[review] Level 2 (The Memory Chronicles #1) by Lenore Appelhans (2013)

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afterlife, angels, book review, books, contemporary, death, fantasy, fiction, paranormal, religion, review, sci-fi, young adult, young adult fiction

Level 2 (2013)
by Lenore Appelhans
Hardcover Edition
Publication Date: January 15th, 2013
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Buy a copy via Amazon.
Synopsis from Goodreads.

Since her untimely death the day before her eighteenth birthday, Felicia Ward has been trapped in Level 2, a stark white afterlife located between our world and the next. Along with her fellow drones, Felicia passes the endless hours reliving memories of her time on Earth and mourning what she’s lost-family, friends, and Neil, the boy she loved.

Then a girl in a neighboring chamber is found dead, and nobody but Felicia recalls that she existed in the first place. When Julian-a dangerously charming guy Felicia knew in life-comes to offer Felicia a way out, Felicia learns the truth: If she joins the rebellion to overthrow the Morati, the angel guardians of Level 2, she can be with Neil again.

My Thoughts:
Level 2’s plot stands out as one of the most intriguing ones I’ve come across recently, with a blend of sci-fi, paranormal, and contemporary genres. In Level 2, the afterlife is where you rewatch memories in hi-tech pods, either your own or “rented” from others with credits. I’m drawn to creative world-building, and Level 2 has that. At least the beginning traces of one. Unfortunately, Level 2 desperately needs at least a hundred more pages to flesh out ideas, plot, setting, and characters. I have no idea how I read 288 pages without a solid grasp of any of these elements. One of the things that kept me reading was the fast pacing, but even that fell apart towards the end and felt like a cheap gimmick.

Faux “Suspense”:
It doesn’t take long to realize that Level 2 LOVES its cliffhanger chapter endings–to the point it’s overused. It was like the author made a list of all the plot twists she could have and started inserting them to the end of her chapters. Scene changes don’t signal a chapter break, instead plot twists or big revelations do. You know a chapter is ends when characters suddenly go missing, or something catches on fire. I understand that Appelhans wanted to retain the reader’s attention by not giving them a chance to break away from the story, but it felt like a gimmick. I love a good twist any day, but I grew tired of them in Level 2 because they were so abundant, as if the author didn’t have confidence in her story. It was cheap plot twists not characters that carried the story.

[review] Isolation (Partials 0.5) by Dan Wells (2012)

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book, book review, dan wells, dystopia, dystopian, ebook, fiction, novella, romance, sci-fi, utopia, YA, young adult

Isolation (2012)
by Dan Wells (blog.)
Edition Read: E-book (Novella)
Publication Date: August 28th, 2012
Publisher: Balzer + Bray (Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers)
buy a copy via Amazon.
synopsis via Goodreads.

Two decades before the events of Partials, the world was locked in a different battle for survival: a global war for the last remaining oil reserves on the planet. It was for the Isolation War that the American government contracted the ParaGen Corporation to manufacture the Partials—our last hope in reclaiming energy independence from China. And it was on these fields of battle that the seeds of humanity’s eventual destruction were sown.

A powerful take of our world on the brink, Isolation gives readers a glimpse into the history from which Partials was born—as well as clues to where the Partials Sequence is heading next.

My Thoughts:
Isolation is a prequel novella in Dan Well’s Partials series. Although it is technically a prequel and can be read alone, I still recommend reading it after the first book, Partials, because there is a bit of jargon, but more importantly, it’s clearly a supplement to the series and it’s just not very strong story by itself. The story is from the point of view of Heron, an assassin Partial created to infiltrate Chinese headquarters.

I admit I might be a bit biased since this novella is set in China, and me being Chinese is especially keen to how my culture is depicted, especially when they are supposed to be the “enemy.” Which brings me to this:

Why Do All The Chinese People Have Awkward Dialogue That Sounds Like Poor Movie Subtitles?

[Interview] The Author Behind The Book, Margaret Frazer

Tags

blog tour, book, dystopian, fiction, futuristic, giveaway, interview, sci-fi, technology, YA, young adult

Circle of Witches (2012)
by Margaret Frazer
Publication Date: May 19th, 2012
purchase a copy via Amazon.
purchase a copy from Smashwords.

Today I’m interviewing Magaret Frazer as part of her Circle of Witches blog tour!

A GOTHIC ROMANCE. MISTY MOORS. ANCIENT SECRETS. FORBIDDEN PASSIONS.

Her mother had always been afraid. That’s what Damaris remembered. From the time she was a little girl until the day her mother died, she had seen the fear in her eyes.

But now she understood. Now she was afraid, too.

Young Damaris wanted more than anything to be happy at Thornoak, the ancient manor owned by her aunt and uncle. Adventuring through the wide, open beauty of the Dale in the company of her rambunctious cousins she rediscovered a joy she had thought lost with the death of her parents. And in the deep, storm-tossed eyes of Lauran Ashbrigg she was surprised to find an entirely new emotion.

But even under the warm and inviting sun, Damaris is chilled by the undeniable fact that the family which claims to welcome and love her is hiding truths from her: The truth of the Lady Stone. The truth of the Old Ways. The truth of moon and star and witchcraft.

The truth of her mother’s death.

Has being a writer changed the way you read? Are you more critical of other’s writing? Or have you become more appreciative of it?

Both. I’m more appreciative of books that I can simply relax and enjoy for their strength and their grace and their storytelling, but I’m also become more critical of people whose storytelling suffers because you can tell that they didn’t put their whole soul into it.

But the main problem I have is that when I read anyone’s book I tend to be editing: There should be a comma there; a semi-colon would have been nice. I’ll find myself saying to myself, “Please stop doing that! Just read the book!” But it can be hard to get out of perpetual galley-proofing.

Who do you envision reading Circle of Witches? What kind of reader do you wish to impact the most with your story?

Well, I hope that anyone who reads it will be impacted and drawn in. I’m not someone who tends to categorize by age. But because it’s more of a gothic romance than anything I’ve written before, I’m hoping that younger readers will come to it. Young adult books are filled now with magic and otherworldly action, and I think Circle of Witches offers a different way of looking at those things. An understanding of magic that’s deeper; that’s rooted in the world around us and the way that people relate to each other.

What book of yours should a casual reader start with?

It’s very hard to say because readers are so different. They take different things away from your books. For example, I’ve previously written two series and, ideally, you’d start those series with the first book. But both of my series got stronger (according to reviews) as they went along and new elements developed in them. Do you want royal intrigues? Then you’d want The Maiden’s Tale or The Bastard’s Tale. Do you want something that goes deep into ordinary medieval life, getting a feel for a different way of life and a different approach to living than is familiar now? That would be The Servant’s Tale or the The Reeve’s Tale. Or if you want to go adventuring with traveling players and spies, then there’s the Joliffe series.

But I think Circle of Witches is also a strong choice for new readers. It’s an exciting story, set in a beautiful part of the world (the Yorkshire dales), centered around a heroine who is desperate not to learn the truth of the lies that have surrounded her for her entire life. And I think readers will find it an intriguing problem – most people go seeking the truth, but this is a character who will challenge them in unexpected ways as things go right and things go wrong in her life.

[Book Haul] In My Mailbox #4

Tags

adventure, book, books, fiction, recommendations, young adult

The Story Siren‘s In My Mailbox meme: for book bloggers to share their book haul from the week, or month…or whatever.

I haven’t done a book haul in a long while, especially since my reading and blogging time has dwindled with college, and thus I’ve tried to control my book intake. BUT TODAY IS SPECIAL. BECAUSE TODAY I FINALLY BOUGHT HOME THE BOOKCASE I MADE FOR SCULPTURE CLASS LAST SEMESTER (but my professor kept it for display purposes until now.) Which would’ve fit more books if I wasn’t so lazy and only made it half size. Don’t look at it too closely, lest you want to catch all my mistakes. WOODWORKING IS HARD STUFF. Excuse the poor lighting, but it’s actually a retro, cream green. It’s also supposed to be shaped as a television set, because reading is my entertainment…is that too cheesy? I know I should’ve had added some stubby legs, made the borders thicker, added a glass pane, etc. etc. So onto the books I’ve added to my bookcase over this past month!

• Drain You by M. Beth Bloom (Thank you, M.!)
• Mind Games & Endlessly ARCs by Kiersten White
• Dualed ARC by Elsie Chapman (The YA Bookcase was incredibly sweet and sent me this along with the Kiersten White ARCs and swag because I mentioned wanting to read it in a comment! I literally squealed when I saw it!!)
• The Headmaster’s Wager ARC by Vincent Lam (Thank you, Nicole from Paperback Princess!)
• Etiquette for the End of the World ARC by Jeanne Martinet (Thank you, Chick Lit Central!)
• The Intercept ARC by Dick Wolf (Thank you, Random House!)
• Throne of Glass UK Edition by Sarah J. Maas (Thank you, Novel Sounds!)
• The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin (Thank you, Tiffany from Book Cover Justice!)
• Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins (Thank you AGAIN, Tiffany from Book Cover Justice!)
• The Mockingbirds SIGNED by Daisy Whitney (Thank you, Daisy!)
• If You Find Me ARC by Emily Murdoch (Thank you, Emily!)
• The Arrivals by Meg Mitchell Moore (Thank you, Hatchette!)
• Cinda Williams Chima Poster + Swag from Amelia at The Authoress (I STILL NEED TO GUESS YOUR NAME, RUMPELSTILTSKIN!)

Got your own book haul? Link me up! I would love to drool over your goodies!

[Waiting On Wednesday #9] Feedback by Robison Wells (2012)

Tags

adventure, book, dystopia, dystopian, fiction, prison, recommendations, young adult, young adult fcition

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

Feedback(2012)
by Robison Wells
Publication Date: October 2, 2012
Publisher: HarperTeen
preorder a copy via Amazon.
Goodreads.

Benson Fisher escaped from Maxfield Academy’s deadly rules and brutal gangs.Or so he thought.
But now Benson is trapped in a different kind of prison: a town filled with hauntingly familiar faces. People from Maxfield he saw die. Friends he was afraid he had killed.

They are all pawns in the school’s twisted experiment, held captive and controlled by an unseen force. As he searches for answers, Benson discovers that Maxfield Academy’s plans are more sinister than anything he imagined—and they may be impossible to stop.

Variant blew readers away with its breakneck pacing, flawless plotting, and impossibly high stakes. It earned starred reviews from both Publishers Weekly and VOYA, which described it as “an exciting, edge-of-your-seat read that combines psychological themes from works like Lord of the Flies, The Hunger Games, and Ender’s Game in a truly unique way.”
-description from Goodreads.

My Thoughts:
A BEA book. And I am green with envy from seeing it on so many haul posts. I was hesitant to feature it since it’s already been on quite a few blogs (thanks to BEA), and I like to be hipster–but I just had to give in to the temptation since it’s my most eagerly anticipated YA release of Fall 2012. Seriously. It’s also the sequel to Variant, which is definitely one of my favorite reads of the year! Sadly, I also think it’s one of the underrated “dystopian” books. Even though I wasn’t too keen on the character-development, nor the “gang” idea–I loved the pace, the plot twists which never failed to keep me on my toes in excitement. I’m not a fan of the covers (it makes it look like a horror novel)–but the story is just so addicting!

Do you have a book that is making you count down to its release date? Leave a comment, I would love to know.

[Waiting On Wednesday #6] Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore: A Novel by Robin Sloan (2012)

Tags

book, books, bookstore, fantasy, fiction, literary fiction, literature, mystery, recommendations

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore: A Novel (2012)
by Robin Sloan (Twitter.)
Publication Date: October 2, 2012
Publisher: Macmillian: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
preorder a copy via Amazon.
Goodreads.

The Great Recession has landed Clay Jannon a new gig working the night shift at Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. But after just a few days on the job, Clay begins to realize that this store is even more curious than the name suggests. There are only a few customers, but they come in repeatedly and never seem to actually buy anything, instead “checking out” impossibly obscure volumes from strange corners of the store, all according to some elaborate, long-standing arrangement with the gnomic Mr. Penumbra. The store must be a front for something larger, Clay concludes, and soon he’s embarked on a complex analysis of the customers’ behavior and roped his friends into helping to figure out just what’s going on. But once they bring their findings to Mr. Penumbra, it turns out the secrets extend far outside the walls of the bookstore.
Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore is exactly what it sounds like: an establishment you have to enter and will never want to leave, a modern-day cabinet of wonders ready to give a jolt of energy to every curious reader, no matter the time of day.
-description from Goodreads.

My Thoughts:
I originally scheduled this post for last week, but Dan Wells ruined my plans. From the cover I get the sci-fi vibe (I had to check if it was just a temporary cover), from the description I get the adventure vibe…and apparently it’s classed under literary fiction. Not only am I dying to explore Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore, but I would love to see how Sloan blends these three genres, all of which I love together into one, fantastical journey in a mysterious bookstore.

Do you have a book that is making you count down to its release date? Leave a comment, I would love to know.

[Interview] The Author Behind The Book, Jacqueline Abelson

Tags

blog tour, book, dystopian, fiction, futuristic, giveaway, interview, sci-fi, technology, YA, young adult

Hear (2012)
by Jacqueline Abelson
Publication Date: May 19, 2012
get yourself an ebook copy via Amazon for just 99cents!
synopsis from Goodreads.

I’m very happy to be featuring Jacqueline Abelson, who is the 19-year old author behind her debut novel, HEAR.

Lots of people can hear, but how many really listen?

At the age of 17, Charlotte Goode has issues. Serious issues. Despite countless surgeries, her parent’s panic attacks, and a well-meaning oncologist, a rare genetic disorder means Charlotte must live with recurring tumors. Life isn’t supposed to be this way.

And just as Charlotte is learning to cope, she gets some devastating news: Tumors are growing on her auditory nerves. But, the necessary surgery will leave her completely deaf.

With the operation scheduled in a month, Charlotte prepares herself for a world without sound. A world without the violin she loves, without her best friend’s laugh, and even without her boss’s irksome tone. Charlotte’s on a mission to take it all in, while trying to hire a band to play a benefit concert. Will it be The Bond Boys or Lennox?

Counting down the days until everything goes silent, The Bond Boys’ lead singer, Ron Cam, sweeps Charlotte off her feet. He’s pure charisma. Then there’s Matthew Lovelace of Lennox , who captures Charlotte’s attention with his music and “that” voice. What will she do?

Time is running out. Charlotte must find a way to leave the hearing world on a high note without missing a beat.

What inspired you to write Hear?

In the summer of 2008, when I was fifteen–years–old, the TV morning news program, Good Morning America had a story about a woman named Jessica Stone, who – like Charlotte – suffered from neurofibromatosis type II. Jessica’s story was different from anything that I’ve ever heard of. She was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis when she was 15 and had more than 20 surgeries to remove the benign tumors that grew along her nervous system. She had an estimated 80 tumors throughout her body. After watching this women being faced with this unthinkable obstacle, was the sole inspiration for HEAR. I wanted a character who was just as strong as Jessica Stone who was able to overcome the impossible. It wasn’t that simple though. I began writing HEAR while I was on Coronado Island (in San Diego) and found myself putting my character in an environment where I took the sounds of the waves and the seagulls for granted. I just couldn’t imagine a world without sound.

Is there a character in Hear that you feel most resembles you?

I would say that every author feels a certain kinship or resemblance to their main character. I know that in the four years I spent working on this novel, I inserted some of my own qualities into Charlotte. So for example, in Chapter 3, the first five sentences in the beginning of the chapter are just some of the traits that I find myself doing from time to time. I love french fries dipped in chocolate milkshakes, spraying whipped cream into my mouth from the can, I’m still a huge Spongebob Squarepants fan, I always thought that the Shamwow commercials were entertaining to watch, and from time to time I’ll be with my friends and we would prank call people asking if they would like to donate a dollar to the Ice Skates for Ostriches Campaign. And these are the things that Charlotte finds herself doing as well. Plus, Charlotte has this cynical approach to life, which is something every teenager (like myself) has been through at some point or another.

What was the writing process like? Did you do any special research for it?

The writing process wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be. In the first couple of drafts, I was more interested in how I was going to pull the story off than the scientific aspects behind Charlotte’s disease. Afterwards, once the draft was completed, I researched more upon neurofiberomatosis type II. When I learned more about the disease in depth, then I went back and filled in the scientific portions of the novel. As for, what kind of special research I had to do, it was a mixture of taking what Jessica Stone (the women whom Charlotte is based off from) had experienced from living with neurofiberomatosis, as well as the mechanics behind the genetic disease. So in a way, my research entailed both a personal component and a neurological component. I had to keep myself up to date with the encounters Jessica had to face through her blog, as well as visiting various websites that touched upon the properties of neurofiberomatosis.

[review] Partials by Dan Wells (2012)

Tags

book, book review, dan wells, dystopia, dystopian, fiction, romance, sci-fi, utopia, YA, young adult

Partials (2012)
by Dan Wells (blog.)
Paperback ARC, Read for Ali’s Bookshelf Book Club
Publisher: Balzer + Bray (Imprint of Harper Collins Publishers)
buy a copy via Amazon.
synopsis via Goodreads.
preorder Isolation.
preorder Fragments

Humanity is all but extinguished after a war with partials—engineered organic beings identical to humans—has decimated the world’s population. Reduced to only tens of thousands by a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island. The threat of the partials is still imminent, but, worse, no baby has been born immune to the disease in over a decade. Humanity’s time is running out.

Combining the fast-paced action of The Hunger Games with the provocative themes of Battlestar Galactica, Partials is a pulse-pounding journey into a world where the very concept of what it means to be human is in question—one where our sense of humanity is both our greatest liability, and our only hope for survival

My Thoughts:
Dan Wells’s Partials is how a post-apocalyptic, dystopian novel should be. Not only is Partials entertaining, but left me questioning about what it means to be human. Wells creates a riveting story, packed with realistic multi-dimensional characters, heart-pounding action, and suspense that will leave you wanting more. Wells knows how to build a word while telling a captivating story. Partials is the sci-fi book for people that don’t read sci-fi.

A brilliant dystopian novel always leaves me with introspective questions, and Partials did just that. Partials left me thinking about the ethics behind man-made humanity and what makes the Partials “scary” (as opposed to just another ethic group, who just happens to be gifted with extra strength and health); if Partials are stronger, healthier, and are just like humans aside from a few differences in DNA, then why don’t we all become Partials already? If everyone had super strength (through steroids or something), then the Partials would not be feared, right?

[Book Trailer] Reunited by Hilary Weisman Graham (2012)

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book, Book Trailer, fiction, novel, summer, video, young adult fiction, youtube

Preorder a copy of REUNITED via Amazon
Reunited (2012)
by Hilary Weisman Graham
Publication Date: June 12, 2012
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Age: 12 and Up

Hilary Weisman Graham is an award-winning filmmaker and screenwriter. Reunited is her first novel. She lives in rural New Hampshire with her husband and son, roughly thirty minutes away from the nearest grocery store. Visit her at HilaryGraham.com.

1 concert. 2000 miles. 3 ex-best friends.

Alice, Summer, and Tiernan used to be best friends—as well as the self-proclaimed biggest fans of the band Level3. But when the band broke up, so did their friendship.

Now, four years later, they’ve just graduated from high school. When Level3 announces a one-time reunion show in Texas, Alice impulsively buys tickets and invites her two former friends along for the trip. Reluctant at first, both girls agree to go, each with her own ulterior motive. But old resentments and other roadblocks—from unintended detours to lost concert tickets—keep getting in the girls’ way. Will their friendship get an encore, or is the show really over?
-Synopsis from Amazon

I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy of Reunited (it’s even released on my BIRTHDAY)! Sounds and looks like the perfect summer beach read, don’t you think?

[review] The Visible Man by Chuck Klosterman (2011)

Tags

adult, book, book review, crime, critique, fiction, humor, novel, psychological, psychology, therapy, thriller, voyeurism

The Visible Man (2011)
by Chuck Klosterman
Hardcover Edition
Publisher: Scribner
buy a copy via Amazon.
synopsis via Goodreads.

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Therapist Victoria Vick is contacted by a cryptic, unlikable man who insists his situation is unique and unfathomable. As he slowly reveals himself, Vick becomes convinced that he suffers from a complex set of delusions: Y__, as she refers to him, claims to be a scientist who has stolen cloaking technology from an aborted government project in order to render himself nearly invisible. He says he uses this ability to observe random individuals within their daily lives, usually when they are alone and vulnerable. Interspersed with notes, correspondence, and transcriptions that catalog a relationship based on curiosity and fear, The Visible Man touches on all of Chuck Klosterman’s favorite themes—the consequence of culture, the influence of media, the complexity of voyeurism, and the existential contradiction of normalcy. Is this comedy, criticism, or horror? Not even Y__ seems to know for sure.

My Thoughts:
This was an intense read. The premise itself is compelling: an “invisible” man who goes around observing people. Yes, it sounds like he has some serious issues, but he is also the perfect anti-hero. Even if he is breaking into people’s houses, and messing with stranger’s minds, he is one intriguing guy–and he knows it well. If that’s not enough to keep you flipping those pages, I don’t know what will.

I picked up this book on a whim since I’ve read about half of Klosterman’s nonfiction book, Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto a few years ago (it was a fascinating and humorous, read but I had to return it to the library and haven’t gotten back to it since.) Even in novel form, Klosterman still delivers his unique brand of wit and insight.