Sixteen-year-old Latoya Williams, who is black, attends a mostly white high school in the Bible Belt. In a moment of desperation, she prays for the power to change her race and wakes up white.
– Goodreads
Hideo Suzuki is a manga artist that struggles with dealing with reality and his inner thoughts. When the zombie apocalypse unfolds right in front of his eyes, Hideo knows that he will be the hero.
I normally review a manga when I am either finished or really deep into it. But this series . . . I only made it 3 volumes in. Hideo is an idiot. That is the first word to come to mind, when I think of him. I don’t have an issue with the main character being off and unsure of themselves. I don’t have an issue with the main character being average and struggling with that. I have an issue when the main character has no common sense and considers his selfishness as a heroic move.
I was so frustrated with Hideo that I pushed myself to read to second and third volume. Some may say the third volume is too soon to make a decision on the entire series but I couldn’t read it anymore. Which is a real shame because beyond him, I enjoyed this.
Art work was graphic and realistic. It was really gruesome at times; which is fitting for a zombie manga. I liked what the author did in regards to the zombies. For anyone that actually wants to read it, I can’t say what it is but it is really cool.
Pace of the manga was good; there was movement that wasn’t just filled with constant action. I had hope for this but couldn’t get passed the idiot.
2.5 Pickles
Seventeen year-old Britta Flannery is at ease only in the woods with her dagger and bow. She spends her days tracking criminals alongside her father, the legendary bounty hunter for the King of Malam—that is, until her father is murdered. Now outcast and alone and having no rights to her father’s land or inheritance, she seeks refuge where she feels most safe: the Ever Woods. When Britta is caught poaching by the royal guard, instead of facing the noose she is offered a deal: her freedom in exchange for her father’s killer.
However, it’s not so simple.
The alleged killer is none other than Cohen McKay, her father’s former apprentice. The only friend she’s ever known. The boy she once loved who broke her heart. She must go on a dangerous quest in a world of warring kingdoms, mad kings, and dark magic to find the real killer. But Britta wields more power than she knows. And soon she will learn what has always made her different will make her a daunting and dangerous force. –Goodreads
*I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
17 year old Joe Gray has moved to a new town with her mother and is feeling lost; not because she misses her friends back home (she really didn’t have any) but because she has to start anew.
When helping a old lady bring flowers to her husband’s grave, she meets Tristan and love at first sight is an understatement. However, Tristan has a secret that can either make or break their relationship.
Firstly, this cover is beautiful! However, the story was bad. Naming your daughter Joe is the most ridiculous thing ever. Her nickname being Joe is fine but not as her first and only name. I think the author was trying to be cute by making her the tomboy who knows martial arts and who is witty and takes crap from no one. But it just fell short. Joe is literally the most beloved character.
Everyone loves her expect for the most popular boy in school and the man after Tristan. The author over did it with this point. She made her the perfect girl. Her mother allows her to do what she wants (her mother is a bit of a bird brain), she is extremely happy to be a boarding school, and finally every guy around her is handsome and wants to protect her. I was a bit sick of it.
Tristan is a brat. For a 17 year old who was dead for 60 years he is a brat that throws tantrums. That whole he is amazingly sexy flew out the window with that.
The writing was amateur and if the author was comparing the book to Twilight (which despite how horribly written it was I loved it), then I can see why she choose not to care.
As much as I wanted to love this book I couldn’t. Overall score: 2 Pickles
This is book two of the Splintered series. If you haven’t read the first one check out the review here.
It has been a year since Alyssa has been down the Rabbit Hole and literally all hell has broken loose in the real world and in Wonderland. Her mother is being overprotective, Jeb doesn’t remember anything about Wonderland, graduation and prom is approaching and mostly importantly the Red Queen is in the real world.
All Alyssa wants to do is graduate and go to London with her boyfriend for school. But Morpheus needs Alyssa to save Wonderland if she doesn’t the consequences can be UN-fixable.
If you saw my review of the first book, you will understand that I really didn’t care for Alyssa or Jeb for that matter. I still don’t. Actually I think I dislike them more in this book and I honestly didn’t think that was possible.
Alyssa is a selfish girl. All she cares about is Jeb. For the past year she has disregarded her duties as Queen of Wonderland and because of that the Red Queen was able to take control and destroy so much. Her selfishness throughout the book is so sickening, reading this book was a struggle.
Alyssa also decides not to tell her mother most of what happened. So there is a struggle between Alyssa and her mother. Alyssa doesn’t trust her and her mother is fighting that. I also did not understand this because Alyssa went into Wonderland to lift the curse to save her mother and yet now she can’t even be near her.
Finally, my biggest issue was if Alyssa couldn’t understand something or didn’t like the way things was going it was Morpheus fault. Really? You have a evil Queen destroying Wonderland and hunting you down in your real world and it is the guy who sacrificed his life for you fault?
Not feeling this book. Overall it gets: 2 Pickles
I don’t usually read realistic fiction but I made a promise to review more of these genres.
16 year old Angel meets Call at the mall when he sees her shop lifting. Instead of turning her in he buys her food and tells her he loves her. After some time he offers her candy (drugs) and Angel no longer thinks about her mother who died and pretty soon she is addicted.
Kicked out her house, Angel moves in with Call and begins working on the corner to receive more candy. When her friend Serena disappears and Call brings in a new girl, Angel decides a stand must be taken.
This book is told in verse so it was a fairly quick read but that doesn’t mean it was any less emotional. But because this book is still a fiction novel I have to judge it as such and state what I felt was wrong with it. I felt that there should have been more detail as into why Angel began stealing. I understand her mother passed away but did she have friends? If not, why? How close was she to her mother? We obviously know she wasn’t close to her father but was she no old enough to not take drugs? She is 16.
I am not stating that it cannot happen it just didn’t seem realistic to me that is all. Also when Angel spoke it was if she never went to school a day in her life. As if she was always living on the street.
What I enjoyed about the book was the emotions. You felt Angel’s pain, and confusion. It was powerful. Do I think it would have better if the book wasn’t written in verse? No, I think if it was written as a typical novel the author would have to stretch Angel’s before and after story.
Overall, I thought the book was a good scared straight tactic which I am assuming was the point of the story. I give it an 8 out of 10. I needed a bigger reason for why a 16 year old girl made the decision she made.
Pickles
Abel Haggard is a hunchback elderly man who lives in what is left of his family’s farm in the Dallas suburbs surrounded by the memories of his loves. In Austin, teenager Seth Waller is dealing with some issues. His mother has been diagnosed with a rare disease. Seth who knows nothing about his mother’s past or family decides to find her relatives and find her genetic history. This story is told two voices; Abel and Seth. Technically three if you count the medical language.Without knowing it Seth and Abel are connected and that changes everything.
I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book for several reasons. The book was predictable. It didn’t take much to realize that Seth is connected to Abel by Seth’s mother. It didn’t take much to realize that Seth would figure that out. However, there was a pretty interesting twist between Abel and Seth’s mom that I didn’t see coming.
In the middle of the book I felt a disconnect and that is because a lot of medical lingo began (because Seth wants to be a doctor and wants to understand his mother’s condition). I was able to push forward and enjoy the story. It was extremely well written and it kept me engaged because I needed to know what happened. Throughout the entire story I felt there was going to be this really sad ending and it was sad but not the sad I was expecting.
The biggest thing that bothered me was Seth’s mom. . . I still can’t grasp the fact of why she left her home. I don’t feel she had the greatest reason in the world to go. It should have been more depth than that.
Overall, I enjoyed Abel’s story more than Seth and that was because there was more story and more feeling. The author tried to make Seth have a struggle not only with his mom but with being a teenager i.e. asking a girl out. I felt that if that was how it was to be written then Seth should have had friends.
This book gets 8 out of 10.
Pickles
Name: Joanna Wiebe
Who is Joanna? Canadian author new to the YA mystery scene, with a love for espresso, chocolate, cheese and wine.
Website: http://joannawiebefiction.com/
Books: The Unseemly Education of Anne Merchant (The V Trilogy #1)
Buy: Amazon, Barnes and Nobles, BenBella (ON JANUARAY 14)
Hooray! For first interview of 2014! Readers meet author Joanna Wiebe. If you haven’t heard of her its okay but then again it isn’t. Her debut novel The Unseemly Education of Anne Merchant is to be released on January 14th and it is creating so much buzz most (mainly me) readers cannot contain themselves.
Motif was lucky enough to catch Wiebe for a Quick Five© and as her about how excited she is about her first novel and if going to college is worth the paper it is written on. Enjoy!
The Unseemly Education of Anne Merchant is your debut novel. . . . How are you feeling about its release? How long have you been waiting for this moment?
I’m feeling a healthy dose of excitement and anxiety, which are hard to tell apart sometimes. I think you’d be hard-pressed to find any writer who’s like, “Yup, perfect, I wouldn’t change a word” when handing their manuscript over to the publisher; there’s a reason the American version of Moby Dick differed quite a bit from the English version, which was published first. But I’m really happy with where this novel ended up, and it’s been very cool (read: a roller coaster) to read early reactions to it.
As for how long I’ve waited, well, I guess I’ve waited my whole life. Or at least since I was eight years old, writing a little story on my nana’s typewriter, and eagerly consuming her encouragement. That my book will be on bookstore shelves as of Jan 14 is, to indulge myself in a cliché, a dream come true.
What inspired you to write this novel? Was it an event, a story or the lack of story?
I wish it was one thing, but it was everything. You read those interviews with writers who say their characters visited them in a dream, and you think, man, that would be convenient! My characters are like standoff-ish cats, turning their backs to me until they’re good and ready to let me near them. That said, it wasn’t all waiting for my characters to show themselves and tell me their story. I went into this knowing a) I wanted to tell a boarding school story because I love them so much and b) I wanted to experiment with telling the story in such a way that readers would be kept guessing. So far, it seems like the book is successful at both A and B.
Why did you choose to create this story as a series?
Anne’s discovery of the truth of Cania Christy, which is essentially the core of the first book, is just the beginning. We still need to find out what she, of all people, is doing at such a school – because, in fact, it’s not entirely what Anne and Ben think it is. And once Anne discovers why she’s there and what that means, she’s going to have to make a very difficult choice. This was a story that just couldn’t be told in one book – as much as I tried!
Do you feel that your degree in English helped you to become a better writer? If so, why?
I think a degree in English exposes you to an impressive range of books and styles that you just wouldn’t come across on your own. I would never have read Donald Barthelme’s Snow White or William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying had I not been an English major. Although this book is not written in a postmodern or modern voice or style, I as a writer am influenced by those styles – and it’s helped enrich my voice, I think. I hope. One day, if I can get past the worry that I’m a pretentious fop, I’ll write a postmodern YA novel that would make Barthelme proud.
While an English major, I took creative writing classes, and those definitely helped transform me into a better writer. They also taught me discipline, thickened my skin, and boosted my ego just enough, I think. Without them, I wouldn’t have had the courage to write a book.
Finally, if you had to describe your writing style in one word, what would it be and why?
Spongy. I tend to write big, long sentences that are all dense with everything going on – feelings, happenings, even tangents – and then, when I edit, I have to squeeze those big, soaking sentences and shake out shorter, piecier phrases that won’t weigh on the reader quite so much.
Follow this very funny and interactive author on these various social media sites eh? (hahahaha)
For the past 50 years the country has been dealing with a problem. That problem is ghost/spirits are haunting almost every home and everybody. Various paranormal facilities have been built to try to take care of these problems. Issue with that is only children can see these ghost and only children and take care of them.
Enter Lucy Carlyle, coming to London after a horrible experience, trying to build her career with a well know company. However, Lucy finds Lockwood & Co. ran by children without adult supervision. When a basic job goes wrong, the Lockwood team desperately takes a job that is extremely dangerous and will test their wits and their skills.
This book was a wonderful read. It was quick to get into which is always a good things. Stroud was able to draw the readers in without loud bangs. The layout of the book is in five parts and you start at the present move to the past and then go back to the present. I appreciated that as a reader because I didn’t have to question why Lucy was in London or how she ended up at Lockwood & Co. I also appreciated the fact there is no romance. I love the fact that there is no romance.
When I first started the book I thought it was a rip off of Sherlock Holmes even if there are three members to this company (Lucy, Lockwood, George). I still felt that way through the book but it wasn’t as strong. I thought the way the characters were written was great; especially Lucy. She wasn’t an insecure, damage, shy, self-centered, brat; she was down to earth, strong and knew her job.
However, what I didn’t like about the book was the fact that the main job (The Screaming Staircase) didn’t even begin until the middle of the book. I understand why the author did it and I also understand why there was an overlapping of jobs, but it made it a difficult read towards the middle of the book. It stalled and because of that I began to lose interest and I had to take a moment to regroup.
Other that I really enjoyed this book and give it a 9 out of 10. Can’t wait for the second one!
Love, Tanya
Alyssa Gardner is the great-great-great daughter of Alice Liddell, the woman who inspired Alice in Wonderland written by Lewis Carroll. It is known that the women in the family are crazy but so far Alyssa has been able to contain that craziness.
That is until a routine visit with her mom (who is at an asylum) takes a turn for the worst and Alyssa discovers that not only is the family cursed but there is more to the story then what Lewis Carroll told and there is a way to break the curse on her family.
So down the rabbit hole Alyssa goes but wonderland is a lot creepier than she once read and in order to survive she needs her crush Jeb and a former childhood friend Morpheus, who is all grown up.
This story was creepy. Kudos goes to the author for freaking me out. The story was an awesome read. I was heavily invested into this story and I loved every minute of it. The details was perfect. The suspense and drama came towards the middle of the book, which was no problem at all.
However, I was pissed off. Jeb is controlling and Alyssa is an idiot. The only character that made sense was Morpheus. Alyssa is in love with Jeb. Jeb loves Alyssa but decides to baby her considering that her mother is in an asylum and Alyssa is emotional. Alyssa allows Jeb to control her every move when they are in wonderland. She doesn’t stand up for herself and she is constantly looking for Jeb to save her. Seriously! THE ENTIRE BOOK SHE REFUSES TO GROW A PAIR TO JEB.
I couldn’t stand their relationship and to be honest still don’t understand why the heck Jeb was in wonderland with her anyway. The only time Alyssa stands up for herself is when Jeb has been gone for about three chapters. My issue with this is Jeb is the one she should have stood up to. I couldn’t stand their relationship.
Morpheus was my man! Loved everything about his character; even though he was being portrayed as a villain in the middle and towards the end he was the most loveable character in the story. Everything he did had a purpose which is exactly how it should be.
One other thing I didn’t like about the book was this love triangle/final decision. Why can’t we get a story in which the female lead doesn’t have it both ways? It bothered me that Alyssa was able to get exactly what she wanted because to be honest she,one, didn’t deserve it and two, has responsibilities to take care of. This is why there is always a second book . . . because she’s not taking care of home.
Despite all of this I loved this book and it receives a 8 out of 10, which is pretty high considering I hated the main characters.
Love, Tanya
Motif by Tanya 