Book Review: Requiem by Lauren Oliver

May 3, 2013 by 3 Comments

Title by Author Requiem by Lauren Oliver
Release Date: March 5, 2013
Publisher: Harper
Source: Purchased
Rating: ★★☆☆☆ 
Buy It: Amazon | Book Depository

Now an active member of the resistance, Lena has transformed. The nascent rebellion that was underway in Pandemonium has ignited into an all-out revolution in Requiem, and Lena is at the center of the fight.

After rescuing Julian from a death sentence, Lena and her friends fled to the Wilds. But the Wilds are no longer a safe haven. Pockets of rebellion have opened throughout the country, and the government cannot deny the existence of Invalids. Regulators infiltrate the borderlands to stamp out the rebels.

As Lena navigates the increasingly dangerous terrain of the Wilds, her best friend, Hana, lives a safe, loveless life in Portland as the fiancée of the young mayor. Requiem is told from both Lena and Hana’s points of view. They live side by side in a world that divides them until, at last, their stories converge.

With lyrical writing, Lauren Oliver seamlessly interweaves the peril that Lena faces with the inner tumult she experiences after the reappearance of her first love, Alex, the boy she thought was dead. Sophisticated and wide-ranging, Requiem brings the Delirium trilogy to a thrilling conclusion. – Goodreads

Review:
Sigh. This book. I’ve considered Lauren Oliver one of my favorite authors since I read her debut, Before I Fall, and both Delirium and Pandemonium were books that sent me into capslock mode over how much I loved them. Not only that, but Delirium was also the first ARC I received as a blogger so this series has always been special to me in that way. Needless to say, despite all my end of series nerves, I built Requiem up to be this amazing read in my head and, well…it wasn’t. And it makes me really sad that I feel that way.

I probably would have given Requiem a 1 star rating if it wasn’t for Lauren Oliver’s prose. Her way with words is simply beautiful and it’s always such a highlight to feel so much emotion in her writing. Unfortunately, her storytelling wasn’t able to match the quality of her turn of phrase this time around and I was left disappointed with the lack of direction in the book.

To put it simply, Requiem made me feel that there was no point to the anything in Pandemonium. My favorite character from the series, Julian, was so well developed there, and I thought his relationship with Lena was so wonderful and organic, but Requiem negated all of that for me. Lauren Oliver seemed to forget about Julian’s character entirely, except for when Lena was in her “I will never love him like I do Alex” angst moments. I wouldn’t expect Lauren Oliver to forget about Alex, or anything else happening in the larger storyline, but I think it’s a shame that she seemed to give up on Julian’s character completely.

The POV switch between Lena and Hana didn’t help me enjoy Requiem, either. I liked Hana’s short story well enough, so I thought her chapters would be equally interesting, but I found them to be dull. Her story only grabbed my attention in too few moments and I wish Lauren Oliver had spent her chapters expanding on Lena’s story instead.

The conclusion of Requiem was the nail on the coffin for me. Don’t get me wrong, some of my favorite endings are open-ended, but I felt this book trailed off into nothing to the point where I now feel so apathetic about the entire series. I don’t need answers for everything, and I don’t think getting them would have made this a more enjoyable read for me, but I simply wanted something more.

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Book Review: Ten by Gretchen McNeil

January 11, 2013 by 5 Comments

Ten by Gretchen McNeil Ten by Gretchen McNeil
Release Date: September 18, 2012
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Source: ARC from BEA
Rating: ★★☆☆☆ 
Buy It: Amazon | Book Depository

It was supposed to be the weekend of their lives—an exclusive house party on Henry Island. Best friends Meg and Minnie each have their reasons for being there (which involve T.J., the school’s most eligible bachelor) and look forward to three glorious days of boys, booze and fun-filled luxury.

But what they expect is definitely not what they get, and what starts out as fun turns dark and twisted after the discovery of a DVD with a sinister message: Vengeance is mine.

Suddenly people are dying, and with a storm raging, the teens are cut off from the outside world. No electricity, no phones, no internet, and a ferry that isn’t scheduled to return for two days. As the deaths become more violent and the teens turn on each other, can Meg find the killer before more people die? Or is the killer closer to her than she could ever imagine? – Goodreads

Review:
The big highlight of Gretchen McNeil’s Ten was the atmosphere. I was already a fan of how Gretchen McNeil set the scene in her first book, Possess, and she was able to easily make Henry Island an isolated, haunting location. As the teenagers found themselves cut off from the outside world due to a storm, it wasn’t hard to imagine why this added urgency to their situation.

Maybe it was my mood, or maybe I’m just not as easily frightened anymore, but I didn’t feel much suspense as I read Ten. I wasn’t able to figure out who the killer was — though I did think the revelation was pretty disappointing and nonsensical — but I never formed any sort of attachment to the characters to care who died or why. Furthermore, the reactions Meg and the other characters had to the deaths didn’t resonate with me either; I felt that they didn’t react enough and it was difficult to put myself in their shoes as they panicked and freaked out.

As far as characters go, they lacked development. Meg, Minnie, and T.J. stand out as the main three, but I didn’t feel much for them except for annoyance due to their whininess. The rest? I couldn’t tell you much about at all because all I knew about them was surface-level stuff. Kids are dying… I should care or feel SOMETHING, right? While I went into Ten hoping for a good, scary read, I always want good characterization and this, unfortunately, lacked that for me.

Maybe I expected too much, but I wish I had been able to enjoy this more. It did have elements that made this a fast and addictive read, but overall Gretchen McNeil’s Ten fell flat for me.

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Book Review: Rebel Heart by Moira Young

October 26, 2012 by 9 Comments

Rebel Heart by Moira Young Rebel Heart by Moira Young
Release Date: October 30, 2012
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
Source: ARC for review
Rating: ★★☆☆☆ 
Buy It: Amazon | Book Depository

It seemed so simple: Defeat the Tonton, rescue her kidnapped brother, Lugh, and then order would be restored to Saba’s world. Simplicity, however, has proved to be elusive. Now, Saba and her family travel west, headed for a better life and a longed-for reunion with Jack. But the fight for Lugh’s freedom has unleashed a new power in the dust lands, and a formidable new enemy is on the rise.

What is the truth about Jack? And how far will Saba go to get what she wants? In this much-anticipated follow-up to the riveting Blood Red Road, a fierce heroine finds herself at the crossroads of danger and destiny, betrayal and passion. – Goodreads

Review:
Ouch, it actually hurts me to write this review because it’s not a very positive one. As you may or may not remember, I absolutely loved Moira Young’s Blood Red Road. It was one of my favorites from last year and Rebel Heart, even with a cover redesign that I did not appreciate, was one of my most anticipated books of 2012. The first book packed a punch with its energy and fast pace and I had grown to love the characters so much; I was really looking forward to a reunion with Moira Young’s world. Unfortunately, Rebel Heart took on another direction and I wasn’t much of a fan.

As mentioned above, Blood Red Road kept its momentum going with its fast pace and the adventures Saba set off on. With Rebel Heart, that wasn’t the case. To be fair, it started off on a great scene with Jack and it looked like Rebel Heart would take things up a notch. Instead, however, it dragged for me. It felt like Saba and co. were just traveling around aimlessly because I didn’t feel the same urgency that I did when she was trying to find Lugh in the first book. Considering how much I love Jack I feel that I should have been more invested in Saba’s possible reunion with him. Jack aside, though, I found myself feeling pretty bored with a good portion of the book. I didn’t get caught up in the danger or excitement. It was all just sort of MEH.

Next, the characters didn’t quite grab my attention either. Maybe I needed to re-read Blood Red Road before diving into this one, but I found it difficult to keep track of who some of the side characters were. My feelings towards the core few (i.e. Saba, Lugh, Emmi, etc) ranged from annoyance to straight up “JUST STOP.” I feel like Saba lost a lot of the fire that I loved so much in the first book and that was the saddest part of this sequel for me.

Rebel Heart took on a few unexpected directions and I’m not quite sure what to make of them. I was really thrown for a loop and I’m sure many of you will experience the same, “WHAT?!” reactions that I did. I’ll be interested to see how certain things will play out but, I won’t lie, I’m nervous about a few others storylines. While I’m sure many of you will enjoy what’s within the pages of Rebel Heart, I’ll have my fingers crossed that Moira Young will be able to turn this series around for me in the final book.

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Book Review: When You Were Mine by Rebecca Serle

May 21, 2012 by 7 Comments

When You Were Mine by Rebecca Serle When You Were Mine by Rebecca Serle
Release Date: May 1, 2012
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 334
Source: Galley Grab
Rating: ★★☆☆☆ 
Buy It: Amazon | Book Depository

Rosaline knows that she and Rob are destined to be together. Rose has been waiting for years for Rob to kiss her—and when he finally does, it’s perfect. But then Juliet moves back to town. Juliet, who used to be Rose’s best friend. Juliet, who now inexplicably hates her. Juliet, who is gorgeous, vindictive, and a little bit crazy… and who has set her sights on Rob. He doesn’t even stand a chance.

Rose is devastated over losing Rob to Juliet. This is not how the story was supposed to go. And when rumors start swirling about Juliet’s instability, her neediness, and her threats of suicide, Rose starts to fear not only for Rob’s heart, but also for his life. Because Shakespeare may have gotten the story wrong, but we all still know how it ends… – Goodreads

Review:
Yikes, glancing through some reviews from blog friends, it definitely looks like I’m in the minority when it comes to Rebecca Serle’s When You Were Mine. Others seem to have taken a liking to this book, but unfortunately I found very little to enjoy about it.

When You Were Mine is a modern retelling of William Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet told from the POV of the first girl Romeo (Rob in this book) was smitten with, Rosaline. I immediately thought this would make for an interesting read because Rosaline would bring a fresh perspective to the story we’ve all grown to be familiar with. Eh, not so much. Rosaline never felt like a complete character to me. As a matter of fact, I can say this for the other characters as well. They came across as cardboard cutouts, with absolutely no layers or defining personalities. Characters are always the main thing for me and Rebecca Serle missed the mark in that regard.

I really struggled to get through the book, but I must say that the second half was an improvement from the first. I still had to make myself get through it, but I found Rosaline less irritating, her growing relationship with Len somewhat sweet, and all the drama a little more interesting. I was especially curious to find out if it would end similarly to the source material…

I find myself thinking that When You Were Mine could have worked better in a different setting. Rebecca Serle had a good idea with Rosaline’s story, but this modernized story, in a high school setting, didn’t help with its lack of depth. This isn’t to say that books revolving around high school can’t be layered — that’s not the case at all — this just wasn’t one. The shallowness of the characters, coupled with the high schoolness of it all — especially some of the more stereotypical characterizations — left me feeling very empty towards the book.


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Book Review: Fever by Lauren DeStefano

March 6, 2012 by 6 Comments

Fever by Lauren DeStefano
Release Date: February 21, 2012
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Pages: 341
Source: Purchased
Rating: ★★☆☆☆ 
Buy It: Amazon | Book Depository

Running away brings Rhine and Gabriel right into a trap, in the form of a twisted carnival whose ringmistress keeps watch over a menagerie of girls. Just as Rhine uncovers what plans await her, her fortune turns again. With Gabriel at her side, Rhine travels through an environment as grim as the one she left a year ago – surroundings that mirror her own feelings of fear and hopelessness.

The two are determined to get to Manhattan, to relative safety with Rhine’s twin brother, Rowan. But the road there is long and perilous – and in a world where young women only live to age twenty and young men die at twenty-five, time is precious. Worse still, they can’t seem to elude Rhine’s father-in-law, Vaughn, who is determined to bring Rhine back to the mansion…by any means necessary. – Goodreads

Review:
I hate to say it, but Lauren DeStefano’s Fever is yet another disappointing read for me this year. Considering how much I loved Wither, I was very much looking forward to seeing what Lauren DeStefano had up her sleeve in this newest installment. Unfortunately, it was an underwhelming sequel that read like unnecessary filler between the first and final book in the series.

Fever picks up immediately where Wither left off, with Gabriel and Rhine’s escape from the mansion. Normally this would be great, as I hate having to go through a recap of what characters have gone through since the last book, but I wish there had been a pause to allow the Gabriel and Rhine some time to appreciate the success of their freedom. I think there could have been some emotional impact from that. Instead, they’re quickly captured and forced into a carnival brothel under the helm of a character known as Madame. I may be wrong, but the events that took place there didn’t seem to tie in with the series as a whole. Sure, the situation was horrific, but the characters they met and the things they had to go through? Very forgettable as the conclusion approached. It felt like those scenes were only inserted for the shock factor and, without giving anything away, they became very irrelevant when the storyline from the first book resurfaced.

In addition to the dragging pace, the characters came across as very flat. The first book resonated with me because of Rhine’s relationship with the sister wives. For better or for worse, there was feeling between the characters and, for me, that was the highlight of Wither. With Fever, there was no attachment to anyone. Rhine is in a haze for a good portion of the book, which certainly didn’t allow me to connect with her character, but there was no growth from the others either. Gabriel? Same bland guy from Wither. The new characters? Um, I think it’s enough to say that I can barely remember their names.

The last third of Fever really proved to me how full of filler it was. Unlike the previous two parts, the conclusion really picked up steam and easily tied in with the larger series storyline. As I continued on, it was frustrating to see how few pages were left to turn before it was over. THIS was what I had been waiting for the entire book, THESE were the characters I cared about, and OF COURSE I was going to have to wait another year to come full circle.

Overall, I found Fever to be lacking in the emotion and character focus that made me love Wither so much. Lauren DeStefano’s prose was still lovely, but I wish the story arc transitions had tied together more seamlessly. I think the final installment of the series will be an improvement from this one.


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