Book Review: Return to Paradise

Title: Return to Paradise
Series: Leaving Paradise
Author(s): Simone Elkeles
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Flux
Pages: 302

Summary: 

Caleb Becker left Paradise eight months ago, taking with him the secret he promised to take to his grave. If the truth got out, it would ruin everything.

Maggie Armstrong tried to be strong after Caleb broke her heart and disappeared. Somehow, she managed to move on. She’s determined to make a new life for herself.

But then Caleb and Maggie are forced together on a summer trip. They try ignoring their passion for each other, but buried feelings resurface. Caleb must face the truth about the night of Maggie’s accident, or the secret that destroyed their relationship will forever stand between them.

 
My Thoughts: Although this book did not top any of Simone Elkeles' other books it was simply spectacular. This book seemed more like closure, and a completion of the first book ( Leaving Paradise). This book lacked the large "gasp" moment the first one had. Also, it didn't seem to have the intense problems the first one did. Although it did have problems its problems were a lot simpler and less meaningful then in the first book. The one thing that is quite reliable in all of Simone Elkeles' books are the beautifully well written duel perspectives that make everything seem so relevant.  It's new characters created this perfect balance, that kept the book from plummeting into the crazy serious zone because some of these characters had a funny sarcastic hummer rapped into them.  In the end I feel like she concluded a great tragic romance beautifully leaving every end tied, and I can't wait to read more by this author.

Overall Rating: 4.75/5

One word/phrase sum up: Great closure

Book Review: Fallen Angel

Title: Fallen Angel
Series: Yes- Fallen Angel
Author(s): Heather Terrell
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 336
Release Date: December 28th, 2010

Summary:  The first book in a dark, edgy new angel series about a girl who finds herself forced to choose sides in the battle between fallen angels, even if that means going against the boy she loves. 
When Ellie Faneuil first sees Michael Chase she feels an instantaneous connection. But she does not realize how much they have in common, including the ability fly and to see what others are thinking - not to mention a taste for blood. Reveling in their new powers and their growing feelings for each other, Ellie and Michael are determined to uncover what they are, and how they got this way ... together. 
But the truth has repercussions neither could have imagined. Soon they find themselves center stage in an ancient conflict between fallen angels that threatens to destroy everything they love. And it is no longer clear whether Ellie and Michael will choose the same side. 
In this electrifying novel Heather Terrell spins a gripping tale of soul-mates, supernatural powers and a truth that will change Ellie and Michael‘s world forever.

My Thoughts:  This was a great book! In the beginning I thought it was following the path of a slightly overused plot line, and it seemed almost common and familiar. Luckily as the end drew closer it proved to have lots of great surprising twists. The one thing I do like is that unlike most paranormal books, not everything was smooth when they realized they had gifts. In some books its like,"My, oh my I have powers. I am weird. No, I am special" This one did have the typical panic with it but also had several moments when she fell victim to her gifts, which was surprising and interesting because she was quite a strong character. The one thing that this book did lack was supporting characters. They had Ruth, Ellie's best friend, and her parents but other than a couple school kids there were not many side characters until the end. Despite lacking many characters all of them were very well written, and realistic. I think it fell victim a little to sequel syndrome thought because at the end when I looked back, despite the many suspenseful intense moments I never felt a total climax point. I am greatly looking forward to the rest of this series though because I feel it will have that main climax I was searching for, and it is definitely worth waiting for. Overall this was a captivating first book to an interesting series, and I will definitely be counting down to the moment that Eternity(the sequel) comes out!

Overall Rating: 4/5

One word/phrase sum up: Dark and Captivating

Cover Reveal

The long anticipated third book in the Fuentes brothers series(starting with Perfect Chemistry, then followed by Rules of Attraction) finally has a cover!!! Here is the cover to Simone Elkeles 3rd book called Chain Reaction:

Scheduled to come out May 24, 2011

Luis Fuentes is a good boy who doesn't live with the angst that his big brothers, Alex and Carlos, have always lived with. Luis is smart, funny, and has big dreams of becoming an astronaut. But when he falls for the wrong girl, Luis enters a dark world he's never known, and just when he thinks he's got life all figured out, learns some disturbing news about his family that destroys his positive outlook on life. Will that Fuentes bad boy streak come out with a vengeance and lure Luis to live on the edge like his new girlfriend and his own father?

I'm really looking forward to this because it will be like a flip around from the past books!

Also the third wings book(first one was Wings, followed bySpells) is named Illusions.

Here is the cover to Aprillynne Pike's third book:

Scheduled to come out May 8th there is currently no description.

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by The Story Siren! This week in my mailbox I got:


For Review:

Delirium by Lauren Oliver
Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love -the deliria- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the governments demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.
But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love.




I am super exited for this one! Forbidden love to a whole new level!

All You Get Is Me by Yvonne Prinz
What happens when a city girl is transplanted onto a ramshackle organic farm in the middle of nowhere? Everything.
Sixteen-year-old Roar has been yanked from her city life and suddenly she’s a farm girl, albeit a reluctant one, selling figs at the farmers' market and developing her photographs in a rickety shed. And then she witnesses a crime that will throw the whole community into an uproar. Caught among the lure of a troublemaking friend, her love for a brooding boy, and her complicated feelings about her father’s human rights crusade, Roar is going to have to tackle it all. And with a camera around her neck, she’s capturing it all, too.
Yvonne Prinz and her novel The Vinyl Princess have ignited the teen blogosphere and entertainment media. Once again, she’s taken the pulse of culture and emerged with a book that is timely, quirky, and unforgettable. 


Isn't this cover just gorgeous!




For School:

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee


Lawyer Atticus Finch defends the real mockingbird of Harper Lee's classic, Puliter Prize-winning novella, a black man charged with the rape of a white woman. Through the eyes of Atticus's children, Scout and Jem Finch, Harper Lee explores with rich humor and unanswering honesty the irrationality of adult attitudes toward race and class in the Deep South of the 1930s.



















What did you get in your mailbox?

Book Review: Fixing Delilah

Title: Fixing Delilah
Series: No
Author(s): Sarah Ockler
Genre: Fiction, Romance 
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Pages: 320

To Be Published: December 1, 2010

Summary:  Things in Delilah Hannaford's life have a tendency to fall apart.

She used to be a good student, but she can't seem to keep it together anymore. Her "boyfriend" isn't much of a boyfriend. And her mother refuses to discuss the fight that divided their family eight years ago. Falling apart, it seems, is a Hannaford tradition.

Over a summer of new friendships, unexpected romance, and moments that test the complex bonds between mothers and daughters, Delilah must face her family's painful past. Can even her most shattered relationships be pieced together again?

Rich with emotion, Sarah Ockler delivers a powerful story of family, love, and self-discovery.

My Thoughts:  Wow, although it didn't have an astounding plot line, Sarah Ockler can write. Her words portrayed through the lovable, believable Delilah Hannaford trickled out slowly like honey then poured into my mind like a sweet soda. Her characters each had a three- dimensional realistic face which helped move the story along at a moderate pace. Not included in the description of the book was Patrick, cute, and charming, and something I looked forward to as I turned the pages.   The one intricate flaw of this book was an opinion flaw, meaning some people love this quality even though I don't. Some people love books full of both romance and life problems. This book had both, and even though those books sometimes annoy me this one didn't. Its story was fresh enough to make me happy that it only covered a romance, and a family's problems, and did not have a big mystery unraveling behind it. Other than that, the book was fabulous. This was one of those books where, when you do not read it, your mind is consumed with finding all different possible endings, and even though I had seven(yes seven), different possible endings I was still wrong! Overall this was an entertaining book that captivated my attention in 320 pages of astounding writing.
Overall Rating: 4/5

One word/phrase sum up: beautifully written  

Sequel Syndrome

Has anyone ever read a book where it seems to end without really solving anything? I have read so many books where they cut it off only to tell you that the sequel is due out in six months. I find then completely annoying.
These books in specific I personally diagnose with sequel syndrome:

Captivate by Carrie Jones
This is the sequel to Need, which was a fabulous book. This book to was great right up till the end. Sadly, I don't think it even deserves the word "end" because they presented a huge looming problem started to solve it then cut everything off unexpectedly. In some books that works, it seems like a dramatic hang off but in this book it was badly done, and uncalled for.

Of course I will still have to read Entice the third book in this series because I would love to see how it actually ends.









Kiss Me Kill Me  by Lauren Henderson
I didn't even bother with reading this sequel. The book got absolutely no where after an astounding first 100 pages, it just stalled. The main problem wasn't even half solved, and I think it would be pushing it to say that it solved a fourth of the problems. The romance also got no where... okay the romance did get a good halfway completion, but still....

Anyway not all books have this problem, and not all series are horrible but those books were.










Here is an example of series that didn't fall victim to sequel syndrome:

Harry Potter Series

Although there was an overall series plot, each book had an intense different plot line that ended with a different achievement or sadness that lead to a beautiful transition. These books were probably the most well written, well plotted, and overall well done books ever. These books are the best example of a great series that never seemed to end unnaturally.

How I think you can avoid sequel syndrome:

• End after a large climax, not several small climax points, one big one. 
• Example of doing a good job: In Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince although they did not destroy all the horcruxes they ended after the death of Dumbledore, which really permanently ended it. 
• Example of doing a bad job: In Fallen Angels, which was an overall fabulous book, there were lots of little moments but no big ending one.
• Don't start a problem then end halfway through. If you have to end in a positing where some small problem has been completed. 
• Example of a good job: in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince despite the fact they had lots of horcruxes they did retrieve one that would help them later. They also set up a definite plan for the next book. 
• Example of a bad job: In Captivate they just stopped with no real plan or plot line that could role them into the next book.
• Make the plot somehow roll into the next book.
• Example of a good job: In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling set it up perfectly to make it roll into the chaos of the next book. 
• Example of a bad job: From what I remember the first Gallagher Girls book(I'd Tell You I Love You But Then I'd Have to Kill You) did not roll into the next one(Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy). They just jumped to another topic with the same setting. The rest of the books roll into each other stunningly but this one did not.

Overall I think that Sequel Syndrome has spoiled loads, and loads of books and series. So, I think it should be avoided, and looked for. In my current WIP, which it a series, my biggest problem is smooth transitions, and the ending, so right now I am obsessed with making sure it does not turn into a sequel syndrome book.

Anyway, what are some good examples of books that have fallen to sequel syndrome, and what are some examples of those who don't.

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by The Story Siren! This week in my mailbox I got:


For Review:

Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler 

Things in Delilah Hannaford's life have a tendency to fall apart.


She used to be a good student, but she can't seem to keep it together anymore. Her "boyfriend" isn't much of a boyfriend. And her mother refuses to discuss the fight that divided their family eight years ago. Falling apart, it seems, is a Hannaford tradition.


Over a summer of new friendships, unexpected romance, and moments that test the complex bonds between mothers and daughters, Delilah must face her family's painful past. Can even her most shattered relationships be pieced together again?


Rich with emotion, Sarah Ockler delivers a powerful story of family, love, and self-discovery.



I also got:

Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton
This debut, the first novel in a trilogy, is achingly romantic, terrifying, and filled with blistering action.

When seventeen-year-old Ellie starts seeing reapers - monstrous creatures who devour humans and send their souls to Hell - she finds herself on the front lines of a supernatural war between archangels and the Fallen and faced with the possible destruction of her soul.

A mysterious boy named Will reveals she is the reincarnation of an ancient warrior, the only one capable of wielding swords of angelfire to fight the reapers, and he is an immortal sworn to protect her in battle. Now that Ellie's powers have been awakened, a powerful reaper called Bastian has come forward to challenge her. He has employed a fierce assassin to eliminate her - an assassin who has already killed her once.

While balancing her dwindling social life and reaper-hunting duties, she and Will discover Bastian is searching for a dormant creature believed to be a true soul reaper. Bastian plans to use this weapon to ignite the End of Days and to destroy Ellie's soul, ending her rebirth cycle forever. Now, she must face an army of Bastian's most frightening reapers, prevent the soul reaper from consuming her soul, and uncover the secrets of her past lives - including truths that may be too frightening to remember. 




From the Library: 
Waiting For You by Susane Colasanti 
At the beginning of her sophomore year, Marisa is ready for a fresh start and, more importantly, a boyfriend. So when the handsome and popular Derek asks her out, Marisa thinks her long wait for happiness is over. But several bumps in the road—including her parents’ unexpected separation, a fight with her best friend, and a shocking disappointment in her relationship with Derek—test Marisa’s ability to maintain her new outlook. Only the anonymous DJ, whose underground podcasts have the school’s ear, seems to understand what Marisa is going through. But she has no idea who he is—or does she?

In this third romantic novel from Susane Colasanti, Marisa learns how to “be in the Now” and realizes that the love she’s been waiting for has been right in front of her all along.

What did you get in your mailbox?

Book Review: The Chosen

Title: The Chosen
Series: No 
Author(s): Chaim Potok
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: FawcettPages: 304

Summary:  Few stories offer more warmth, wisdom, or generosity than this tale of two boys, their fathers, their friendship, and the chaotic times in which they live. Though on the surface it explores religious faith--the intellectually committed as well as the passionately observant--the struggles addressed in The Chosen are familiar to families of all faiths and in all nations. 

In 1940s Brooklyn, New York, an accident throws Reuven Malther and Danny Saunders together. Despite their differences (Reuven is a Modern Orthodox Jew with an intellectual, Zionist father; Danny is the brilliant son and rightful heir to a Hasidic rebbe), the young men form a deep, if unlikely, friendship. Together they negotiate adolescence, family conflicts, the crisis of faith engendered when Holocaust stories begin to emerge in the U.S., loss, love, and the journey to adulthood. The intellectual and spiritual clashes between fathers, between each son and his own father, and between the two young men, provide a unique backdrop for this exploration of fathers, sons, faith, loyalty, and, ultimately, the power of love. (This is not a conventional children's book, although it will move any wise child age 12 or older, and often appears on summer reading lists for high school students.)

My Thoughts:  The Chosen was divided into three books, and each book I had a totally different opinion on. Book 1: Horrible, boring, but entertaining because if two characters that also exit the book in book 1(Mr. Savo and Billy). Book 1 was very unrealistic because Danny nailed Reuven in the eye with a base-ball, and nearly blinded him but Reuven still forgave him in a heart beat. Book 2: I slowly started enjoying the odd friendship between Danny and Reuven, but I loved the way that both of them seemed to grow! Book 3: Although it ended suddenly I enjoyed this book the most. Seeing them go to collage and each branch off into there different futures was not exciting but extremely entertaining. Overall that characters in this book had both believable and unbelievable friendships, that was pared with great writing, and a normal paced story line. 

Overall Rating: 3/5

One word/phrase sum up: moderately pleasing 

Book Review: Crescendo

Title: Crescendo
Series: Hush, Hush
Author(s): Becca Fitzpatrick
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing 
Pages: 427

Summary:  Nora should have known her life was far from perfect. Despite starting a relationship with her guardian angel, Patch (who, title aside, can be described as anything but angelic), and surviving an attempt on her life, things are not looking up. Patch is starting to pull away, and Nora can't figure out if it's for her best interest or if his interest has shifted to her arch-enemy Marcie Millar. Not to mention that Nora is haunted by images of her father and she becomes obsessed with finding out what really happened to him that night he left for Portland and never came home. 

The farther Nora delves into the mystery of her father's death, the more she comes to question if her Nephilim blood line has something to do with it as well as why she seems to be in danger more than the average girl. Since Patch isn't answering her questions and seems to be standing in her way, she has to start finding the answers on her own. Relying too heavily on the fact that she has a guardian angel puts Nora at risk again and again. But can she really count on Patch, or is he hiding secrets darker than she can even imagine? 

My Thoughts:  Becca Fitzpatrick is a writing Goddess. Crescendo flowed of the pages quickly as Nora and Patch fought an intense battle over there rocky but hot relationship and there many other quarrels. The twists and turns in this book were so high paced and intense that at moments I felt like screaming as I read the words on the page. As always Vee was beyond  hilarious and provided the perfect twinge of comic relief for the book. The other characters were equally interesting, and moved the book along perfectly. The one thing that was a bit fuzzy in this book was timing. Although it was paced well I couldn't really tell what the day was or how much time had passed. Overall I can't spoil it for you but they ended it with a huge band that provided the perfect suspenseful setup for the third book(Tempest)!

Overall Rating: 5/5

One word/phrase sum up: Fast-Pace