ARC Review: What We Saw by Aaron Hartzler

My rating: 4.5 stars

Book summary:

Kate Weston can piece together most of the bash at John Doone’s house: shots with Stacey Stallard, Ben Cody taking her keys and getting her home early—the feeling that maybe he’s becoming more than just the guy she’s known since they were kids.

But when a picture of Stacey passed out over Deacon Mills’s shoulder appears online the next morning, Kate suspects she doesn’t have all the details. When Stacey levels charges against four of Kate’s classmates, the whole town erupts into controversy. Facts that can’t be ignored begin to surface, and every answer Kate finds leads back to the same question: Where was Ben when a terrible crime was committed?

This story—inspired by real events—from debut novelist Aaron Hartzler takes an unflinching look at silence as a form of complicity. It’s a book about the high stakes of speaking up, and the razor thin line between guilt and innocence that so often gets blurred, one hundred and forty characters at a time.

      Every once in a while I stumble upon a book that reminds me of something my favorite collage professor told us, back then first year literature students, about the art of reading. About it being interactive process. It is not just you holding this seemingly harmless object in your hands, following words on paper and converting them into the pictures in your head. Books can be dangerous things. Break the rules. Bring down oppressive societies.  Make people think with their own head and stop being part of the zombiefied mass. Tell the truth. And if you read just so you can escape reality and live in the la-la land of fairy tales (which are again construct of various ideologies), you are burying your head in the sand. Literature shouldn't only make you feel content and happy. Literature has to be brutal. Honest. Cruel. Make you feel angry and horrified.It has to push the lines. Protest and rage. 

      Aaron Hartzler wrote a book like that. 

      The rape culture and slut-shaming. Social media sites. These are basically topics of What We Saw. Based on real events. Real. As in this happened somewhere to somebody. What We Saw made me feel angry. I am still angry. It made me obsess over things we do not take seriously - like our children walking around with smartphones and not knowing basic rules of what is polite, safe and sending them into the big (virtual) world thinking that they are going to know to make difference between right and wrong, and pick right, hopefully, every time. That is where parenting stops. That is where murky world of modern society takes hold. And everyone hides behind the screen of the pone or computer, not realizing what "empathy" means. Turning real people into pixels, hashtags and number of likes and shares.  

      I have to be honest and admit that I wasn't completely won over by this book when I first started reading it. I was annoyed with main character, with how shallow and mindless she is sometimes. I am so happy that I read this now. What We Saw is the book we should make our kids read - no matter if you are a parent or a teacher. Make them read it. And talk about it. Talk, talk, talk. That is the only way to make a difference.

*ARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.*

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

My rating: 5 stars

Book summary:

My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.

But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.

Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.

 Buddy read with lovely Emma from Never Judge A Book By Its Cover.

Storyline
  
      Nicola Yoon won me over with her debut novel Everything, Everything. Beautiful and fluid writing, intriguing story and likable characters are what makes this book so good. Young girl who spent her whole life locked inside of the same house, not being able to go out because of her illness. Empty house next door that one morning isn't empty anymore. Boy who wears all black and doesn't give up on the weird girl who stares at him from her bedroom window. Emails. Hawaii. And then everything unravels. 
      Everything, Everything does start a little bit naive, it reminds of the child's play in its emotional simplicity. But nothing is as it seems. Don't give up on it. Just read and you will see.

Dear Maddy

From: glass.amra@gmail.com
To: madeline.whittier@gmail.com
Subject: Hello

Dear Maddy!
I hope that it is okay that I sent you this email.  You seem like a really great girl and I wouldn't mind being your friend. After all, you are the fellow bookworm and us bookworms have to stick together. 
You and Olly - I approve. He's a great guy. Anyone who got through so many obstacles just to get a moment of your time, is worthy of your attention. 
I think you are brave, Maddy. You took the risk. You went after what you wanted. And you were still a little bit scared, but you didn't let something trivial like fear stop you from experiencing things. 
You deserve happiness, Maddy. I do hope that you found it wherever you are now.

xx

Maddy writes on the inside of the book Reward If Found. What would you put on yours?

      Oh, I loved that part of the story. I?ve been thinking about this ever since I finished reading Everything, Everything. Maybe something like this:

Enjoyable picnic at the Moon (or Moon-like surface if original is not yet available) and interesting conversation that will include debate about awesomeness of Star Trek and how it relates to our modern world technology, why chocolate is the best food ever, what is the best time to read and other equally interesting topics. (If you are my boyfriend, possibility of some serious make out session is not excluded.) 

Maddy got one chance to go outside with Olly and the place she chose was Hawaii to see the state fish with weird and long name. If we had one chance where would you want to go, who would you go with and why? 

     Do I really have to pick just one place? One one person? If I really have to make a choice, I'll go with my boyfriend to Tokyo. We are both fascinated with Japanese culture and lifestyle, how different everything is from where we live. 


In the end...

     Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon is brilliant debut novel you should not miss. I won't lie to you and say that I didn't have some issues with it, but all of those things were something I was able to look over because rest of it was so, so good. Extra advice? Read it with a friend. Emma and I had great time chatting about it. Make sure to check out her review as well at Never Judge a Book by Its Cover. 


Happy reading,

ARC Review: Ride Steady by Kristen Ashley

Buy the book:

Amazon / Barnes and Noble / The Book Depository 

Author's:

Website / Twitter / Facebook 

Expected publication date: June 30th 2015

My rating: 5 stars

Book summary:

"The ride of her life . . . Once upon a time, Carissa Teodoro believed in happy endings. Money, marriage, motherhood: everything came easy---until she woke up to the ugly truth about her Prince Charming. Now a struggling, single mom and stranded by a flat tire, Carissa's pondering her mistakes when a vaguely familiar knight rides to her rescue on a ton of horsepower.

Climb on and hold tight . . .
In high school, Carson Steele was a bad boy loner who put Carissa on a pedestal where she stayed far beyond his reach. Today, he's the hard-bodied biker known only as Joker, and from the way Carissa's acting, it's clear she's falling fast. While catching her is irresistible, knowing what to do with her is a different story. A good girl like Carissa is the least likely fit with the Chaos Motorcycle Club. Too bad holding back is so damned hard. Now, as Joker's secrets are revealed and an outside threat endangers the club, Joker must decide whether to ride steady with Carissa---or ride away forever . . "

      I know that I'm boring you to death with my love for Kristen Ashley, but I just can't help myself. I love how this woman writes, her characters, story, romance... Everything! So it is pretty understandable that I was over the moon happy when I got ARC of Ride Steady, third book in Chaos series. 

      Five things that made me love Ride Steady

• Joker aka Carson Steele. This man is everything! Probably my favorite KA men along Tate Jackson from Sweet Dreams. The way he was portrayed as kid broke my heart, as teenager he made me fall in love with him and as the man Carson made me forget about every other book boyfriend I have ever loved. 
• Carissa Teodoro. She is strong and loyal and devoted. She knows what she wants and what is important in her life.
• The Club. Chaos boys are my ultimate weakness. Their friendship and "brotherhood", the way they support each other... Not to mention bromance that happens in every book in this series. 
• Big bad biker with a kid in his hands. Melts my heart every single time.
• Positivity. Despite some hard times and bad things that happen to Kristen Ashley's characters, her stories are in the end all about happiness and all things that are good in this world. When you finish one of her novels, including Ride Steady, you have this big, goofy smile on your face.

      I am now anxiously waiting for October and Walk Through Fire - I cannot wait to find out more about  Logan "High" Judd.

Happy reading,

*Copy of the book was provided by publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

ARC Review: Chasing River by K. A. Tucker

Buy the book:

Amazon / Barnes and Noble / The Book Depository 

Author's: 

Website / Twitter / Facebook 

Expected publication date: July 7th 2015 by Atria Books 

My rating: 5 stars

Book summary: 

"Armed with two years' worth of savings and the need to experience life outside the bubble of her Oregon small town, twenty-five-year old Amber Welles is prepared for anything. Except dying in Dublin. Had it not been for the bravery of a stranger, she might have. But he takes off before she has the chance to offer her gratitude.

Twenty-four-year-old River Delaney is rattled. No one was supposed to get hurt. But then that American tourist showed up. He couldn't let her die, but he also couldn't risk being identified at the scene—so, he ran. Back to his everyday life of running his family’s pub. Only, everyday life is getting more and more complicated, thanks to his brother, Aengus, and his criminal associations. When the American girl tracks River down, he quickly realizes how much he likes her, how wrong she is for him. And how dangerous it is to have her around. Chasing her off would be the smart move.

Maybe it's because he saved her life, or maybe it's because he's completely different from everything she's left behind, but Amber finds herself chasing after River Delaney. Amber isn’t the kind of girl to chase after anyone.

And River isn't the kind of guy she'd want to catch."

      K. A. Tucker just continues to surprise me with every new book in Burying Water series. I absolutely loved previous two books, Burying Water and Becoming Rain, and I anxiously waited for the next one. Still, I was a little bit afraid because I had doubts about story and its originality compared to first two books. I shouldn't have had any doubts - Chasing River was amazing.
       Want to know why? Here we go...

•       Setting. Chasing River is happening in Ireland. Now, I am always trying to hold back when reading books that are written about other countries by authors who aren't actually connected with those in any way other than maybe as a tourist. It feels like K.A. Tucker had done her research before writing this book. 
•       River. So far, Water and Rain were female characters, but in the third sequel River is a guy. And what a guy!
•       Romance. This will not be the usual new adult storyline, that is something I can promise. First of all, the way Amber and River meet, reasons for which she looks for him and, in the end, how everything unravels is main reason for my five stars rating. 
•       Secondary characters. I feel a story there. Ivy will already get hers in Surviving Ice and I am really curious about River's younger brother.

      Who should read this book? Fans of K.A. Tucker (of course). All of you who have doubts about new adult genre. If you want romance and suspense in your books. Chasing River will not disappoint you.


Happy reading,

               *Copy of the book was provided by publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

5 Young Adult Books You Should Read

Looking trough my shelves on Goodreads, I stumbled upon few great young adult books that I had read and absolutely loved. That is why today I'm sharing some of my favorites with you. If you haven't read them already, you should definitely hurry up and find them. 

Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys 

 "It’s 1950, and as the French Quarter of New Orleans simmers with secrets, seventeen-year-old Josie Moraine is silently stirring a pot of her own. Known among locals as the daughter of a brothel prostitute, Josie wants more out of life than the Big Easy has to offer. She devises a plan get out, but a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie tangled in an investigation that will challenge her allegiance to her mother, her conscience, and Willie Woodley, the brusque madam on Conti Street.

Josie is caught between the dream of an elite college and a clandestine underworld. New Orleans lures her in her quest for truth, dangling temptation at every turn, and escalating to the ultimate test."



Frost by Marianna Baer

  "Leena Thomas’s senior year at boarding school starts with a cruel shock: Frost House, the cozy Victorian dorm where she and her best friends live, has been assigned an unexpected roommate—eccentric Celeste Lazar.

As classes get under way, strange happenings begin to bedevil Frost House: frames falling off walls, doors locking themselves, furniture toppling over. Celeste blames the housemates, convinced they want to scare her into leaving. And although Leena strives to be the peacekeeper, soon the eerie happenings in the dorm, an intense romance between Leena and Celeste’s brother, David, and the reawakening of childhood fears all push Leena to take increasingly desperate measures to feel safe. But does the threat lie with her new roommate, within Leena’s own mind…or in Frost House itself?"



Fan Art by Sarah Tregay

 
"Senior year is almost over, and Jamie Peterson has a big problem. Not college—that’s all set. Not prom—he’ll find a date somehow. No, it’s the worst problem of all: he’s fallen for his best friend.

As much as Jamie tries to keep it under wraps, everyone seems to know where his affections lie, and the giggling girls in art class are determined to help Jamie get together with Mason. But Jamie isn’t sure if that’s what he wants—because as much as Jamie would like to come clean to Mason, what if the truth ruins everything? What if there are no more road trips, taco dinners, or movie nights? Does he dare risk a childhood friendship for romance?"




Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore

  "Amy Goodnight knows that the world isn't as simple as it seems—she grew up surrounded by household spells and benevolent ghosts. But she also understands that "normal" doesn't mix with magic, and she's worked hard to build a wall between the two worlds. Not only to protect any hope of ever having a normal life.

Ranch-sitting for her aunt in Texas should be exactly that. Good old ordinary, uneventful hard work. Only, Amy and her sister, Phin, aren't alone. There's someone in the house with them—and it's not the living, breathing, amazingly hot cowboy from the ranch next door.

It's a ghost, and it's more powerful than the Goodnights and all their protective spells combined. It wants something from Amy, and none of her carefully built defenses can hold it back."

  
Notes from the Blender by Trish Cook

   "Declan loves death metal--particularly from Finland.  And video games--violent ones.  And internet porn--any kind, really.  He goes to school with Neilly Foster and spends most of his classroom time wondering what it might be like to know her, to talk to her, maybe even to graze against her sweater in the hallway.  Neilly is an accomplished gymnast, naturally beautiful, and a constant presence at all the best parties (to which Declan is never invited).  She's the queen of cool, the princess of poker face, and her rule is uncontested-- or it was until today, when she's dumped by her boyfriend, betrayed by her former BFF Lulu, and then informed she's getting a new brother--of the freaky fellow classmate variety.  Declan's dad is marrying Neilly's mom.  Soon.  Which means they'll be moving in together."  

Until the next time,

Series Review - Kate Daniels by Ilona Andrews

My rating: 5 stars

Series summary:

"The world has suffered a magic apocalypse. We pushed the technological progress too far, and now magic returned with a vengeance. It comes in waves, without warning, and vanishes as suddenly as it appears. When magic is up, planes drop out of the sky, cars stall, electricity dies. When magic is down, guns work and spells fail.

It’s a volatile, screwed-up world. Magic feeds on technology, gnawing down on skyscrapers until most of them topple and fall, leaving only skeletal husks behind. Monsters prowl the ruined streets, werebears and werehyenas stalk their prey; and the Masters of the Dead, necromancers driven by their thirst for knowledge and wealth, pilot blood-crazed vampires with their minds.

In this world lives Kate Daniels. Kate likes her sword a little too much and has a hard time controlling her mouth. The magic in her blood makes her a target, and she spent most of her life hiding in plain sight. But sometimes even trained killers make friends and fall in love, and when the universe tries to kick them in the face, they kick back."

      It's been ages since I read urban fantasy or binge-read long series, and I've had my eye on Kate Daniels ever since Tanja (and several of our friends) raved about how amazing it is. So, I finally picked it up. Did I like it? YES!

Five kick-ass, awesome things about Kate Daniels series

• Main female character. What I like the most in books I read is strong women and there are a lot of those here. Kate has come close to dethroning my ultimate girl crush, MacKayla Lane from Fever series by Karen Marie Moning. 
• Mystery. Every sequel is focused on different set of the events, but at the same time everything is connected and there is the bigger story behind everything.
• Romance. Curran and Kate are the power couple of bookish world. Their chemistry is perfect, authors managed to make romance believable and present just enough to make everything interesting, and still give both characters something more than just "the couple" epithet.
• Secondary characters. They are not just fellow sidekicks, but you'll find actual character development. Everyone has their own reasons for doing things, you understand why they act certain way and you even wish to read their own stories. My favorite? Derek. 
• World building. It started slow and I have to admit that in the first book I had few issues. That is why I am happy that I've waited this long to read Kate Daniels. With every new book, authors give us new pieces of puzzle and you just have to be patient.

      Magic Shifts, eight book, should be publisher in August and I cannot wait to have it in my hands. Along with Feverborn by Karen Marie Moning, it's one of my most anticipated urban fantasy novels.

Happy reading,