adore him. But the one thing he doesn't have...is freedom. Staging a coup, he flees his kingdom and goes undercover on his own European tour.
When Nikolai and Becca meet, it’s their differences that draw them together. Sparks fly as they share a whirlwind of adventures, all the while dodging his royal guard. But Becca's family vacation ends in a matter of days. Will Nikolai and Becca be forced to say goodbye forever, will his destiny catch up to him, or will they change history forever?  Quoted from Goodreads

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Okay, put the book down and slowly back away. I'm serious.  I know it looks cute and fun and the perfect fluffy, summer read, but it's not.  I actually had to force myself to finish this because I kept thinking maybe it would get better, and then I was so close to the end, I figured why not keep going? But honestly, it was a complete, irritating waste of time.

So why should you avoid this book at all costs?  First, I absolutely hated the main character.  She came across as a spoilt, selfish fourteen-year-old rather than a competent 18-year-old about to attend Northwestern University.  She's traveling through Europe (which, because it's me, I'm totally envious of) and all she can think of is that everything is, like, a bazillion years old, and why are Europeans so stuck in the past?  She worships at the alter of McDonalds (because who likes food in Europe?), is constantly whining because her parents forcer her on a European cruise (oh the tragedy!), and rebuffs every effort her nice, well-meaning step-mother makes at trying to bring their dysfunctional family together.  I honestly couldn't stand this girl, and while she eventually gives her step-mother a chance at the very end of the book (the only real growth we see in her at all), it's far too little too late.

But if the main character is annoying, at least the love interest/royal prince should be awesome, right? Meh.  Not really. First is his very questionable taste in women.  Second, while he's not nearly as annoying and whiny as Becca, he's nothing to write home about, either.  He's hot and rebelling against his antiquated parents.  At least in his case he does have a bit of a point, but there just wasn't enough character development for me to really care.

Their relationship goes a bit too fast for me, and after a week, they are both declaring their love for each other.  He travels half-way around the world to find her, and she mopes for weeks on end because nothing in life matters after he's gone. I just didn't feel their connection. I was told it plenty of times, but I never actually felt it. It was all about how beautiful and fun the other person was, but mostly built on their mutual dislike of their parents.  

That's the last problem with this book.  Way too much telling and not enough showing.  I realize that I won't always relate to characters in books or necessarily even like them, but if someone or some book is well enough written, that doesn't matter all that much because it works and serves the story.  That wasn't the case here. 

As far as the good stuff about this book? I love the cover, and you can tell the author has either a) been to the places she describes or b) done her homework.  She actually threw in a lot of fun places on this river cruise through Europe that I enjoyed, despite the main characters distinct lack of enthusiasm.

I had such high hopes for this book. It should have been a delightful modern fairy-tale read, but it failed on almost every point.  It made Monte Carlo look deep. Really it should be a 1 star book but because I'm feeling generous and kind and I really don't like giving them out and it had so much potential, I'll bump it up to a low 2 stars.  I know it looks intriguing. Believe me, I was sucked in, but, really, don't bother.

Book Review: The One

The Selection changed the lives of thirty-five girls forever. And now, the time has come for one winner to be chosen.

America never dreamed she would find herself anywhere close to the crown—or to Prince Maxon's heart. But as the competition approaches its end and the threats outside the palace walls grow more vicious, America realizes just how much she stands to lose—and how hard she'll have to fight for the future she wants.From the very first page of The Selection, this #1 New York Times bestselling series has captured readers' hearts and swept them away on a captivating journey... Now, in The One, Kiera Cass delivers a satisfying and unforgettable conclusion that will keep readers sighing over this electrifying fairy-tale long after the final page is turned.  Quoted from Goodreads

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This was such a pleasant surprise! To be honest, the second book didn't up the stakes enough for me, so I was a little bit worried about this one.  There could have been too much drama, too much stupidity, and one of the most pathetic love triangles ever written.  While this book did have it's stupid moments, it was so much better than it's predecessors, fixing most of the things that drove me nuts and explaining elements we've wondered about through the first two books.

Things I loved.  First, I love that we get more interaction with the rebels. I realize this is the subplot, but since you basically know where the book was heading from about page 50 of The Selection (I mean, you read if for the journey, not the end result)---and note, I'm trying not to include spoilers---this is where most of the mystery and world building comes in, and I love how we got all our questions answered and the world fleshed out a bit more.

Second, I love the friendships America makes.  Even characters that annoyed me are fleshed out and I ended up liking some that drove me absolutely crazy before.  This book could have been girl vs. girl (and of course it is at times), but I love that she actually befriends her competitors and not just her maids.  Sure, there's still conflict, but I thought the whole issue was actually handled really well.

What bothered me?  I'd love to say the book is flawless, but there were still some really stupid moments, but they weren't unrealistically stupid . . . mostly. Plus---and again, I'm not really giving anything big away here---I don't like when the other person in a love triangle finds a different love by the end of the book. Hope? Sure, but not the love of their life after loosing the former love of their life.  It's too easy an ending.

As for the romance, because honestly why else would you read this, I thought it was really cute. There were a lot of insecure moments but a lot of really sweet ones thrown into the mix.  The epilogue was perfect.

All in all, this book is a wonderful conclusion to the series.  Will it win you over if you didn't like the first two? Probably not. However, if you're a fan of the first two, this is an absolutely delightful ending full of everything you've come to love in the first two books and with a lot less of the stuff I personally didn't much care for.  There are some sad moments and some shocking deaths that really didn't get enough page time, but it lends a much needed weight to the series and I actually appreciated that the author went there.

I'm going to give this book a high 3.5 stars.  I honestly was surprised by how much I enjoyed this. Lately I've read a bunch of really disappointing endings to series---either they kill of the main character or fix the big problem in an artificial way or randomly have the main love interest find the love of her life and leave our protagonist after 13 books!---and I'm happy this one worked out so perfectly.  So if you're like me (and really you should all be team *****) than you need to pick this up now.

Trailer Tuesday: The One

This comes out today!  Okay, so I have some definite ideas about how this book should end up, and to be honest, if it doesn't I'll be bitter and probably hate the series---yes, I'm that petty.  Anyway, check out the trailer below and enjoy!

Meme Monday

Book Review: The Hunt

Ariane Tucker has finally escaped GTX, the research facility that created her. While on the run, Zane Bradshaw is the only person she can trust. He knows who-and what-she is and still wants to be part of her life. 

But accepting Zane's help means putting him in danger.

Dr. Jacobs, head of GTX, is not the only one hunting for Ariane. Two rival corporations have their sights set on taking down their competition. Permanently. To protect Zane and herself, Ariane needs allies. She needs the other hybrids. The hybrids who are way more alien and a lot less human. Can Ariane win them over before they turn on her? Or will she be forced to choose sides, to decide who lives and who dies?  Quoted from Goodreads

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This was surprisingly excellent for a second book in a series.  It also avoids a lot of the pitfalls and things that annoyed me in The Rules, for example all the high school drama, the mean girl, the vapid/annoying best friend, etc.  So if you read the first one and are on the fence about this second one, I definitely recommend picking it up.

Basically this book takes everything that was amazing/nail-biting at the end of The Rules and keeps going.  Ariane is on the run with Zane, and instead of just having GTX to worry about, we now get two more evil corporations looking for her, but instead of capture, their intent is to kill, and they don't care about collateral damage.  We also get, not one. Not two. But three new hybrids for Ariane to contend with, and their methods and intentions are dubious at best.  Sounds fun, right?

I actually really enjoyed this book, though I will admit it suffers a little bit from middle book syndrome. The entire thing is action packed, starting the second the first book left off and finishing with an absolutely delightful cliff-hanger.  Seriously, it made me so excited for the next book, and I'm really curious to see how the author plays with this.  Despite a pretty decent recap, you need to read the first book to really appreciate everything that's going on and the emotional burdens Ariane and Zane are carrying throughout the story.

As for Ariane and Zane, I loved them.  The book is told in dual POV, and while I found in the first book Zane's chapters were kind of boring in the beginning,  they never suffered from that in this book. In fact, it's kind of fun to see each of their thoughts on the  issues that both characters are dealing with as they grow and develop.  The romance is cute, though it did get a little bit strong at times, and I wanted to shout at both of them to focus and deal with their issues later.  Still, I actually thing the author did a great job of portraying how their situation would exacerbate so many issues and insecurities that they both carry.

All in all, this is a great second book in a series, and while it does feel like a second book, it continues all the good things and drops a lot of the bad.  It's sort of the book I think I was hoping to read in the first one, so I'm glad I kept going.  I'm going to give it a solid 3.5 stars.  It's fun, action packed, and has such a great ending, I'm dying for the third book to come out. 

Anticipating May!

 May looks amazing!  I mean, take a glance at the titles I've listed below.  There are so many books I can't wait to get my hands on.  It's good, too, since summer always slows down book-wise, so I'm sure I'll have tons of books left over from April and May to help hold me through the summer.  Anyway, check out my list below, and if I missed anything you particularly want to read that's coming out this month (which is quite possible with so many titles coming out this month, something delightful could have slipped through the cracks), let me know.

            6^th: The One – Kiera Cass

                   After the End – Amy Plum

                   Of Neptune – Anna Banks

                    Rebel – Amy Tintera

                    Wish you were Italian – Kristin Rae

                     The Originals – Cat Patrick

                     The Falconer – Elizabeth May

                     Royally Lost – Angie Stanton

                    Fool Me Twice - Mandie Hubbard

            13^th: The Lovely and the Lost – Page Morgan

                     Second Star – Alyssa B. Sheinmel

                     Renegade (Mila 2.0 #2) – Debra Driza

                     Missing Lily – Annette K. Larsen

                     Raging Star – Moira Young

            20^th: Girl with the Windup Heart – Kady Cross

                     Mortal Enchantment – Stacey O’Neale

                      Staff of Serepis – Rick Riordan

                      Threats of Sky and Sea – Jennifer Ellision

                     The Art of Lainey – Paula Stokes

                      Reborn – C.C Hunter

            27^th: City of Heavenly Fire – Cassandra Clare

        The Dark World – Cara Lynn Shultz

        Divided – Elsie Chapman

        Curses and Smoke – Vicky Alvear Shecter