The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

 Series: The Raven Cycle
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Page Count: 416
Published: September 18th, 2012
Publisher: Scholastic Press
  3.5 Stars ★★★

Blue's mother is psychic, and she lives in a house with a few other psychics, too. While Blue can't speak to the dead or see the future, she enhances the powers of those around her, so she's brought along so that those who will be dead within the next year can be identified. Among the dead is a boy from Aglionby, a nearby private school, and Blue can see him.

Blue has always been warned that she will cause the death of her true love, and after seeing the spirit of this boy, she wonders if she will be the one to kill him. When they finally come face to face, they form a friendship, along with three other boys from Aglionby. Together they investigate mysterious ley lines, with the hope that they may be led to Glendower, a sleeping king.

There seems to be a lot of hype around this book, but I didn't really enjoy the book as much as other readers have. It wasn't a horrible book by any means, but I was fairly disappointed in some of the elements.

One thing that I did like were the characters. Actually, I loved the characters. Blue was an eccentric and likeable main character, and Gansey's determination to find Glendower was admirable. Rowan, another of the raven boys, was truly frustrating, but I loved him. Adam, a scholarship student, lived in a tough situation and very much served as a juxtaposition or foil to the rich, fairly comfortable life of Gansey. As for Noah, the last raven boy, he was quiet, sweet, and mysterious in his own way. These characters worked so well together to bring this story to life, and they were written with a depth that made me pleasantly surprised. Despite my issues with other pieces of this book, I may continue reading the series just so I can read more about these characters!

The plot was a bit too slow, in my opinion. I would find myself bored for entire chapters, only reading to find out when the next interesting issue would appear. It feels like I only read half a book, really. While the conclusion was a great cliff-hanger type situation, the lack of truly exciting plot points in this book was disappointing. 

Not to mention my confusion about what went on at the end. I mean, there are cliffhangers, but then there are seemingly random occurrences, and this book combined these. The cliffhanger made me want to read the next book, but only because I need answers. What happened at the end? How is it all connected? While this would usually be seen as a good thing, I was more frustrated than excited to get my hands on the second book. Maybe I missed something, but some of the events in the last third of the book just seemed out of place.

Overall, I didn't like this book as much as I had hoped to. The ending was a cliffhanger, but it was also really confusing. However, the amazing cast of characters has me considering buying the second book in the series, because I need to know how their story continues. 

I recommend this book to fans of young adult paranormal books. If you like slower paced novels with likeable and unique characters, this book is for you.

Find The Raven Boys on Goodreads

Sublime by Christina Lauren

Series: N/A
Author: Christina Lauren
Page Count: 336
Published: October 14th, 2014
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
  3.5 Stars ★★★

Lucy wakes up near a school. She doesn't know why she is there, and she doesn't know why people are acting like she isn't even present. But she does know that she is drawn to Colin, for some unknown reason. Colin finds himself drawn to her as well, and he knows that there's something different about her. As they get to know each other, they fall for each other, and the fact that one of them is dead starts to complicate things. Colin wants to be close to Lucy, to touch her like she's any other girl, and once they find a dangerous way to accomplish this, they can't seem to stop.

I will admit, the reason I first looked into getting this book was the cover. Look at it! It's beautiful. After reading some reviews, both positive and negative, I realized that I had to get this book. While I wasn't really disappointed, I wasn't extremely impressed with this book either.

I have two issues with this book. First, is the writing style. I believe that it's written in third person present tense, and this combination just threw me off. I found it hard to get into reading the book, I really think that third person past tense would have been a much better choice. Because this issue obviously extended for the whole book, that knocked a few stars off of my rating.

Another issue I had with the book was the pacing. It was a bit too slow for my taste, and a good chunk of the more exciting parts happened in the last half of the book, so the first half felt extra drawn-out. As I mentioned, the plot speeds up at the halfway mark, which I really appreciated! I have to say, the pieces of the plot after that point were enjoyable and thrilling to read about.

I loved pretty much everything else about this book. The concept itself is one that I enjoyed. The idea of a romance between a ghost and a living person, two people drawn together for some unknown reason, and the obstacles that they face all tied this story together very well. The romance had a bit of an insta-love feel to it, but I don't mind this if it's done well, and in the case of this book, it was definitely done well.

I also really liked both main characters. Both had tragic pasts, Colin losing his parents at a young age, and Lucy dying so young, and I think that their personal tragedies complemented the others' in a way that made their attraction to each other, and their overall characters, very easy to care about. I like that the author didn't reveal every detail about their situations right away, it gave the story a sense of mystery.

This book was truly bittersweet, with all the talk of tragedies, and the unknown, and the question of whether or not Colin and Lucy's relationship would be able to continue on into the future, considering all the issues that they had to face together. No spoilers here, but I have to say that I think the ending was perfect!

Overall I enjoyed this book, though there were some issues. While the romance was sweet, the writing style and pacing cost the book a few stars. However, the whole concept of the book was intriguing and I am glad that I read it!

I recommend this book to young adult readers who like stories about ghosts. If you're into paranormal romance, you may enjoy this.

Find Sublime on Goodreads.

50/50 Friday - Favorite/Least Favorite Series Cover Set

This meme is hosted at The Butterfly Reader and Blue Eye Books

This week's topic is favorite/least favorite series cover set

Favorite

The Skulduggery Pleasant series!

There have been lots of different covers, but they're all really awesome. I like them because they're colourful but not too colourful. Here are just a few of the awesome covers

Least favorite

The Lorien Legacies. I mean, they're not the most hideous covers that I've ever seen, but they're not very pretty, in my opinion

I really am not a fan of the cover of the first book, especially. You can find the covers here

Also sorry for the weird formatting and spaces.... I think blogger is glitching again -_-

Bleed Like Me by Christa Desir

 

Series: N/A
Author: Christa Desir
Page Count: 288
Published: October 7th, 2014
Publisher: Simon Pulse
  4.5 Stars ★★★★

Gannon is having a lot of problems in her life. Her best friend seems to only be using her for cigarettes, her parents are too busy dealing with her unruly adopted brothers, and she cuts herself. Her life seems boring and she feels misunderstood, until she meets Brooks. Brooks is different than anyone she has ever spent time with before. He seems to see the real Gannon, and soon she finds herself craving his presence.

What starts as an attraction turns into a romance, but this romance is truly bittersweet. Brooks is dealing with problems of his own, and soon Gannon finds herself falling not only for Brooks, but for his manipulative tactics and dangerous life choices. 

In the end, this novel was heartbreaking for me, on several levels. I knew that it would deal with some tough subjects, but I had no idea that I would care for the characters as much as I ended up caring for them. 

Gannon is struggling so much, and her problems mirror those of real-life teenagers, which really struck me. Her issues were presented in an authentic way which made the portrayal of family problems and cutting all the more realistic. Gannon was broken inside, but she was likeable and my heart ached for her. 

I kind of feel like I was supposed to hate Brooks, but I didn't. I was just so sad for him. I guess he's kind of the "villain" in this book, but I didn't buy into that role for him at all. He was just as hurt and broken as Gannon, his issues just manifested in a different way. While Gannon turned to self harm, Brooks did as well, to a lesser extent. His involvement with drugs was another problem that he faced, which as with the cutting, appeared to be portrayed in a sincere way too. 

I liked both of the main characters. I could see good in them, beyond their unfortunate life choices, and I think one of the saddest parts about this book is that their story could have gone a whole other way. While the author approached their relationship as something destructive and harmful, it made me sad that, in theory, they actually could've been really good for each other, and helped each other overcome their various problems. That was the real tragedy of this book. It showed the ways that peoples' everyday relationships and actions can go horribly wrong, when there was so much potential for things to go right. 

I won't spoil the ending, but I am surprised that I didn't cry at the end. I usually get emotional incredibly easily over books, but somehow I managed to keep it together. I think that was because I was so engrossed in this book, the writing style made it easy to read for long periods of time, and before I knew it, I had flipped to the last page. 

I do take a bit of an issue with the portrayal of alternative, goth, or punk people within the book. Gannon and Brooks, along with mentions of smoking alternative types, were of the goth, punk, or otherwise "different" variety. Often, I see these types of people portrayed negatively, in fiction and in reality, and I'm kind of tired of constantly seeing the stereotype of the out-of-control, emotionally unstable alternative person everywhere I go. Certainly there are alternative, goth, and punk people like this in real life, however, I wish that the author had balanced out the representation of people in these subcultures with more positive characters in the scene, as well. This is a minor complaint, but I had to mention it.

Over all, this was an emotional read with depictions of real-life problems. While I had a few minor issues, the writing style was immersive and I loved the characters, which kept me reading on.

I recommend this book to fans of YA contemporary stories. If you're interested in emotional books about self harm and family problems, this book is for you.

Find Bleed Like Me on Goodreads

50/50 Friday - Favorite/Least Favorite Cover Trend

This meme is hosted at The Butterfly Reader and Blue Eye Books

This week's topic is favorite / least favorite cover trend

Favorite

      

 As usual I have a few favorites. One of them is beautiful dresses but The Butterfly Reader already covered that! I was also thinking dark covers, like Hush Hush and Fallen, but some people might not see  that as a "trend". So I'm going with simple covers: covers that are quite bare/not very busy, except for an object, symbol, or person on the cover. Matched is a prime example of this! And of course I've included a few more. 

Least Favorite

      

Faces up-close. I kinda feel a bit uncomfortable, to be perfectly honest, with these covers. It's like I'm invading someone's personal space. 

Fall by Jeff Mariotte

Series: Witch Season
Author: Jeff Mariotte
Page Count: 320
Published: October 1st, 2004
Publisher: Simon Pulse
  3 Stars ★★★

In the second book of the Witch Season series, Kerry is still mourning Daniel, and she holds a serious grudge against Season, the witch who killed him. She and her friends fear that the witch is still after them, and so their lives are tainted with an underlying anxiety and much suspicion. Kerry decides that she must take justice into her own hands, so she leaves her college and runs away, hoping to find Daniel's mother.

Mother Blessing is not what Kerry had expected. She agrees to teach Kerry witchcraft, as she also holds anger against Season, and so Kerry begins her journey, learning magic and reading Daniel's journals. But things might not be as they seem, and by the end of her time at Mother Blessing's she may come across some shocking revelations.

After enjoying Summer, the first book in this series, I had some high hopes for the second book. While this book wasn't terrible, it wasn't very satisfying, either. It left me fairly disappointed, although I did enjoy the story.

My main problem with this book was the pacing. The pacing of the writing was way too slow, it took too long to move from the beginning of the book into the main plot, and I found myself zoning out every now and then because there was too much description, and too little action. 

As with the first book, Kerry discusses her thoughts through journal entries, which continued to give me insight into her own ideas and at times almost foreshadowed some of the coming events. Daniel's journal offered more information concerning the history between his family and Season, and as with the first book, I appreciated these pieces for shedding light on parts of the story that the reader might not be able to understand without these writings. 

I really don't have much to say about Fall, because honestly, it's not an amazing book. It wasn't horrible, but it didn't really blow me away either. 

I recommend this book to those who enjoyed the first novel in this series. If you're interested in witches and romance, you might enjoy this series.

Find Fall on Goodreads