Gifted artist? Standout student? All his teachers are sure certain that Evan Galloway can be the graduate who brings glory to small, ordinary St. Sebastian’s School. As for Evan, however, he can’t be bothered anymore. Since the shock of his young father’s suicide last spring, Evan no longer cares about the future. In fact, he believes that he spent the first fifteen years of his life living a lie. Despite his mother’s encouragement and the steadfast companionship of his best friend, Alexis, Evan is mired in rage and bitterness. Good memories seem ludicrous when the present holds no hope. Then Evan’s grandmother hands him the key–literally, a key–to a locked trunk that his father hid when he was the same age as Evan is now. Digging into the trunk and the small-town secrets it uncovers, Evan can begin to face who his father really was, and why even the love of his son could not save him.

In a voice that resonates with the authenticity of grief, Steven Parlato tells a different kind of coming-of-age story, about a boy thrust into adulthood too soon, through the corridor of shame, disbelief, and finally…compassion.

As much as it pains me to say it, I’m calling a Did Not Finish on this one. The Namesake is acclaimed as a “searching story” about a “boy’s too early coming-of-age”, but nobody tells you it’s disturbing. I’m here to inform you that this novel’s fourteen and up recommendation should probably be rethought. I won’t go into details about The Namesake‘s many issues– both the ones it treats and the ones it possesses– but suffice it to say that I can only recommend this novel to those who appreciate a good and twisted turn of events. I’m sure that, intrinsically, The Namesake is a wonderful, emotionally impactive, life-changing book– it’s just not one that I’m ready to read.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC.

I’ll keep you posted,

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin. Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king’s council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she’ll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.

Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she’s bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her… but it’s the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead… quickly followed by another.

Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

I’m not usually one for fantasies. I mean, sure, Kristin Cashore rocked my world, but as far as world building will go I’m a far happier campier with a juicy dystopian than anything else. With all of its rave reviews, though, I was quick to order Throne of Glass from my local Barnes and Noble– and I’m happy to say that it lived up to its reputation.

Celeana Sardothien will either impress you to no end or rub you the wrong way. Thankfully, my experience was closer to the former. Her country’s deadliest assassin, Celeana enters a power hungry king’s frivolous contest in the hopes to win back her freedom. As seen in this competition, she has all of the nerve that comes with her commendably fatal reputation, though the walk she walks doesn’t come close to living up to the talk she talks. Despite this incongruity, I loved Celeana’s arrogance; so what if there’s a small gap between her abilities and her bragging? She was definitely a nice change from the typical “woe is me, I have low self esteem” YA protagonist. I like my heroines confident, and I like them cocky. Especially if afore-mentioned cockiness is delivered with deliciously witty insults, a bonus which Celeana did not fail to distribute in abundance.

I’ve heard that Celeana’s true (and skilled) colours shine through in Throne of Glass‘s novella prequels, The Assassin and the Pirate Lord, The Assassin and the Desert, The Assassin and the Underworld, and The Assassin and the Empire. Assuming that this is true, I cannot wait to read them and uncover more Celeana’s murderous past. Yes, you might say that I’ve tasted blood… and I want more.

Like any good fantasy I’ve ever read, Throne of Glass‘s world building was spot on. Corrupt royal family? Check. Needless slaughter and painful genocide? Check. A history that you’re not sure you want to know? Check. Magical woodland creatures that no longer frolic in their corner woods? Check. And there you have it, folks: all of the ingredients necessary to win me over.

Throne of Glass‘s tragic flaw lies in its predictability. Although I tried to steer myself in other directions, thinking “this can’t be the evil villain; it’s too obvious”, I figured out the culpable of the contestants’ horrible murders on page one. I understand that Ms. Maas first wrote this novel when she was sixteen, but there’s no need for juvenility, is there? Moreover, Celeana’s inner debating on the goings-on around her actually turned out to be more dramatic irony than anything else; the truth became obvious to the reader long before Celeana’s pretty little mind caught on. This slowed the novel’s pacing and left me with the general urge to bang my head against my four-hundred page hardcover in the hopes that losing brain cells might make the plot twists less obvious. Again: a little subtlety can go a long way.

All in all, Throne of Glass was superb. Not superb enough to rival Graceling‘s grandeur, of course, but we can’t all be Katsa, can we? 3.9/5 stars.

I’ll keep you posted,

I have a curse. I have a gift.

I’m a monster. I’m more than human.

My touch is lethal. My touch is power.

I am their weapon. I will fight back.

No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal, but The Reestablishment has plans for her. Plans to use her as a weapon. But Juliette has plans of her own. After a lifetime without freedom, she’s finally discovering a strength to fight back for the very first time– and to find a future with the one boy she thought she’d lost forever.

The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves. Or perhaps it’s in the stars in ourselves. As in the stars in Juliette’s eyes throughout Shatter Me. Because in cases like this, love isn’t all you need.

Had Juliette been less consumed with her boy-ogling, boy-kissing, and other romantic activities, I believe that she would have been better received. Had she taken charge of her fate, had she taken charge of herself, she could have succeeded as a character. Unfortunately, her self acceptance and self esteem are directly based on others’ opinions of her. I’d like to see Juliette emerge as uber-confident if Shatter Me‘s male characters had rejected and dismissed her as insignificant, but I’m afraid that that would not be the case. I understand that she’s had a difficult life, but where is the self-possession? Where is the self-respect? Thinly-veiled attention seeking is so 2008’s Twilight, yes?

This brings me to my next point. Shatter Me‘s men cannot reject Juliette. Why, you ask? It’s obvious: she’s simply too beautiful. Drop-dead gorgeous, really. Now, I don’t know very much about beauty, but if sitting in dank cell with but paltry hygiene practices for 264 days makes Juliette irresistible, then I’m willing to give it a go. Hey, I’ll follow her lead to the letter: never cut my hair, do minimal amounts of physical exercise, wear absolutely no makeup, and expect every male character under the age of thirty to hit on me. Why not?

The majority of reviewers out there also claim to despise Shatter Me‘s somewhat purple prose. Alas, I have to disagree with them on this point. I’ve been incredibly hard on this novel as of yet, but now I’ll be terribly honest: I loved it.

I loved its mildly uncomprehensible metaphors. I loved its eccentric choices of words. I loved its bizarre expressions, its poetic discourses, and its sporadic strike throughs. If you are not the type of person who enjoys flowery rhetoric, then I must forewarn: Shatter Me is not for you. However, if you’re like me in the way that you bask in words, savouring the taste of each of them as though they’re chocolates ripe for the eating (no, I wasn’t kidding when I said I liked figurative language), you have found your next good read.

Shatter Me‘s plot is one hundred percent classic dystopian: you’ve got your initial exposure to society’s injustice, your exploration of all things wrong, followed by your inevitable rebellion. This plot scaffolding is certainly old, maybe overused, but definitely well done. The intrigue was played out and the action was packed.

Where Mafi proves to be original is in her novel’s premise. Shatter Me has been compared to X-Men on a few occasions, and I can see why; the whole magical powers gist is more or less concurrent. However, unlike most of the paranormals you’ve read, Juliette does not consider her abilities to be a gift. And then we get down to the whole moral debate: is she a hero or a monster? Only time will tell.

Shatter Me was a thrilling ride that I’m happy to say that I’ve read. For fans of purple prose, steamy romance, and hot heroines. I’ll doubtlessly read the sequel soon enough. 4/5 stars.

I’ll keep you posted,

Sixteen-year-old Juliet Moreau has built a life for herself in London—working as a maid, attending church on Sundays, and trying not to think about the scandal that ruined her life. After all, no one ever proved the rumors about her father’s gruesome experiments. But when she learns he is alive and continuing his work on a remote tropical island, she is determined to find out if the accusations are true.

Accompanied by her father’s handsome young assistant, Montgomery, and an enigmatic castaway, Edward—both of whom she is deeply drawn to—Juliet travels to the island, only to discover the depths of her father’s madness: He has experimented on animals so that they resemble, speak, and behave as humans. And worse, one of the creatures has turned violent and is killing the island’s inhabitants. Torn between horror and scientific curiosity, Juliet knows she must end her father’s dangerous experiments and escape her jungle prison before it’s too late. Yet as the island falls into chaos, she discovers the extent of her father’s genius—and madness—in her own blood.

I’m beginning to realize that perhaps the wee hours of the morning were not the best time to read this book. Falling asleep to vivid images of gruesome deaths, abominable beasts and the many possibilities of what if does not exactly inspire sweet dreams. Fortunately, last night’s nightmares involved, at worst, a love triangle compromised of hideously two-dimensional love interests. Oh The Madman’s Daughter, what strange effects you have on me…

The most appealing aspect of The Madman’s Daughter stems from its origin. A new and hot take on H.G. Wells’s The Island of Doctor Moreau, this novel features a callous mad scientist’s estranged daughter. Conveniently, it also twists two of the classic’s original characters, Edward and Montgomery, into attractive teenage boys.

The Madman’s Daughter, sold as a Gothic thriller, immediately piqued my interest. From its first page– opening in a dreary London whose dank basements have absorbed untold terrors– to its last page– sketching an uncharted island containing one too many unnamed beasts– I have to say that this novel’s setting is extremely well done. My kudos go to Shepherd for verbally illustrating a world that’s not quite scary, per se, but sinister somehow. These nightmares slowly creep up on you, ominous but not entirely present until it’s too late to run from them. Oh sweet disquietude, why must I delight in your torture so?

Had Shepherd chosen to stick to what she does best, her readers would have been infinitely more pleased. Unfortunately, she chooses instead to explore the realm of teenage hormones and lays the romance on hot and heavy. Because that’s all too realistic; had I traveled months to visit a father who abandoned me a decade ago, braved atrocious monsters that should never have seen the light of day, and had to discover an island’s darkest secrets piece by piece, hawt boys would be all I could think about. I don’t even know how I could remain focused on the task at hand, I would be so consumed by my wanton daydreams! Shepherd captures the essence of the adolescent female perfectly. We’re nothing if not frivolous and boy-crazy.

Moreover, it’s not like Juliet’s love interests are dazzlingly irresistible or even mildly attractive.  You’ve got Montgomery, the seemingly innocent boy next door who was sort of sweet when he was kid (and therefore inexorably tantalizing to our protagonist) and Edward, who has nothing going for him other than his savage good looks and air of mystery. Juliet met Edward when he, shipwrecked, was picked up by her boat, you see. But that’s teenage girls for you; we just fall hard for everybody who passes our ships on a dinghy.

Regrettably, The Madman’s Daughter‘s intense focus on romance engendered a series of hiatuses in its plot. I’m all for physical displays of attraction, but this “Gothic thriller” ‘s promiscuity affected me in more ways than one. Lulls in the plot just aren’t my thing– especially if they’re caused by pretty girls kissing pretty boys (and doing nothing else).

Nonetheless, Shepherd did redeem herself towards The Madman’s Daughter‘s ending. The last dozen chapters were so unputdownable that I did not see the twists coming in the least. Yes, twists, as in plural, as in two, as in my mind was so excessively blown as to result in many hours of sleep lost (both due to my compulsive reading and my compulsive shouting of “no freaking way!”). The grand finale’s suspense was ramped up to dangerously high, the sluggish plot finally picked up the pace, and small horror after small horror assaulted my willing mind. Furthermore, the execrable love triangle was resolved in a way so utterly satisfying that I did not think it possible. Perhaps Shepherd knows how to write a romance after all.

Don’t let me scare you away from The Madman’s Daughter. Truly, I enjoyed it thoroughly (although I’m not sure if reading it or mocking it was the most fun). I could go so far as to call it a beach read– if you’re the type of person who vacations at abandoned lighthouses, reading ghost stories into the dead of night. 3.99/5 stars.

I’ll keep you posted,

Autumn Rossi thought she was a normal teenager. Suddenly, she can outrun creatures in the forest, making her wonder if she’s even human.

When the new guy at school, Zack de Luca, witnesses a questionable scene, he unfairly pins her as stuck-up. He acts like he hates her, yet he keeps bailing her out of trouble. Not only is Zack insufferable and irresistible, he seems to sniff her anytime he gets close.

As passion flares between them, Autumn isn’t sure which is more dangerous: her psycho ex-boyfriend, or falling for Zack — who’s risking his life just by being near her.

Happy spring break (ish) to all of you students! What better time of year for a beach read? You’ve been searching and searching, but you need search no further: I have the book for you. Veronica Blade’s series debut will no doubt sate your thirst for lighthearted entertainment.

My Wolf’s Bane incorporates all of the ingredients necessary to fluffy reading: new boys at school, magical powers, and psychotic ex boyfriends. Sure, sometimes the romance was a tad exaggerated– think frivolous obsession with an all-too-perfect love interest– but, hey, that’s all part of the enjoyment.

So grab your flip-flops and secure your straw hats, ladies and gents, and get ready for one helluva whirlwind romance. Oh, and check out my interview with My Wolf’s Bane one and only protagonist, Autumn Rossi:

ANA: Do you have any future career in mind, or are you just planning on improvising?

AUTUMN: I like doing design stuff. Sometimes, when I’m slaving away for my dad, I’ll do website changes for him or whatever else he needs. I’d like to take a college class or two and get better at it. Design is something I can do from anywhere, so long as I have a laptop– which I do. If I end up running from werewolves, having mobile work will come in handy.

ANA: Ah yes; I love using my laptop. Buying it, though? Not so much. You, however, seem to go on quite a few shopping sprees. What’s your style like?

AUTUMN: Obviously, I try to stay stylish, but the limited allowance my parents give me forces me to be creative. Like browsing the sale racks to help me stretchy my dollars. Choosing neutral colours, so I can mix and match. I’m still a fashionista, just a practical one.

ANA: I feel your pain! Unfortunately, I blow all of my cash on books. I know that you’re not much of a reader, but what’s your favourite YA book?

AUTUMN: Oh, I totally read! It’s just that lately, I’ve been distracted by other stuff, like finding out that I have super-human powers, meeting the guy of my dreams and my ex trying to kill me. Things like that make me neglect my to-be-read pile. Grrrrr. As for my favourite YAs? Paranormals rock. Some of my favourites of Shiver and Twilight.

ANA: Yes! Maggie Stiefvater for the win! I loved her Raven Boys! But before I go on a total fan girl monologue, describe yourself in five words.

AUTUMN: Strong-minded. Loyal. Slightly snarky. Stylish. :)

ANA: What’s your personal motto?

AUTUMN: Sometimes, you have to do the right thing, even if it might mean risking your life.

ANA: Speaking of risking your life, you say that Daniel was charming when you first met. I can’t believe that such a whack job could ever be appealing. Care to clarify?

AUTUMN: What can I say? The guy had me fooled. Daniel seemed super sweet at first, I swear. He used to ask me what I wanted for lunch, then wait in line and buy it for me. Whenever my car broke down– which was way to often– he’d drive me to and from school. And you know how guys can be gross with the lewd gestures and stuff? Well, Daniel always told them off. Of course, now I know it was all an act to reel me in. And as far as our first date goes, he didn’t really ask me out. It was more like, “Yeah, a bunch of us are going to Bill’s Bean and Brew. Need a ride there?” Classy, right? Not.

ANA: Well, good luck with that. I hope that you can get that asshole out of your life. Do you have any clue as to what the future holds?

AUTUMN: Well, I can’t see the future but I can tell you that I just found a birth certificate with a different last name for me. And the parents listed… Well, they’re names I don’t recognize. Zack and I are thinking about going on a road trip to the hospital where I think I was born, which’ll be awkward since our relationship is still so new and we’re going through some rough times right now. And then there’s the whole hotel room dilemma. One bed or two? And, OMG, Gina is a total bitch! Do you know she framed me for cheating? If the principal contacts my parents, I’m so screwed. Plus, there’s this new werewolf in town and I’m just gonna say that he scares the HELL out of me. Veronica Blade will tell you all about what’s happening with Zack and me in Wolves at the Door, releasing summer 2013. See you then!

A big thanks goes to Crush Publishing for making this possible!

I’ll keep you posted,