Thursday, September 26, 2013

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

3 stars
The cover is so cool, too!


I found Coldest Girl in Coldtown to be good, 
 but somewhat disappointing. I went in expecting the thrill of Holly Black's previous work and found it slighly lacking.

Our heroine, Tana, is a young girl of the age oh, I'd say 18? Her life has a complicated past, but her life manages to still be drastically changed when she wakes up the next morning. The story starts off really exciting and thrilling. Holly Black's interpretation of vampires is dark and fascinating. Instead of your usual vampire, her vampires are more sinister, unpredictable, and way more dangerous. They are truly monsters.

The vampire's sharp sharp canines are the source of the spreading disease which is shared when a vampire bites a human. The human is then infected and has one of two options;
to sweat the disease out for 88 days and remain human, or drink human blood and begin the process of turning.

"Coldtowns" have been erected for vampires to be secluded from humans and live on their undead past times but this is where humans and the dead alike flock to gather together. This is where our group heads.

Tana makes a great heroine, I liked how she wasn't this jealous, simpering, swoony character. She had feelings, and she had mistakes in her past which could have made her more vulnerable, more human. Instead all Tana did was kick some serious ass.

Sometimes the world building felt a little weak, but I guess my main source of disappointment was because I had been expecting some exciting plot twist for the entire book, something that would blow my mind. Sadly, it never happened. Due to this, the plot felt rather...lame. 



Their whole goal was to go to Coldtown to get her infected ex-boyfriend there, and then once they were there it was just one thing after another keeping Tana from returning home. Not to mention at some point it just felt like Tana was asking to be infected.
To sum up my frustrations, I felt like the ending left a huge "then what?" Will Tana go home? What happens after?

Now don't get me wrong, Coldest Girl in Coldtown is not a horrible book, but it wasn't mindblowing either. It's a simple pleasure kind of book which in my opinion, doesn't make it Holly Black's best work. Especially compared to her roller coaster ride of a trilogy, The Curse Workers.

 I hope she writes another book soon, because I will be reading it!

Saturday, September 21, 2013

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Steifvater

Loving this cover! 
5 brilliant stars~

(sequel to The Raven Boys)

FINALLY. 

It is here! I finished it and damn it! Why must you cliffhang us, Stiefvater?!


I'll admit to it being awesome though...Dream Thieves was so amazing that I was dreading the end. It was simply just one of those books, the ones you fly through so quickly. They say that sometimes that sequel can be the slump book but this one was everything a sequel should be in my opinion!

After the puzzling cliffhanger in the first book where Ronan reveals his unique nature of being able to pluck items from his dreams, we pick up immediately and get a deeper view into the progressing tale of Blue and her Raven Boys.
Ronan was definitely one of the boys that we got to take a dive into. All those questions about his complicated and mysterious past are given answers, and we get to explore and discover all he does, on the abilities of what I like to call dream manifestation. It's called something else, but I'd hate to spoil it for you guys!

 We also get some pov of  Adam, after his life changing and sacrificial decision in Cabeswater. It's interesting since he is changing, but at the same time Adam has some inner demons and struggles with the past to deal with.

I had some serious feels with this book as well, since there was a lot of the same old, but at the same time things were changing for everyone. They're closer to finding their Raven King, while all the while trying to discover themselves and what they want, where they belong. Not to mention, what the future holds for them. 

We also get to meet a new character who I was honestly, was unable to to classify into one category until the end. The Gray Man is definitely an interesting add-on. Although some might seem him as kind of unnecessary? Possibly.

I seriously enjoy Steifvater's style of writing, how she develops her characters, and how she describes surroundings, situations, and feelings. It was a wonderful, exciting, and amazing book! And I'm dying for the third one, Blue Lily, Lily Blue!

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff

 

A dazzling and striking cover!
 4 stars




Jay Kristoff
, you've earned every star. 
Though you tore my heart out...quite brutally. I still give you the honor of a slow clap.


How do I describe a book that is so fantastic, there is a loss of words? I shall try my best.
We meet Yukiko, our heroine, who accompanies her father on the hunt for the legendary Ashitora, Thunder Tiger, or as we Americans call them, Griffins. It is said to be a myth or at least extinct thanks to the Blood Lotus, a red flower that is toxic and addictive. It slowly kills their land, animals, and people. Imagine everyone's surprise when they discover that they do still exist. 

Yukiko later names it Buruu, and events lead to the two of them being stranded in the wilderness together, relying on each other to survive. It was here, ladies and gentlemen, that I found the book to be at it's reading peak. For it is here, that Yukiko truly discovers herself,and the truth behind her mother's sudden departure, which really shape her as a person. It was also an important period for them since Yukiko and Buruu truly bond and become brother and sister. Which i adored by the way, it was really cute!




All in all, the book is chock-full of awesome action and suspense! Who would have guessed that there was so many people within the Kingdom who hated the Shogun's guts? I mean, his own sister is even against him!
We also meet a lot of interesting characters like Yukiko's father, The Kage, and Kin, a friend she makes on her father's boat, the Thunder Child. Each character has a complicated past, which of course, only makes everything more interesting.

Not to mention, the complicated love line. Kin loves Yukiko, Yukiko loves Hiro & his green eyes, Hiro has sex with her but is eternally loyal and obsessed with the Shogun, and the Shogun is an all out tyrant when it comes to women but is apparently in love with his sister. Ew. What is with screwed up leaders being in love with their sisters? Do I even need to bring up Gladiator



The sex between Yukiko and Hiro was tasteful considering it's in the YA genre. I again, felt a bit of mixed feelings, towards Hiro. He seemed so perfect considering all Yukiko did for a good third of the book was dream of him, and then readers finally get up close and personal and I felt myself thinking, "Eh." I understood Hiro was needed for some romantic conflict, maturing of Yukiko, and role of scapegoat. But I wasn't all that aggrieved when Yukiko and Buruu killed him. It almost felt like Stormdancer would have been find without a romantic interest at all this time around. I got to say I'm interested to see if things go anywhere with Kin and Yukiko especially considering she broke his heart.




What broke my heart was when we lose someone very important to our story and Yukiko. My heart...

I knew somebody important died and I was really worried it was going to be Buruu. Now that would make me cry. Especially with my favorite quote of the book being Buruu saying to Yukiko: "Feathers grow back. Sisters do not."

I am really excited for the second book! The first book leaves it open to possibilities. Readers obviously know that war will most likely happen, but it ended on such an upbeat rebellious note. I found myself not dreading the sequel, but anticipating it! Bring on the heartbreak!!

 GORGEOUS! *fangirls*

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

The Waking Dark by Robin Wasserman


4 stars

Not what I expected, but still really good! 
I'll admit it took me awhile to finally just let the darkness just become a norm for me to get into the horror themed story of Waking Dark. All in all, it's pretty intense, guys.

Welcome to Oleander. 

I do not like this town. This town to me, screams, "Run, and never look back!"  Every character is as extreme as they possibly could be in most of the time, a bad way. As in it's creepy. 
It's bad enough that this town was built upon the ruins of the previous Oleander town, where a fire started and by the next day not a single person had survived.

But that's just the history. We are thrown into a story told  by multiple perspectives, but it's smooth flowing since it's not broken up by each chapter, and names are used often. We read about five different murders scenes right from the beginning. Each horrible, gory, and unexplained. Each leaving one scarred and horrified witness in it's wake. Each killer has killed themselves along with their victim(s) except one. 
One who doesn't remember even committing the deed or why she did it.


A lot of people die in this book, even important main characters which makes this book seriously intense. The town felt so creepy, domesticated, and old fashioned to me from the start. It had almost a Stepford Wives feel to it. It only got worse from there. 
Each main character has a twisted and sympathy cuing story and lifestyle, and it's harsh because it's the truth in some aspects. 

What really attracted me to this story, was not only that while I was cringing while reading, smacking my forehead, thinking, "Could shit get any worse?" (And it always did.) I still couldn't put my kindle down, it was addicting! You want to know what's up with this messed up town, and you know there's a reason behind it. It takes almost the entire book for the source to be revealed, but while we wait, we get to experience the town's descent into madness and violence.

It's a dark and thrilling ride.