Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson

"I know better, better than anyone else, that there are no heroes coming to save us. There are no good Epics. None of them protect us. Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. We live with them. We try to exist despite them..."

I was soooooooooooo excited for Steelheart. Everything about it sounded super fantastically amazing. It actually was amazing, though not always as much so as I had hoped. The first chapter just blew my mind. Seriously, just bits of brain matter flying everywhere from all that action. It slows down some once we get into the actual book.

Steelheart is about a world where a meteor gave powers to a select few, known as Epics. Where our superheroes use their powers to serve and protect humankind, Epics use their powers to enslave humans and destroy any who fight against them. The worst, most powerful epic is Steelheart. He ruthlessly rules over the city, and he has no known weaknesses.

David is an ordinary young man. When he was young, he saw Steelheart murder his father. He also saw something extraordinary: his father injured Steelheart. As the great movie Predator once said, "If it bleeds, then we can kill it." As David said:

"I've seen Steelheart bleed. And I will see him bleed again."

David spent his time researching Epics, figuring out their powers and weaknesses. He formed a plan to get rid of the most powerful Epics surrounding Steelheart in order to get at Steelheart himself. David takes this plan to the Reckoners, a group of humans who regularly assassinate Epics. At first they don't want anything to do with him, but they eventually let him in because he knows too much, both about Epics and their group.

I think my biggest complaint was that I thought David would be more competent. He constantly put the Reckoners into danger, almost getting them killed multiple times. They actually only let him in the group so he wouldn't get them killed. He seemed okay, but I thought that if he dedicated his life to vengeance, he might be better at it. 

Eventually, the Reckoners come to like David. All of them except for Megan. She is usually cold towards him. This means that they kind of, sort of, maybe, like like each other. The group continues to execute David's plan, and lots of stuff happens. There's revelations and it leads to a majorly cool showdown that is just a couple smidges short of matching the opening chapter. Also, the revelations made me really anxious to get my hands on the second book. I want it soooo much!

Overall, Steelheart was an excellent story. I love the different angle on superheroes, and I was a big fan of the action. The revelations were pretty major, though very predictable. I knew it was coming, but I was still excited about what was revealed.

I received my copy of Steelheart from Edelweiss, courtesy of Delacorte Press. They also sent a copy to my bookstore, which I grabbed. It's available for purchase now.

The Paradox of Vertical Flight by Emil Ostrovski

"But look, Socrates- what I wanted to say, the reason why I brought it up is: here's why Troy is important. Forget the determinism stuff for a bit. Troy is important because everyone has a Helen, and everyone has a Troy, and everyone has a Trojan horse. It doesn't matter if your Helen is named Charles and your Troy is a bathroom in a gay dance club and your Trojan horse is some drunk guy named Sugar hammering on the door because he's about to shit himself. No matter what you do, the story will play out as if it has already been written, because it has already been written. You just haven't read the script. That's why three thousand or however many years later there's a Troy in probably every state in America, probably a Troy in every country in the whole goddamn world..."

That was a long quote. Sorry. It's also really good, so I recommend reading it. You're welcome. On to my review...

It's Jack's 18th birthday. He gets so many Facebook birthday messages that he gets depressed and decides to kill himself. Just before swallowing the pills, he gets a phone call. It's his ex-girlfriend, Jess. She is in the hospital. Giving birth. To his baby.

Jess wants Jack to see his son before she puts him up for adoption. At first I thought that she hadn't told Jack about being pregnant, but it turns out that she was really upfront with him. He was the one who stopped talking to her for nine whole months. This makes him sound like a jerk, and acting like that means he pretty much is a jerk. Otherwise, he is really very crazy and sweet.

The first time Jack meets his son, he takes him to an empty room. Then he takes him outside, and almost on accident, he drives away with the baby. Jack decides to take the baby, who he names Socrates, on a road trip to visit his grandmother. Grandma has Alzheimer's disease, but she was having a good day and actually called Jack for his birthday. There's no telling how grandma will react once he shows up, but Jack decides that this could be her only chance to meet her grandson. Jack's best friend Tommy and Jess join him, and together they evade the police, visit a giant meteor, and even take to the seas. It turns into an epic quest, akin to what Homer wrote about, all of those original stories.

One of the funniest parts of the book is how Jack would take Socrates aside and tell him about philosophy. He'd also debate him, and imagine entire conversations with a newborn baby. It sounds insane, but it's really sweet. Jack is trying to impart as much wisdom as he can before he has to give Socrates back.

The Paradox of Vertical Flight is incredibly funny and sweet. It made me laugh and cry, sometimes at the same time. A lot of this book deals with serious matters: pregnancy, kidnapping, etc. Stuff does get quirky, but not terribly so. The opening chapter shows an older Jack meeting with a high school senior Socrates, and I really liked that. It made me happy that they stayed in touch, that Jack was still a part of his son's life. I also like revealing the happy ending at the beginning because I know I would have worried about it through the entire story.

I received my copy of The Paradox of Vertical Flight from Edelweiss, courtesy of Greenwillow Books. It's available for purchase now.

The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas

She was just trying to fix her light spell. Iolanthe was trying to earn money to take care of herself and her mentor, Master Haywood, an old man who was once powerful but now suffers a drug addiction. She finds a solution for her ruined spell, summons a bolt of lightning...then her world changes.

The lightning comes, along with the Inquisitor and guards from the Bane himself, the tyrant of the Realm. Thankfully, she is rescued by Prince Titus. Titus is pretty fascinating. He pretends to be superficial and stupid so that nobody suspects his true intentions. Before her death, his mother told him how he was tasked with teaching someone. This person would defeat and overthrow the Bane. So Titus waited and prepared. The lightning was his signal.

Titus made plans, but he didn't realize that the person he was protecting was a girl. He set up a complex spell wherein he created a boy named Archer Fairfax, who has been away from Eton College, in our world, recovering from an injury. Iolanthe has to play the part of Fairfax, fitting in with the other boys and learning about sports. Meanwhile, Titus helps her to strengthen her magic. She needs it because she is the one who will have to face the Bane and finally free the Realm.

This review is probably insufficient because it is very much fantasy, so there are always those details that are difficult to figure out whether to use them or not. It was a really entertaining story, kind of Harry Potter meets Twelfth Night. I really loved Titus the most because he was so good at magic and he was hilarious when he pretended to be a vain prince. Iolanthe was cool, and you have to admire her for fitting in with a bunch of boys and in a different world. Of course, they eventually start to become attracted to each other and it's pretty sweet.

There's lots of action and magical and fantastic stuff, plus good amounts of drama. Seriously, Titus' story about his kitty and the bitchy Inquisitor made me cry. That lady was the worst since Dolores Umbridge. Unfortunately, I have to wait to see what happens until the second book comes out, which is definitely my biggest complaint about The Burning Sky.

I received my copy of The Burning Sky from Edelweiss, courtesy of Balzer + Bray. It's available for purchase now.

Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis

"It's not for sins committed
My heart is full of rue,
but gentle acts omitted,
Kind deeds I did not do."
-Robert Service

This was SUCH A GOOD BOOK. It's got that dystopian element, except less fantasy or science fiction. I don't normally go for that, but there is lots of great action and many emotional moments. Even though some of it is sad, most of the book is really sweet and hopeful. It's also a rare stand-alone book, so you don't have to track down previous books or wait around for a sequel. Really, there are so many reasons why you should read this very awesome story.

Not a Drop to Drink is set in a bleak future America where water has become scarce. Lynn and her mother are devoted to guarding the tiny pond on their farm. Lynn has been taught to spare no one who attempts to drink, whether animal or human. The pond keeps them alive, and their lives revolve around protecting the pond and purifying and storing the water.

After Lynn is left alone, her world expands. She actually talks to the old man from the neighboring farm, formerly known as "that asshole" by her mother. They discover some refugees from the city, people who don't know how to take care of themselves in the wild. These people beg Lynn to take their little girl, Lucy, until they can learn how to survive. There are also very bad men who appear, wanting the pond and also things that Lynn doesn't understand.

Lynn was very likable. She was very sheltered. Her only contact had been her mother for so many years. It can be hard to balance sheltered and ignorant, but she never came off as stupid. I enjoyed seeing her transform from a protective super soldier to a caring protector. Lynn didn't want to take Lucy at first, but she does so well with the kid. I really loved her reactions from Lucy's uncle, Eli. Eli was flirtatious and adorable. For instance:

"You're used to things like matching furniture?"
"Oh, yes, a coordinated dining room," Eli said, fake wistfulness creeping into his tone as he ran his fingers over the tabletop.
"I miss it more than tap water."

There was also an adorably awkward sex talk with the grizzled neighbor. She learns why those bad men were staring at her. She also learns what men can do to hurt women. That's what happens when you open yourself up to people. You get the good and the bad. Those who need your help and will help you in return, then those who will only hurt and take. You can close yourself off, like Lynn's mother did for so long, but then you may be safe but you are also missing out on a lot of good. 

Not to spoil too much, this book does have a happy ending. It's about as happy as these books get, anyways. It wasn't quite the ending I wanted, but it was happy, so I'll take it.

I received my copy of Not a Drop to Drink from Edelweiss, courtesy of Katherine Tegen Books. It's available for purchase now.

Bubble World by Carol Snow

Bubble World is yet another book that pulled me in with its description, then turned out to be something else entirely. The synopsis made it sound like a standard dystopian plot. It's about an island where life is completely perfect, then stuff gets weird. I admit that it doesn't sound very original, but the actual plot is much more interesting.

Freesia lives on the island of Agalinas. Her life is completely perfect. She has a closet full of beautiful clothes, a loving family, lots of friends, and parties to attend every night. One day while looking at her perfect self in the mirror, Freesia gets a glimpse of a short, dumpy, and definitely imperfect girl. That's when things start falling apart.

A day actually repeats itself, and all kinds of glitches start to show. It turns out that Agalinas is actually a virtual reality created for young adults who have trouble living in the real world. Freesia's computer malfunctions and she wakes up to find that the dumpy girl is her. Her real family is a far cry from her virtual family, and real school is much more difficult to grasp. I really liked seeing Freesia learn to cope with reality, and I especially liked seeing her learn to make her less perfect self more fabulous.

What really interests me about Bubble World is that it seems like something that could realistically happen. Kids having trouble fitting in? Kids being bullied? Just hook those suckers up to a computer and all their problems are solved. As a bonus, you don't even have to interact with them until they go to college, and not even then, because virtual colleges are in development.

Bubble World ended up being a good surprise. Before I knew the whole story, I wasn't a big fan of Freesia. Afterward, I really liked her. Her entire world was shattered. She goes from fake perfection to genuine reality. The issue rises over which choice is better. You'll have to find out how it all ends in the book.

I received my copy of Bubble World from Edelweiss, courtesy of Henry Holt and Co. It's available for purchase now.

OCD Love Story by Corey Ann Haydu

"Because there is nothing, nothing worse than not being able to undo the crazy thoughts. I ask them to leave, but they won't. I try to ignore them, but the only thing that works is giving into them.
Torture: knowing that something makes no sense, doing it anyway."

Bea seems like your average teenage girl. She meets a boy at a dance, comforting him when the lights go out and sharing some kisses. Then she meets him again at her therapy group, a group to help treat OCD, or obsessive compulsive disorder. Compared to the other kids, Bea and Beck seem normal. One girl is nearly bald, as her compulsion is pulling out her hair. Another boy has scabs all over his face, from compulsively picking at his skin. It turns out that Beck has an obsession with the number 8, with bathing and hand-washing, and he is addicted to the gym. He will text someone, then have to text seven more times. His skin is red and raw from being washed so frequently. He also has a fantastic body, but he will work himself to exhaustion because he can't stop himself.

Bea actually has a couple of compulsions as well. First is driving. She takes hours to get anywhere, often stopping and circling back. She becomes convinced that she hit a dog or a child, so she has to check on them. Over and over and over. Second, she collects articles about murders. Bea fears that she will someday snap and kill someone, so any sharp objects or weapons cause anxiety. Third, when stressed, Bea pinches her thigh. She pinches it so hard that it's marked with a black-and-blue bruise Then there is the really bad one.

There are off-hand comments made about some ex-boyfriend who had to get a restraining order, but we don't get an explanation right away. Bea's new obsession is a couple who also goes to her therapist. They are married and glamorous, and Bea sits in a corner and eavesdrops on their sessions. She writes down details in a secret notebook. One day, she follows them home. She goes back often. Sometimes she tries to stop, but then the fear will come that something bad will happen if she isn't there, and Bea will compulse. Eventually, she has to go further, actually interacting with Austin and Sylvia, and even talking her way into their apartment. It's pretty scary when she acts that way, and a little difficult to read about.

I really loved this book and the glimpse it gave inside the mind of a teenager living with mental illness. It's impossible not to sympathize with Bea through her struggles. At one point in the story, Bea was thinking about how their compulsions can come from a good place. Washing your hands, going to the gym, and cautious driving are good things, but at some point it becomes too much. It's difficult to gauge exactly when the good turns bad. It's a difficult subject matter, but it's approached with great care. The characters are easy to relate to, even if you don't share their affliction. The story contains a lot of drama, but also romance and comedy to balance out the heavy stuff. 

I received my copy of OCD Love Story from Edelweiss, courtesy of Simon Pulse. It's available for purchase now.

The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith/J.K. Rowling

"And then, at last, the frenzy wore itself into staleness, and even the journalists had nothing left to say, but that too much had been said already."

I am almost positive that I have seen The Cuckoo's Calling around before the big reveal. It may have been on one of my ARC sites, I may have passed by it in our mystery section at work. Sometimes I try different genres, just to see if there may be something I'm missing. Even so, I don't usually read mysteries. Therefore, The Cuckoo's Calling went under my radar. Months later, when news broke that Robert Galbraith was actually a pseudonym for J.K. Rowling, I suddenly had to read it.

Like everyone (Who isn't INCREDIBLY WRONG), I love Harry Potter. When The Casual Vacancy came out, I was excited. I love Harry Potter, and I AM an adult! This sounds right up my alley. Then, I read it...and I gave up on it after about 100 pages. It's just so long, and she seems to be taking too many liberties with profanity and sex now that she is writing for the grown-ups, and I sort of wish maybe she would have stuck with Fantasy, except for adults. The Casual Vacancy is so normal.

Unfortunately, The Cuckoo's Calling still isn't Harry Potter. It is a pretty darn great murder mystery. It starts with supermodel Lula Landry falling to her death from the balcony of her apartment. Given the troubled young woman's history of substance abuse and her rocky, well publicized relationship, it seems likely that Landry committed suicide.

When Lula's brother seeks to hire him to investigate, at first Cormoran Strike refuses. Business has been terrible, he can't pay back the loans used to start the agency, and he can barely afford the fee for his temporary secretary. Still, he doesn't want to take advantage of someone's death, even when John Bristow is offering double his normal fees. The money eventually wins. Strike takes the case, expecting to come to the same conclusion as the police. Instead, he discovers that the facts don't add up. The more he investigates, the more he starts to agree with Bristow. It appears that someone killed Lula Landry, and it's up to Strike and his new temp Robin to bring the murderer to justice.

I think that I liked this book so much because of the characters. Cormoran Strike is an imposing, tough man. He is also very sympathetic, having lost his leg in the war, and his girlfriend breaks up with him right at the beginning of the story. I also admire him because he is an amazing detective. Robin is newly engaged and planning to leave for a permanent job. However, she gets caught up in the excitement of working for a private investigator. I was a little jealous, because I also wanted to be a detective when I was younger. She is also impressively efficient at her job, often going above and beyond the secretarial role. The relationship between Strike and Robin was my favorite part. Both of them are so good at their respective jobs, and they form a mutual respect. It just warmed my heart, and I'm not being sarcastic. There is supposed to be a second book featuring these characters, and I am incredibly excited to see what unfolds between Strike and Robin.

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke

"People said time was relative, and I guess that explained why my life before River felt like a handful of seconds- brief flashes of small events that added up to very little.
But my life after River was a three-volume saga. Epic with quests and villains and murders and unsatisfactory resolutions and people being torn apart."

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea is a paranormal teen romance book with heavy hints of southern gothic. It's sort of Twilight meets Beautiful Creatures, but different. Also, it's really, really good.

Violet and her brother Luke are the grandchildren of wealthy industrialists. As such, they are not supposed to get jobs to earn money for silly trifles such as food. While their artist parents travel in Europe and are basically unreachable, Violet comes up with the idea of renting out the guest house. A girl's gotta eat, after all.

Soon, almost freakishly soon, someone responds to her ad. The new boy in town is called River. Violet is drawn to him, and River seems to reciprocate her feelings. Despite never having strong feelings towards any of the boys in town, she starts having all kinds of steamy dreams about him. The problem is that strange things start to happen, bad things.

What qualifies as strange? The teenage neighbor sees a mad man in a cave moments after telling the story of a mad man who lives in a cave. A little girl disappears, the neighborhood children having seen her abducted by the Devil himself. People start to do things and feel things that they cannot control. The timing of the events coincides with River's arrival. The question is how River could do these things, and if he is responsible, does that make him evil?

I was a big fan of Violet. She was a fairly sensible girl (In one of my favorite quotes, she talks about a childhood fantasy that she had where a rich descendant who owns a neighboring estate comes back and they fall in love. She concludes this admission with, "I was pretty stupid when I was younger." That really made me laugh.) who likes to wear her late grandmother's clothes and watch old movies. River was fairly dreamy, though I have a thing for the boys with dubious motives. They have a pretty nice relationship, which fortunately doesn't ruin their individual characters.

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea was pretty exciting. Normal, casual events would take place, then all of a sudden STUFF would happen. I loved how it was hard to predict when STUFF would go down. I am eagerly anticipating the sequel, which is due out August 2014. How can I wait sooo long?

I received my copy of Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea from Edelweiss, courtesy of Dial. It's available for purchase now.

The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes

"It's not so much a possession as an infection.
The House was always his.
Always him."

I was very excited to read The Shining Girls, but I ended up disappointed. It sounded awesome: a serial killer who hunts his victims throughout time, while the one who got away is hunting him. The biggest problem I had with the book is momentarily forgetting how very gross serial killers are. The very violent scenes of women being killed made me sick. The victims are interesting women, and one by one we see them being brutally murdered. This was listed as a book that features a strong female character, but the story shows the very opposite.

The Shining Girls opens in Chicago during the Great Depression. Harper, our a-hole serial killer, is running from some dudes who want to punish him for killing a man, like the a-hole he is. A bunch of crazy mishaps later, he steals a coat from an old blind woman (As you do, when you're an a-hole). The coat contains a set of keys, keys to the House.

The House is a giant mystery, this weird time-traveling place. Inside the House are a list of names and a whole lot of random objects. The objects are from the girls, girls who shined with life and potential, girls he will kill/has killed/time travel! Harper gets right to work visiting the girls, giving them an item, then going back at a future time and murdering them. He then leaves an object from another girl at the scene of the crime.

This whole disgusting routine is going swimmingly, until it doesn't. He leaves one woman alive: Kirby. She is a brash college student who interns at a newspaper and uses its resources to hunt down her attempted killer. This proves nearly impossible, as Harper's murders span decades. I found Kirby to be a bit annoying, but mostly okay. It would be hard to side against anyone looking to kick Harper's butt.

The time travel element made this book somewhat interesting. I was slightly impressed that a deranged lunatic was capable of keeping track of timelines so well, that he was so good at closing loops. The Shining Girls really made me sad because I do see potential greatness in the story, but ultimately it fell short of the mark.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

"I care about Simon Snow. And I know he's not mine, but that doesn't matter to me. I'd rather pour myself into a world I love and understand than try to make something up out of nothing..."

Going away to college has always been a rite of passage. For many, this counts as their first taste of independence. Cath isn't looking forward to the experience. Her twin sister, Wren, is using the time to explore new things, including requesting a roommate that isn't Cath. Wren spends her weekends drinking and partying, and her week days practicing crazy vegan diets. Cath is afraid of all the changes she has to face without her sister and best friend. She spends the beginning of her year eating protein bars in her bedroom because she's afraid to go to the dining hall, then because she's too embarrassed to ask where the dining hall is.

Thankfully, Cath eventually ventures outside of her dorm. This is largely due to the fact that her roommate Regan, and Regan's boyfriend Levi, take her under their wing. Through them, she finds the dining hall and learns the joys of peppermint mochas. Cath would still rather stay inside and write Simon Snow fanfic than party, but they always extend an invitation when going to a party.

Speaking of Simon Snow, he is the main character in a series of young adult books. Simon goes to a magical school, like Harry Potter. His roommate is a brooding vampire named Baz, and they tend to fight. In the great world of the internet, Simon and Baz are really hot for each other. Cath writes a lot of Simon and Baz slash fics, the most important of which is "Carry On, Simon." It gets tons of hits and even has its own fan gear. Cath is determined to finish her masterpiece before the final Simon Snow book is published.

Despite being a Freshman, Cath negotiated her way into an upper level writing class. She soon starts writing with a boy in her class, alternating paragraphs while he works at the library. Yet, library boy never walks her home to her dorm at midnight. Levi does. That little bit of conflict aside, Cath's teacher adores her writing. When she turns in a fanfic, however, the teacher hates it, even refers to it as plagiarism.

There are a lot of confusing moments going on in Cath's Freshman year. There's the feelings about library boy (Who always seems kind of meh) versus Levi (Who obviously loves her and has the funniest moments in the entire book and is awesome). She has conflicts with her family: the whole Wren issue, her guilt over going away to school and not being able to take care of her father, and then finding out that their mother wants to reconnect with them, the same mother who left when they were eight.

I really love how Cath starts out as an introvert, and basically stays that way in the end. She comes out of her shell a bit, but she doesn't turn into a social butterfly. I like that, how it's okay for her to be who she is. It would be really difficult to dislike Cath. There were moments when she was so incredibly awkward or self destructive, and I just wanted to give her a hug. I could see a whole lot of myself in her. I also loved Regan and Levi for never giving up on her, no matter how many times she turned down their invites. Regan is one of those intimidating girls with the pessimistic attitudes. They are exact opposites, but Cath and Regan created a great balance. And Levi is absolutely the best. I don't know why I'm just discovering Rainbow Rowell (I also read Eleanor & Park, and it is also fantastic), but she is a wonderful writer. I want to read whatever she has coming next, and I only hope that she comes out with it soon.

I received my copy of Fangirl from Netgalley, courtesy of St. Martin's Press. It will be available September 10th, 2013.

Of Beast and Beauty by Stacey Jay

"In the beginning was the darkness, and in the darkness was a girl, and in the girl was a secret. The secret was as old as the cracked cobblestone streets of Yuan, as peculiar as the roses that bloom eternally within the domed city's walls, as poisonous as forgotten history and the stories told in its place..."

The city of Yuan is enclosed by a dome that keeps out the savage monstrous people who roam the deserts. The dome also protects the normal smooth skin people from being mutated by the environment on the outside. Yuan is a successful city, and to ensure that success, a female royal must be sacrificed to the magical roses. These roses ensure plentiful food and water for the citizens. Recently, the city has been on a decline. The roses demand a proper blood sacrifice, and soon.

Outside the dome, the people of the desert are also suffering. Men, women, and children are starving to death. They even poison themselves to make it quick, rather than endure the slow torture of starvation. Gem, the chief's son, is part of a group that breaks into the dome. His village's shaman has seen that they need Yuan's magic roses in order to save the people. Once inside the dome, stuff goes down. Gem runs into Isra (More on her in a minute), who alerts the guards. The others leave, but Gem is held as prisoner in a gesture of good faith to ensure that the villagers won't attack the dome again.

Unfortunately, the King of Yuan was killed in the attack. His death means that his daughter, Isra, is now the Queen. Isra has been locked in a tower since she was four years old. An accident took her sight, so she was hidden from the people. She also suspects that she is deformed, as she is very tall and her skin is rough and a little scaly. Isra must now get married and then she will be sacrificed to the roses, hopefully in several decades. In the meantime, Isra tries to change things in Yuan. She gets Gem to help her plant a garden in order to reverse or prevent the mutations that are springing up among the people. She also wants to let the mutated and smooth skins live together, rather than keeping the former locked away in a ghetto area. Unfortunately, despite being Queen, Isra meets resistance from her father's top advisor. She will also have to marry his son, who ends up being kind of nice, though he is also racist and very promiscuous.

Obviously, as this is a Beauty and the Beast retelling, Isra must end up with Gem. The reversal of the roles is interesting, with the man being the prisoner and the woman the captor. I thought the reversal from mortal enemies to true love was a bit rushed, but it wasn't terrible. I'm not an expert in how Stockholm Syndrome works. I was impressed by the combination of the fairy tale premise with a dystopian setting. It makes for an incredibly original twist on an old story.

I received my copy of Of Beast and Beauty from Edelweiss, courtesy of Delacorte Press. It's available for purchase now.

Another Little Piece by Kate Karyus Quinn

"Things happen in life. Things don't go the way you plan. And even when they do, it doesn't feel the way you thought it would."

Teenage girls are simultaneously the most powerful and powerless forces in the world. So much is designed to appeal to them, to get them to buy something, wear something, do something, or like something. That part is the power. Their weakness is that it's hard being a teenage girl. In order to appeal to them, a product claims to need to fix or complete the girl. They are never enough on their own.

It makes it easy to understand the book. Teenage girls are offered their greatest desire. It's always a boy. Make him love me, make him need me. What they lack the foresight to understand is the price. There is always a price, and it is always much too high.

A year after her disappearance, Annaliese Rose Gordon emerged from the woods. She had no hair, was covered in a garbage bag, and had no memory of where she had been. She was returned to her loving parents and safe comfortable life. As more and more memories come back to the girl, one thing becomes clear: she isn't really Annaliese Rose Gordon.

What does Annaliese Rose Gordon have to do with the first two paragraphs? Why, absolutely everything! Annaliese is just the latest in a string of covetous young ladies who gave up everything to get what she thought she wanted most. The real Annaliese is gone, and the girl occupying her body has to piece everything together, soon. Otherwise, she will end up trapping another teenage girl, and the same thing happens over and over again.

This sounds like another psychological thriller, but it ended up being more paranormal. This was actually a nice surprise. It weaved an original mythology with elements of Faust, and a satisfying amount of horror. It surprised me, both with the story and with how much I ended up enjoying it.

I received my copy of Another Little Piece from Edelweiss, courtesy of HarperTeen. It's available for purchase now.

The Originals by Cat Patrick

Elizabeth is a normal, busy high school student. She juggles advanced courses, dance, cheerleading, a college course, and a part-time waitressing job. What nobody else knows is that Elizabeth is actually three identical girls. Ella, Betsy, and Lizzie are clones. Their mother smuggled them out of a lab after the clients were going to take only one baby and kill the other two. At least that was what the girls had always been told, and what they always believed.

In the beginning, Lizzie attends morning classes, Ella attends afternoon classes, and Betsy does after school activities, waitressing, and their college course. The girls are all tutored at home, so they still receive a complete education. When Lizzie fails a test, their mother switches her to afternoons. This is actually better suited to Lizzie, as she enjoys the creative writing and dance classes. This is also how she meets Sean Kelly.

Sean is in the creative writing class, and he notices the change in Elizabeth right away. Unfortunately, Betsy develops an interest in another young man in one of the morning classes. The girls have never been permitted to date before, but their mother gives them permission this time. The catch is that Elizabeth can only be seen dating one boy. Unfortunately for Lizzie, it's not going to be Sean.

This is when the girls take matters into their own hands. They start to break the rules that they have been living with for way too long. It's not just about the right to date whomever they want, there are much bigger issues. Lizzie, Ella, and Betsy want to be more than just one third of a person.

This was a fairly entertaining book. It was nice to see a subject matter that hasn't been done to death, so definite points for that. There is a nice, though slightly cliche, message about being yourself. It's made up for by the intriguing mysteries being hidden from the girls. Best of all, this isn't actually going to expand into a series. If you read this, there's no anticipation, waiting, or major commitment. I consider that a major win.

Sisterland by Curtis Sittenfeld

I admit that I read Curtis Sittenfeld's Prep years ago. It seemed like something I would enjoy, but I ended up disliking the book. The main character is detestable, and there is way too much sex for my liking. Sisterland sounded good, because twins with psychic powers sounds like an awesome premise. Yet again, I was met with a main character that I didn't like and way more sex than I'd prefer.

Sisterland is about twin sisters Violet and Kate (Daisy). Violet receives a lot of attention when she makes a public prediction that an earthquake will occur. She creates a media frenzy, even gets a spot on the Today Show. Some people ridicule her, but others believe her prediction. Kate is upset that she would draw attention, attention that might end up falling on Kate.

While Violet works as a psychic, Kate is a stay-at-home mom. She used to have "senses," but she forced them away long ago. She even started calling herself Kate, from her middle name, instead of Daisy so that nobody would connect her with the freaky psychic twins. We get to see the bad experiences that Kate had had, her reasons for wanting a normal life. Personally, I understand her reasons, but I think she is a bit of a stick in the mud. I'd have liked a book from Violet's perspective, maybe even a shared narrative. Kate is very judgmental of her twin. Violet gives her reasons to judge a lot of the time, but the constant judging and snippy remarks reflect poorly on Kate.

I really would have preferred more psychic stuff and less sex. There is a lot of sex in this book. Most of it is fine, but the scenes toward the end of the book started to gross me out. I'm probably starting to sound like the Sex Police here, and writing the word sex so many times is making me feel embarrassed (Though I will probably get some new and fun items in the searches-that-brought-people-to-my-blog list). In summary, I do not like the main character or the sex. I do like the psychic aspects of the story, and the book is very well written. It wasn't really my cup of tea, but I can see how others might enjoy it.

I received a copy of Sisterland from Edelweiss and Netgalley, courtesy of Random House. It's available for purchase now.

Prep School Confidential by Kara Taylor

Anne used to be in charge at her old school, St. Bernadette's. She knew how to break the rules in all the right ways, and she had the headmistress wrapped around her little finger. Then she accidentally burned down part of the school. Anne's charm isn't going to get her out of that mess.

Anne is sent away to Wheatley, a boarding school in Boston. She is used to the excitement of New York, and fears that Wheatley will be dull. It appears that she is right...until her roommate is murdered.

What is more surprising is that the school seems to be sweeping Isabella's murder under the rug. Anne knows that they are covering for someone. She takes it upon herself to bring the culprit to justice, with help from Isabella's delinquent brother Anthony. Was it the scary type-A senator's daughter? Or the creepy stalker from the powerful family? Could it be the foreign professor who is overly attached to his work study students? Or was it Isabella's very own brother? They all have motives, but the further Anne digs, the more dirt she finds.

Prep School Confidential was a fun mystery, and I will always love a boarding school story. It was the rare YA mystery that wasn't completely predictable, and in fact had me guessing and second guessing all my theories. Anne was a commendable heroine, and I admire her bravery and detective skills. She did have a tendency to jump to conclusions too quickly with regards to her suspects, but she cracked the case wide open in the end. This book wasn't quite the over the top, guilty pleasure fix of the Pretty Little Liars, but I am looking forward to the next installment and further adventures of Anne Dowling.

I received my copy of Prep School Confidential from Edelweiss, courtesy of St. Martin's Griffin. I also received a copy from the Goodreads First Reads program, courtesy of Sarah G. The book will be available for purchase July 30, 2013.

Crushed by Sara Shepard

In #13 of the illustrious Pretty Little Liars series, we get to find out Aria's new secret. We know it happened while she and Hanna were vacationing in Iceland with their boyfriends. Let me say that it. Is. Awesome.

Avert your eyes, folks who don't want to be spoiled. Aria and her boyfriend Noel were having a tiff in Iceland. She was getting in a self-righteous mood, as she does, when she met a hipster named Olaf. One thing led to another, and they were kissing in an alley. Yet another thing led to another thing, and they were stealing a Van Gogh from a villa. I'll just let that absorb for a minute. Olaf played hipster chicken with Aria, and it ended with them trying to return Nazi-stolen artwork to its Jewish owners. That is the best, most outrageous secret yet.

In the present, Spencer decides that enough is enough. They are going to find A and end the torment. The Liars gather and deduce that Alison must have had an accomplice, who must be A. Their suspects are Grant (Tabitha's boyfriend who got all blown up on the eco cruise last book), Iris (Ali's roommate at the asylum), Jason (Ali's brother, not important because he is never mentioned again), and Noel Kahn (Aria's boyfriend, who suddenly became incredibly precious to me when I knew these girls were going to get him murdered).

The girls split up to investigate. Hanna takes back her old volunteering gig at the burn clinic to keep tabs on poor Grant. Emily visits Iris...and ends up breaking her out and helping her with her bucket list of stealing, skinny dipping, and stalking. Aria reluctantly agrees to investigate Noel, but she does so with a heavy heart. Everything she finds makes him look more and more guilty. Spencer goes for Alison herself, contacting the creator of a conspiracy website that claims Alison might still be alive.

The other story is that it's Prom time! Hanna is nominated for Prom Queen, against a formerly unglamorous classmate. Unfortunately, she can't campaign or A will reveal her secrets about Tabitha and Iceland. Spencer's boyfriend, Reefer, wins some elite internship in South America and he breaks up with her, leaving her to attend prom alone in her fancy designer dress. Fortunately, she hits it off with the conspiracy website guy and ends up taking him to the dance. Aria goes with Noel, but things get tense.

There is a constant pattern in these books wherein someone seems suspicious, the Liars suspect that they are A, there is a confrontation, then the suspect ends up dead. I was pretty devastated when they started to suspect Noel (As I already said). Some huge stuff happens in this book, definitely. I really, really need to know what happens next, as there was a huge cliffhanger. Book #14 is also supposed to be the FINAL book, for real this time. I'm very excited for that, the continuation and the ending.

The Potty Mouth at the Table by Laurie Notaro

I really used to enjoy Laurie Notaro's books. They made me laugh out loud, even after I read them over and over again. I don't know if I have grown too disenfranchised in my old age, or if I have read them so many times that the humor is gone. Her last book, It Looked Different on the Model was good, but I barely laughed. I decided to try The Potty Mouth at the Table to see if it would get different results.

My basic impression of the new book is that I may not be old enough to relate to a lot of these stories. Notaro's early books were about dating and jobs, a lot of twentysomething anecdotes. Later books were about getting married and buying a house. Now, the majority of the stories are about complaining about one thing or another. Most of her complaints seem valid, or at least I wouldn't want them to happen to me. It just ends up feeling like I'm hanging out with my mom when she's in one of her moods ("Let me go into a diatribe about how I dislike Obama/how you shouldn't wear a Harry Potter t-shirt because it is the devil/how SNL celebrities got famous from snorting blow").

I feel pretty bad saying this, but it seems like Laurie Notaro is turning into her mother, frequent star of her stories. Don't get me wrong, overall the stories were entertaining. I even chuckled a couple of times. The last essay about her friend's battle with cancer was both unexpected and very sweet. Again, though, I may be a couple years too young to fully appreciate this book. Maybe I'll give it another try in five to ten years and see if I can relate better.

I received my copy of The Potty Mouth at the Table from Edelweiss, courtesy of Gallery Books. It's available for purchase now.

Icons by Margaret Stohl

"You can't kneel to a lord who will not show his face.
You can't pray to a god who hates the human race..."

Icons is another alien book. Aliens are the next big thing. They came when Doloria (Dol) was just a baby. Her family was killed instantly, along with a good portion of the planet's population. The icons were left in key cities to keep the humans in control. Humans were given senate positions to rule in the aliens stead, and to keep humans enslaved to the aliens.

Dol went to live with the padre at his church, where she became close with Ro, another orphan. They share a birthday, but they also share strange marks on their wrists, as well as crazy powers. Dol doesn't understand any of it, though she comes closer when the padre gives her a book on her birthday, a book about icon children. Before she can read it, the church is invaded by government soldiers.

This book made me sad because it killed off the greatest character very early on in the story. We barely even got to know her. Her name was Ramona Jamona, and this is how I imagined her to be:

She seemed awesome, and Ramona Jamona is the greatest name ever. This was a pig who did what she wanted and didn't let anyone tell her what to do. Curse you, alien overlords, for taking this delightful pig away!

Dol gives the book away to a delightful mercenary named Fortis. I love Fortis, he's my second favorite character. Fortis creates a diversion so she can get away from the soldiers. It's a waste, because Dol and Ro soon encounter a young soldier named Lucas. Ro almost kills him, but Dol stops him because Lucas is just like them. Dol, Ro, Lucas, and Lucas' friend Tima are all icon children. They have a destiny to fulfill, and the government and revolutionaries against the government all want them.

Icon was pretty entertaining. I almost thought this would be a single book, but it was yet another series. It made me a little sad, but I liked the book anyways. It had a solid story, and I was interested in the characters. The beginning of each chapter had classified reports of an autopsy and details on the revolution and parts of the book Dol gave to Fortis. I enjoyed the details. Ultimately, this wasn't my favorite YA alien invasion book of the year. Icons was still pretty good, and I do hope to keep up with the series when the next installment is released.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

"I'm going to tell you something important. Grown-ups don't look like grown-ups on the inside either. Outside, they're big and thoughtless and they always know what they're doing. Inside, they look just like they always have. Like they did when they were your age. The truth is, there aren't any grown-ups. Not one in the whole world..."

I'm finally going to write this review. I have been putting it off because I want to give this book a fitting review because I really liked it and I am a huge fan of Neil Gaiman. Tonight, though I should really be getting to bed, I will finish it.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane is a tiny little book but it contains a massive story. This is just like how Lettie Hempstock's little pond contained a whole ocean in the book! I am really excited by this connection. Also, spoilers, kind of.

Our narrator returns to his hometown to attend a funeral. He suddenly follows an urge to visit the house he grew up in, which was demolished and turned into modern houses. While there, he remembers a story long forgotten. He remembers the old house, wild and covered in brambles. He remembers the opal miner who killed himself in the family car, and the evil this attracts. He remembers Lettie and her family, how they took care of him and helped him.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane is gorgeous and bewitching. It was scary and sad and beautiful, like reliving childhood all over again.  I definitely recommend this book for Gaiman fans and for those looking for a short but haunting read.

How Zoe Made Her Dreams (Mostly) Come True by Sarah Strohmeyer

Zoe and her cousin Jess have just been accepted for an internship at Fairyland Kingdom amusement park. It's a low-rent Disney World located in New Jersey. The internship is incredibly competitive, as every year one intern receives the $25,000 Dream & Do grant. Zoe would like to use the money to pay her deceased mother's medical bills, but she really wants Jess to get it. Her cousin has always dreamed of being an actor. Jess would like to go away to study acting in New York, but her family could never afford the tuition.

It seems that both girls are out of luck because the grant usually goes to a prince or princess. They are usually the kids whose parents paid thousands of dollars for them to attend Fairyland Kingdom camps. Unfortunately, Jess is cast as Red Riding Hood and Zoe is a lady in waiting. The lady in waiting lives to serve the Queen, the head of Fairyland, and her yippy dog Tinkerbell.

I was interested in this book because of how it shows what goes on behind the scenes at an amusement park. Apparently, it's a lot of drama. There's a lot of back-stabbing over the Dream & Do grant. The princesses have to be weighed every week and cannot gain more than three pounds. Meanwhile, Zoe is stuck in her own rendition of The Devil Wears Prada. I liked Zoe when she was competent, the super lady-in-waiting. Unfortunately, most of the time she was a mess. I was cringing through a lot of the book. Zoe had a habit of doing and/or saying the wrong thing. Ultimately, it was a pretty cute story. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either.

I received my copy of How Zoe Made Her Dreams (Mostly) Come True from Edelweiss, courtesy of Balzer + Bray. It's available for purchase now.