Furious by Jill Wolfson

Furious by Jill Wolfson
Series: N/A
Source: Won
Publisher: Henry Holt & CO.
Publication Date: April 16, 2013

Three high school girls become the avenging Furies of Greek legend.

We were only three angry girls, to begin with. Alix, the hot-tempered surfer chick; Stephanie, the tree-hugging activist; and me, Meg, the quiet foster kid, the one who never quite fit in. We hardly knew each other, but each of us nurtured a burning anger: at the jerks in our class, at our disappointing parents, at the whole flawed, unjust world.

We were only three angry girls, simmering uselessly in our ocean-side California town, until one day a mysterious, beautiful classmate named Ambrosia taught us what else we could be: Powerful. Deadly. Furious.

We are straight out of mythology, goddesses who avenge, retaliate, punish, haunt, hunt, and don't stand around being victims, but make things happen.

I was really expecting to love Furious. And while I liked it, this didn't add up to "love" for me; although I wish it could have. The first seemingly small thing that I couldn't get past was the fact that it's based in America. Normally, this isn't a big deal, as most YA books are based in America. But the fact still remains that this is a GREEK myth come to life. Why isn't it based in Greece?

I realize that this is a small thing... but come on! I never got an explanation for it. And I would have liked to have seen one. The other thing that bothered me was "The Plagues". I could possibly see how someone might come up with a set of nicknames like that, but I really doubt that it would be a group of teenage boys. It just doesn't ring true for me. I can't imagine boys going by nicknames such as "Gnat", "Bubonic" or "Pox". This is also a small thing. The rest of the book was fairly enjoyable!

I liked the character of Stephanie; I believe that she was my favorite. I could relate to her, because in her own way she was trying to change the world. I loved that about her. Even when she could have (or even should have) given up, she kept trying to stand up for what she believed in. As a result, I admired her. Alix and Meg, however, didn't really do it for me. Alix was too tough and hardcore (with no sense of mercy) and Meg was... how do I say this gently? I felt like Meg was way too power-hungry, which threw her sense of justice out of whack.

Meg definitely grew as a character throughout the book, though, which is a bit more than I can say for Alix. Stephanie figured it out too, eventually. I was proud of them for that. I felt bad for Meg's friend Raymond, though. He always seemed like such a happy light-- I wish that he had gotten a bit more character time, you know? I also wish that the romance between Meg & Brendon would have been given more time. They fell "in love" by the second date, which is a big no-no. Thankfully, the romance was such a small part of the book that I easily overlooked it.

My favorite part of this book was the myth of the Furies. I loved it when the girls took out their fury on people; it gave the story so much. It was so easy to see why they did, and I'm positive that the story would have been lacking if they hadn't thought that they were justice itself. As Furies, they were superbly power hungry and mildly insane.

All in all, I would definitely recommend Furious is you're in a mythology mood (like I was), and don't mind a few minor things.

The Madman's Daughter by Megan Sheperd

The Madman's Daughter by Megan Sheperd
Series: The Madman's Daughter, #1
Source: Bought
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Publication Date: January 29, 2013

In the darkest places, even love is deadly.

Sixteen-year-old Juliet Moreau has built a life for herself in London—working as a maid, attending church on Sundays, and trying not to think about the scandal that ruined her life. After all, no one ever proved the rumors about her father's gruesome experiments. But when she learns he is alive and continuing his work on a remote tropical island, she is determined to find out if the accusations are true.

Accompanied by her father's handsome young assistant, Montgomery, and an enigmatic castaway, Edward—both of whom she is deeply drawn to—Juliet travels to the island, only to discover the depths of her father's madness: He has experimented on animals so that they resemble, speak, and behave as humans. And worse, one of the creatures has turned violent and is killing the island's inhabitants. Torn between horror and scientific curiosity, Juliet knows she must end her father's dangerous experiments and escape her jungle prison before it's too late. Yet as the island falls into chaos, she discovers the extent of her father's genius—and madness—in her own blood.

Inspired by H. G. Wells's classic The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Madman's Daughter is a dark and breathless Gothic thriller about the secrets we'll do anything to know and the truths we'll go to any lengths to protect.

The Madman's Daughter is one of those books that I just knew that I would like. And for once, well, I was right. I did really like this one, and for me it wasn't very predictable. But I've never read The Island of Dr. Moreau, so this was a completely new experience for me.

I found Juliet to be a very...interesting/completely out of it character. She has ideas about things that just drive me absolutely mad. *I have developed a british accent in my head after reading this* At first her illness seemed really odd, but as some of the details about her father started to fall into place, it was like I suddenly figured it all out. And once I figure it out, I really wanted to beat some sense into Juliet. For instance, if you've read The Island of Dr. Moreau, you understand this: but there are natives on the island. And there is only one woman, a teenager, that Juliet deducts came on a boat...but. There are natives. She never even wonders where they came from? Really. I guess it kind of makes sense (her ignorance) for that time frame...but girl. People don't come from storks.

There are several other things that bothered me about her powers of deduction too, but for the sake of spoilers I won't reveal them. The island was so strange! When we first got there, I was questioning everything. I wanted to know about the past, and why and just everything. But the more I read, the more that it just got weird and twisted. Juliet thinks that what she did at the beginning was unnatural, but I disagree. What her father was doing was unnatural. And weirdly shocking.

As the story wore on, a couple new characters were introduced. And some had pasts that I never would have suspected. My face was like this by the ending: O.O All in all, it was a really good story, but I can't shake the feeling that it could have been a little better.

Love Disguised by Lisa Klein

Love Disguised by Lisa Klein
Series: N/A
Source: Netgalley
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Publication Date: July 30, 2013

Will Shakespeare is about to meet the girl who will change his life forever. After a mixed-up courtship with the Hathaway sisters ends badly, Will jumps at the chance to go to London, where he can pursue his dream of becoming an actor. There, Will meets the unusually tall (and strong) Meg who has earned the nickname "Long Meg" for her height. She's also fleeing her own past as an orphan turned thief. Disguised as "Mack," Meg was once a member of a band of boy thieves who betrayed her. When Will is robbed by those same villains, Meg disguises herself as "Mack" again--telling Will that Mack is her twin brother--in order to help Will recover his money. As Mack, she finds true friendship with Will. But is there more? And who is Meg really fooling with her disguise?

What ensues is a tale involving love triangles, mistaken identities, and the pursuit of hapless villains, as Shakespeare becomes a key player in a lively drama that could have sprung from his own pen.

I am not Mack; I am only Meg.

Honestly, I'm not at all sure of what I want to say about Love Disguised. I wish I could tell you that it was brilliant, or that the characters blew me away... but that would be a lie. While I liked this one, I didn't find it particularly or interesting or ground-breaking.

I really liked it in the beginning; it had a certain charm about it, what with all the characters referring to themselves in third person, and the alternating points of view. But the more I read, the more I started to notice things. Like the fact that the writing style itself was a bit odd. I couldn't really get into it, and I never figured out why!

The alternating points of view (though a plus in the beginning) soon became a hindrance. They sort of bled together, and I couldn't differentiate Will's voice or Meg's in all the ruckus; which I felt was a shame. As characters, they were okay, maybe even good; but as narrators they lacked a certain wit. I mixed them up more times that I could count!

Will had a wonderful sense of humor, and I enjoyed his jokes... but how could someone so happy write such tragic literature? I never quite understood that, though I did like this "lighter" Will Shakespeare. There is, however, something that happens towards the end that I assume makes him the "tortured" man that we see in his work. (Something that I respect his decision about.)

Meg was also a good character. She had spunk, and I found her to be very brave. She wasn't whiny at all, but her friend Violetta was terrible! I couldn't stand her constant whining and bossing. And her man? Don't even get me started on how lovesick and annoying he was!

While I found several parts of this book to be rather entertaining, I didn't believe the story. *gasp* The idea that a woman could be friends with a man as a man? No. Several times throughout the book Mack was recognized to be Meg, and yet Will never saw it? That doesn't make sense to me, but it was a minor issue.

Another minor issue that I had was the dialect. I felt like it wasn't exactly authentic for that time frame. People from poorer areas would speak in a less polished tongue than those from richer areas, but that "tongue change" wasn't shown. It was easy to read, though.

All in all, I just didn't love this one. I liked it, and that's all you'll be getting from me on the subject.

Enchanted by Alethea Kontis

Enchanted by Alethea Kontis
Series: Woodcutter Sisters, #1
Source: Bought
Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books
Publication Date: May 8, 2012

It isn't easy being the rather overlooked and unhappy youngest sibling to sisters named for the other six days of the week. Sunday’s only comfort is writing stories, although what she writes has a terrible tendency to come true.

When Sunday meets an enchanted frog who asks about her stories, the two become friends. Soon that friendship deepens into something magical. One night Sunday kisses her frog goodbye and leaves, not realizing that her love has transformed him back into Rumbold, the crown prince of Arilland—and a man Sunday’s family despises.

The prince returns to his castle, intent on making Sunday fall in love with him as the man he is, not the frog he was. But Sunday is not so easy to woo. How can she feel such a strange, strong attraction for this prince she barely knows? And what twisted secrets lie hidden in his past - and hers?

I honestly think that I may have waited a bit too long to review Enchanted, but hey. Whatever, right? Anywho, when Enchanted started off, I was really excited about it! Another fairytale retelling, woohoo! But then, well, it became another fairytale retelling. Which...wasn't all that awesome, although this was still an enjoyable story. I liked the take on most fairytales being linked to the same family (they have all kinds linked to them. You don't even know), but I felt like everyone else was most of the story.

There was way too many unneeded details, like how stylish and fancy and whatever some random person's dress was, as well as the fact that the evil godmother that cursed so-and-so was the good godmother's sister who was related to Sunday's mom who was a magical person in her own right...it's like, I don't know. I just felt like I didn't need all of those little connections. It was neat, sure. But it overpowered the story in it's own right.

It almost crossed the line into way weird, but I think it strayed back enough to be alright. But you'd think after all the connections of the fairytales...well, that the story of Sunday and Rumbold would have been cooler. And it was okay, I just...I felt like there was no real reason for it. What use is it finding your soulmate (after losing him) if you don't even recognize his personality/soul? I don't understand, you know?

I liked the spin, and the alternating points of view, but I think that the premise and overall execution could have been better. But it did have a nice, peaceful, resolved ending.

Snow White Sorrow by Cameron Jace

Snow White Sorrow by Cameron Jace
Series: The Grimm Diaries, #1
Source: Bought
Publisher: Self-published
Publication Date: May 30, 2013

What if all you knew about fairy tales was wrong?

Sixteen year old Loki Blackstar is no Prince Charming. His mother is a ghost. His only friend is a red Cadillac that sings to him through the radio. He looks like an Angel but acts like jerk. No wonder he has been banned from Heaven, which is the least of his troubles. Loki needs a job to pay for school and support himself.

Still, Loki has a rare gift: He is a Dreamhunter. One of the few in the world who can hunt and kill immortal demons in their dreams so they never wake up again.

When Loki is sent to kill a sixteen-year-old vampire girl the locals call Snow White Sorrow, he is pulled into a magical but dangerous world. The locals believe the monster to be Snow White.

The real Snow White... living in the ruins of an ancient castle in a small town. She is described as horribly beautiful, terrifyingly enchanting, and wickedly lovely.

What he finds instead is a beautiful monster girl filled with rage and hurt, who has an epic untold story to tell of things such like why the Brothers Grimm altered the fairy tale, who the Evil Queen really is, where the mirror came from, and who possessed it.

Snow White has killed every person who has dared come near the castle where she once lived with the queen. Mysteriously, she lets Loki live, and whispers two words in his ears; two words that will change his life forever.

Snow White Sorrow was one of those books that I picked up just because. It looked interesting, and twisted fairy tales are my absolute favorite theme. And while the twisted fairy tales angle panned out (loved the "Grimm diaries" take) the actual way it was done wasn't all that great. I know this is a weird place to start, but let's start with the ending. The "ending" wasn't really an ending. The fairy tale itself wasn't resolved, nor were most of my questions answered. It just kind of...ended. Dropped off the ends of the earth without a goodbye, just stopped. *END of Book one*

Here's where I ask...what happens? I feel like I don't want to make an effort to read the next one if you're going to do me like that! I need to have at least two issues resolved. Give me that much, seriously! Other than that, though, I really liked this one. The characters weren't nothing to write home about, but the fairy tales...gotta love them.

I loved all the twists (Georgie Porgie, Hansel and Gretel, Snow White, and maybe even some others) that were present. They're what gave this one three stars for enjoyability. Other than that, it was just like every other book I've been reading lately-- disappointing. I think my standards must have gone up or something. Who knows.

Anywho, I found Loki to be an alright kind of character. I even liked him sometimes, but honestly, most of the time, Loki is a huge bonehead. He's got an innocent, childlike thought process, but then sometimes you realize that he's way ahead of you. It's weird, he's got all of this darkness inside of him, but he just seems like a little kid. He expects the best of everyone, and sometimes it's downright distracting.

Also, randomly out of nowhere, occasionally you'll get one sentence out of another character's point of view. It's kind of awkward. It threw me out of the story a bit, and I feel like I could never get fully immersed in Snow White Sorrow.

All in all, I liked the fairy tale elements of this one, but the characters were lacking, and I had hoped for a more resolved ending. Not a bad book, all things considered.

Towering by Alex Flinn

Towering by Alex Flinn
Series: N/A
Source: Gifted
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: May 14, 2013

At first, I merely saw his face, his hands on the window ledge. Then, his whole body as he swung himself through the window. Only I could not see what he swung on.

Until, one day, I told my dream self to look down. And it was then that I saw. He had climbed on a rope. I knew without asking that the rope had been one of my own tying.

Rachel is trapped in a tower, held hostage by a woman she’s always called Mama. Her golden hair is growing rapidly, and to pass the time, she watches the snow fall and sings songs from her childhood, hoping someone, anyone, will hear her.

Wyatt needs time to reflect or, better yet, forget about what happened to his best friend, Tyler. That’s why he’s been shipped off to the Adirondacks in the dead of winter to live with the oldest lady in town. Either that, or no one he knows ever wants to see him again.

Dani disappeared seventeen years ago without a trace, but she left behind a journal that’s never been read, not even by her overbearing mother…until now.

First off, I just want to say that I was really looking forward to Towering. I love fairytale retellings, and I also love Alex Flinn, so I was really expecting to be wowed by this one. And I kind of was... I was wowed at how much I disliked this book. I really wasn't expecting anything like what happened.

To tell you the truth, I'm not even sure what really happened. Because we happen upon this story.. a story about a girl who's been trapped a tower since she was a young girl by a woman she knows only as "Mama". Classic Rapunzel tale... but wait. Apparently, her tears heal people.  And get this? Her hair is a magical growth hormone or something, because when she needs it, it just grows and grows until she's tripping on it and how is that helping when you're running for your life? Someone needs to explain this to me. I mean, I realized that there would be magic, but I was hoping for some kind of explanation for why (and a better one than was actually given).

But. Let's actually start from the true-blue beginning. I was enjoying it in the beginning-- the first few chapters were enchanting and interesting, and the alternating points of view were nice. From this point on, I spent the whole rest of the book trying to get back to the feeling from the beginning. Because as I read on, I realized that our main characters (Rachel and Wyatt) weren't really growing any as characters. They continued being exactly the people we met... which is sad, because I believe that people change every day.

Rachel seemed to absolutely innocent-- having only read a select few classic novels, as well as living her life in a tower probably made her that way. So kudos to the author for that. But I felt like she just didn't know enough of the world, and was existing the way a little kid (before the questioning stage) might live. Just obedient in doing whatever she was told. Also, as I've said before, her hair irked me.

Wyatt was very mysterious at first, but he didn't really behave like a normal teenage boy, in my opinion. He's too... I don't know. Maybe too... something I just can't explain... but I didn't particularly care for him as a character. Or even a love interest, to tell you the truth. He was kind of boring.

Now that I've gone and mentioned it, I might as well tell you a little about the romance. So, here goes! There was none. They met, hey let's kiss and that was the only how-do-you-do that we got out of them as a couple. It was so awkward. They met each other and then they were making out with each other within minutes...I get it, she saved your life. But do you really need to? Eeeewww. There was a serious case of insta-love going on to, because there was quite the confession upon their second meeting. *facepalm*

On top of the insta-love, I feel like the plot was revealed way too early in. Almost everything was completely obvious from the beginning, except *SPOILER* the part where her hair is magical because of a crazy drug that her mother (and her mother before her) was doing...and the fact that all of the town's missing are being housed in a magical harvesting plant (location unknown) where this highly addictive drug grows. Oh, and they're apparently mindless freaks when they're on the drugs and the only way to stop it from growing is Rachel's magical hair (according to prophecy!) And it gives them freakishly inhuman strength, as well as hallucinations. And they're all still young (and kind of immortal), except for Rachel's mom who died for an unknown reason. *SPOILER END* And weirdly, all of that happened sometime within the last fifty pages. So, WEIRD.

The ending was okay... but how good of an ending could you hope for when you didn't enjoy the book? One point five stars for the beginning.

Life After Theft by Aprilynne Pike

Life After Theft by Aprilynne Pike
Series: Life After Theft, #1
Source: Bought
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: April 30, 2013

Moving to a new high school sucks. Especially a rich-kid private school. With uniforms. But nothing is worse than finding out the first girl you meet is dead. And a klepto.

No one can see or hear Kimberlee except Jeff, so--in hopes of bringing an end to the snarkiest haunting in history--he agrees to help her complete her "unfinished business." But when the enmity between Kimberlee and Jeff's new crush, Sera, manages to continue posthumously, Jeff wonders if he's made the right choice.

Clash meets sass in this uproarious modern-day retelling of Baroness Orczy's The Scarlet Pimpernel.

Life After Theft was something new for me. I've never read The Scarlet Pimpernel, nor have I ever read anything by Aprilynne Pike. But so far, I can say that she's impressed me as an author. I really liked this one, even if there were a few moments that I was like "haha that would never happen."

Jeff seemed to be a really laid back kind of guy. He had his jerky moments, but most of the time I think that he was just being forced into doing whatever Kimberlee wanted, because he's just a nice guy. On that note, I wasn't expecting a guy narrator-- the cover confused me! But even though it was a guy narrator, I liked him. Guy narrators are so much fun, don't you think? Especially Jeff.

But let's move onto Kimberlee. I'm not sure, but Kimberlee might just be crazy. I know for sure that she really wasn't all that nice, and that she stole a lot, but we really don't get anything more on her. I would've liked to have seen a chapter through her point of view or something-- it would have helped with her development, I think. And then I would have been able to die happy. She made a really good impression on me with her "confession".

But let's move onto the story-- I thought that the storyline was really good! I liked that Jeff was helping Kimberlee return the stuff, and how funny it was that he has an entire inner monologue over it. That was great! My only problem was that Jeff got caught multiple times, and nothing ever comes of it? Something always happens that gets him off. I mean, all power to him, but that was kind of....it would never happen, you know?

The ending was amazing, though. I thought that everything was wrapped up well, and that it left it open enough that it'll be easy to continue. All in all, Life After Theft was a good read.

The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy

The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy
Series: The League of Princes, #1
Source: Bought
Publisher: Walden Pond Press
Publication Date: May 1, 2012

Prince Liam. Prince Frederic. Prince Duncan. Prince Gustav. You’ve never heard of them, have you? These are the princes who saved Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Snow White, and Rapunzel, respectively, and yet, thanks to those lousy bards who wrote the tales, you likely know them only as Prince Charming. But all of this is about to change.

Rejected by their princesses and cast out of their castles, the princes stumble upon an evil plot that could endanger each of their kingdoms. Now it’s up to them to triumph over their various shortcomings, take on trolls, bandits, dragons, witches, and other assorted terrors, and become the heroes no one ever thought they could be.

Christopher Healy’s Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom is a completely original take on the world of fairy tales, the truth about what happens after “happily ever after.” It’s a must-have for middle grade readers who enjoy their fantasy adventures mixed with the humor of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. Witty black-and-white drawings by Todd Harris add to the fun.

The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom was a very fun book. I first picked it up because of the awesome illustrated cover, but after I read the intro there was no putting it down. First off, well, the premise itself was just awesome. I love the idea of it! Anything done with fairytales is A-OK by me, seriously. But anywho, this is one of those books that I kind of feel to old for...it was way fabulous, and I loved it to death, but it was written for kids much younger than me.

But that's not the point. The illustrations were awesome, the story was captivating, and the overall experience was something special. I loved all the princes-- Gustav, Liam, Duncan and Frederic. Weirdly, I think that anti-social Gustav was my favorite, being the youngest of two sets of octuplets (seriously laughter occurred when that was announced). His dorky heroism and complete uncaring nature won me over, y'all.

In spite of that, though, I thoroughly enjoyed all of the other princes, and of course the princesses too! Almost every chapter was in a different point of view, which you'd think would be confusing, but it really wasn't at all. It was fan-freaking-tastic. Each point of view was uniquely fleshed out, and each and every character had their own quirks. It was all very whimsical and imaginative.

All in all, The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom was a really interesting break from all the bad books I've been reading lately. I really loved it, and I'm hoping to get to the sequel soon!

Follow the White Rabbit by Kellie Sheridan

Follow the White Rabbit by Kellie Sheridan
Series: Beautiful Madness, #1
Source: Netgalley
Publisher: Patchwork Press
Publication Date: May 21, 2013

For centuries, Wonderland thrived as the domain of beautiful bedlam and unapologetic madness. It was a place like no other. All it took was one girl slipping in through the cracks of the universe to start chaos spiraling toward order. In the 150 years since Alice’s visit, the realm has become tainted—almost normal. Rabbits in waistcoats and playing card minions are little more than creatures of myth, and Wonderland is literally falling to pieces.

For Gwen, Rose, and Lucky, Wonderland is home, and yet they know little of its former glory. When the Alice prophecy resurfaces, they’ll have one chance to use Wonderland’s own legends to bring a little mayhem back into their reality. For she who controls Alice controls the fate of Wonderland.

(Novella, 21k words)

Headlights illuminated the road ahead, flickering with each bump and crack in the pavement as I drove across the countryside.

I don't really know why I started this one-- I think it was because of the "Alice in Wonderland" re-telling point, but I can't be sure. Turns out that I really enjoyed it! My only issue? Way too short. I feel like the story had really only just started by the end of the book.

I was just starting to understand everything that was going on and to piece it together. I want to read more. I want to look more into the similarities between the original Wonderland characters and the new ones. I love the idea that "Wonderland" exists in cycles, and that it wants to repeat them over and over again.

I just loved the idea of this one. I loved the atmosphere, and the creepy vibes that I kept feeling were absolutely amazing. In the beginning, I wasn't sure how I would like it, because I knew that it was a novella-- but I actually enjoyed it! My only issue was the length, and that at first the changing POV's was confusing. I got used to it, though, and Gwen and Lucky were my favorite characters.

Two guesses as to who they are! All in all, I liked this re-telling of "Wonderland", but I wanted it to be longer.

Three girls hold cards; each plays her game.
As Wonderland's wind whispers a name.
Black is white and white is red.
All unravels as you tug the thread.
The stakes are high, don't interfere.
No turning back - Alice is near. ~Pg. 9, E-ARC