Of Beast and Beauty by Stacey Jay

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Of Beast and Beauty by Stacey Jay
Series: N/A
Source: Bought hardcover
Publisher: Delacorte Books
Publication Date: July 23rd, 2013
Age Genre: YA
Challenges: TBR
Challenges: Flight of Fantasy
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In the beginning was the darkness, and in the darkness was a girl, and in the girl was a secret...In the domed city of Yuan, the blind Princess Isra, a Smooth Skin, is raised to be a human sacrifice whose death will ensure her city’s vitality. In the desert outside Yuan, Gem, a mutant beast, fights to save his people, the Monstrous, from starvation. Neither dreams that together, they could return balance to both their worlds.
Isra wants to help the city’s Banished people, second-class citizens despised for possessing Monstrous traits. But after she enlists the aid of her prisoner, Gem, who has been captured while trying to steal Yuan’s enchanted roses, she begins to care for him, and to question everything she has been brought up to believe.
As secrets are revealed and Isra’s sight, which vanished during her childhood, returned, Isra will have to choose between duty to her people and the beast she has come to love.

Oh my. Oh my. I never expected this book to be... this book. I mean, it was on my GR TBR for so long. First, I saw the gorgeous cover, than read the title and found out it was a Beauty and the Beast retelling (duh), and I was sold. But I did not expect this world, which is actually a bit of sci-fi and a lot of magic, or the beautiful writing, or the captivating characters. And I did not expect to feel like calling this a retelling is belittling it.

In Of Beast and Beauty, there is no clear "beast" and no clear "beauty".

Isra is a blind princess doomed to a horrible fate. She is strong, opinionated, kind, but also very much a prisoner in her own city. She thinks herself "tainted" by the mutation her people fears so much, and instead of being Belle enslaved by the beast, she is the one who does the enslaving when she meets Gem, a Monstrous, as he is infiltrating her city and makes him a prisoner.

Gem may be a beast in his appearance, but he is such a good person. He only thinks of the best of his people, can't kill even when his duty tells him he must. He tries to hate and yet he can't. And no matter his motivations, he treats Isra with kindness and attention. The (almost) only person in her life who does.

These two are just... *sigh* I mean, seriously, the shipping is crazy. They just... work! They bring the best in each other, they encourage each other to be better, they open each other's eyes. They're also HAWT like lava and so very delicious. And the best part? It takes time for their relationship to grow. They start as semi enemies, then reluctant partners, then friends, then... more. It's beautiful!

Then there's Gaston--I mean, Bo. Occasionally, we get a glimpse into his pov. That was smart, because Jay lets us see Gaston Bo is not a bad person. He is a product of years of prejudice and false information. He truly believes what he's doing is right, and he does have a heart and a sense of right and wrong. He just can't look past all he's been told to see the truth.

okay, Bo is no monster, but how was I supposed to resist?

Another character worth mentioning is Needle, Isra's maid. I love this girl, and I kind of really really wanted to see her happy with someone. I'm all for Jay writing a sequel for Needle, maybe with Gem's brother? I feel like she could really teach him compassion and love...

The ending of this book was so amazing! And quite different than the Disney ending.

Honestly, I don't have enough words to recommend this book with. Just read it, please. It deserves more love!

   Nitzan★

The Mad Scientist's Daughter by Cassandra Rose Clarke

The Mad Scientist's Daughter by Cassandra Rose Clarke
Series: N/A
Source: Netgalley
Publisher: Angry Robot
Publication Date: January 29, 2013

"Cat, this is Finn. He's going to be your tutor."


Finn looks and acts human, though he has no desire to be. He was programmed to assist his owners, and performs his duties to perfection. A billion-dollar construct, his primary task is now to tutor Cat. As she grows into a beautiful young woman, Finn is her guardian, her constant companion...and more. But when the government grants rights to the ever-increasing robot population, however, Finn struggles to find his place in the world, and in Cat's heart.

I guess I'll just get straight to the heart of things - I didn't love The Mad Scientist's Daughter. I've seen lots and lots of favorable reviews on it, but it just didn't go as well for me. I thought that the point of view/writing style was very strange, but as the book progressed I became used to it; which means it really wasn't one of my peeves.

But there were lots of peeves. Lots and lots of peeves. Let's start with Cat. In the beginning chapter, Cat is really young - maybe 8 or 10? That wasn't a problem. The problem was that she got older throughout the book - and it didn't register with me until she was like twenty. Her voice didn't really change between those ages, which just bothered me. Everyone's perception of things changes as they grow older, and Cat's just... didn't. She was pretty much the same person, from beginning to end. I hoped for character growth from her, I really did.

And don't even get me started on the romance. We have the romance plottish thing with Finn - that's quite the focus throughout the story, and it honestly raised a lot of moral questions for me - and sometimes just questions like how everything works. Not to be awkward or anything... but robot sex? *shudders* For some reason, the idea just grosses me out. And it makes me question things about Finn's... you know... LET'S NOT GO THERE (how can his junk possibly work?!) (Yep, this is what I was questioning. Laugh if you must.) In all honesty, such a thing should just not be possible.

Aside from all of this "not possible" thing, there's also the fact that Cat repeatedly uses Finn. Like, uses him and then runs off with her boyfriend of the week. The girl is constantly attached to someone else, which made for quite a few annoying and slightly awkward love triangle situations.

Now we'll move on to the pacing - the pacing was insane. Time progressed so quickly that I'm not even sure where some of our time went. I think that there was maybe like... 15 - 20 years packed into this book? And there's lots of gaps in between, so sometimes I just couldn't follow. Coupled with Cat's eternal youth, it really was just awkward.

I didn't have enough background on the world or the circumstances to really love it, but the atmosphere was nice and gothic. I just... I feel like there were too many awkward plot twists and ridiculous changes throughout the book for me to really love it. It's one of the strangest books that I've ever read, but it gets three stars for originality and enjoyment levels, even if there were a lot of things that I disliked.

These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
Series: Starbound, #1
Source: Netgalley
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Publication Date: December 10, 2013

It's a night like any other on board the Icarus. Then, catastrophe strikes: the massive luxury spaceliner is yanked out of hyperspace and plummets into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive. And they seem to be alone.

Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a young war hero who learned long ago that girls like Lilac are more trouble than they’re worth. But with only each other to rely on, Lilac and Tarver must work together, making a tortuous journey across the eerie, deserted terrain to seek help.

Then, against all odds, Lilac and Tarver find a strange blessing in the tragedy that has thrown them into each other’s arms. Without the hope of a future together in their own world, they begin to wonder—would they be better off staying here forever?

Everything changes when they uncover the truth behind the chilling whispers that haunt their every step. Lilac and Tarver may find a way off this planet. But they won’t be the same people who landed on it.

In all honesty... I don't have a clue in the world about this book. I mean, I read it, and I understood most of it... but... I don't really get it. It's without a doubt one of the most unique books that I've read in a long time, but I just... didn't love it. I liked it, sure, but it mostly left me with feelings of what-the-freckery at the end.

I mean...damn. I guess I'll just start talking now.

I liked the alternating points of view - it was obvious that one of them was a guy and that one of them was a girl throughout the writing; there was no weird moment when I couldn't figure out who was talking, so that was great. I enjoyed that, and I actually liked reading about Tarver and Lilac, although I pretty much abhor their names.

Tarver. What does that even mean?! If someone could tell me if that was a real word... that would be great. Because I surely don't know. Speaking of him, he was so adorable and chivalrous, and Lilac was just so brave! I actually liked her as a heroine, for the most part. She was annoying at first, but her growth throughout the book was great.

I loved the premise - a spaceship crash, with the two lone survivors being on a completely unpopulated planet. That was pretty much awesome - it's not very often that you get to read a book with no supporting characters, so it was an interesting experience.

I also loved the fact that there was a sweet love story - we rarely get to see the adorbs side of love, so that was fabulous. I do think that it took way too long for anything to happen on that front, though, but once it started happening... it was way too fast. It dragged in the beginning, and then they just jumped in. The pacing of it was way weird.

And believe me, the pacing wasn't the only weirdness that was going on. We have everything from weird voices to strange visions to possible alien life. It's a veritable smorgasbord of weirdness! This is where it started to get hazy for me. There comes a point when I start to freak out, and this book totally hit it.

There was just too much going on, with too many crazy plot points. Overall, I only liked this one - no love. But I'd be interested to see where the series goes from here, so there is that!

Parasite by Mira Grant

Parasite by Mira Grant
Series: Parasitology, #1
Source: Netgalley
Publisher: Orbit
Publication Date: October 29, 2013

A decade in the future, humanity thrives in the absence of sickness and disease.

We owe our good health to a humble parasite - a genetically engineered tapeworm developed by the pioneering SymboGen Corporation. When implanted, the tapeworm protects us from illness, boosts our immune system - even secretes designer drugs. It's been successful beyond the scientists' wildest dreams. Now, years on, almost every human being has a SymboGen tapeworm living within them.

But these parasites are getting restless. They want their own lives...and will do anything to get them.

 

I knew that I had become a creator of monsters. I did not know, before I ran out of choices, that I had become a monster myself.
My overall thoughts of Parasite go a little something like this - "ew ew ew gross gross gross scary scary scary surprising awesome still pretty gross but crazy weird and cool". That's kind of the best way to put it. I am thoroughly freaked out by the idea that intestinal tapeworms want to control these people's bodies. I am also thoroughly intrigued by this idea!

Parasite started out on a really gruesome scene - but kudos to Mira Grant, because I could picture it perfectly. Not that some squishy insides were what I wanted to see, but hey. I pictured it exactly the way it was explained, I think that was so good description there.

I figured out that I can't trust my instincts on Mira's characters, though. Because one character that I thoroughly trusted - didn't turn out to be all that trustworthy. Which is sad, because I liked them. It was upsetting.

I thought that the "worms" were chilling. It seems medically plausible to me, and the more I think about it the scarier the idea gets - which makes it a pretty good horror, actually. I liked that all of the explanations (even the scientific ones) were very thorough. It made it relatively easy to understand, but it did make the book quite long. The plot was kind of slow.

I liked the interviews and quotes at the beginning of each chapter - it made it easier to understand things about the doctors who created the worm, and the world who would actually take such a thing. It gave us a bit of backstory.

I figure that I have to talk a little about the characters before the review is over, so I'll tell you that I didn't really identify with Sal. It became obvious later on (as to why I couldn't), but at first it was a little off-putting. In the end, though, I think she was the perfect kind of heroine for this book. I kind of hated her dad, though. Not going to lie.

Some of the supporting characters, such as Sal's boyfriend Nathan, Tansey, and Adam were well done - I actually liked Nathan, but I'm sort of scared of Tansey and Adam's potential. Tansey outright terrifies me sometimes, but Adam seems like a sweet person. I just can't figure out what they're capable of yet!

All in all, Parasite was definitely an interesting read, and it raises lots of interesting questions. Should the parasites that gain control of those bodies be allowed to keep them? Is humanity really stupid enough to get a tapeworm to keep healthy? *neon sign: yes* Just, you know, lots of questions. I hope that the next book in this series helps to answer some of them!

Fun fact: After reading Parasite, I learned something scary - toxoplasma is real. So a lot of the medical terms that Mira Grant used are probably real, even if they have never been used as an "intestinal bodyguard".

All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill

All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill
Series: N/A
Source: Publisher for Blog Tour
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Publication Date: September 3, 2013

"You have to kill him." Imprisoned in the heart of a secret military base, Em has nothing except the voice of the boy in the cell next door and the list of instructions she finds taped inside the drain.

Only Em can complete the final instruction. She’s tried everything to prevent the creation of a time machine that will tear the world apart. She holds the proof: a list she has never seen before, written in her own hand. Each failed attempt in the past has led her to the same terrible present—imprisoned and tortured by a sadistic man called the doctor while war rages outside.

Marina has loved her best friend James since the day he moved next door when they were children. A gorgeous, introverted science prodigy from one of America’s most famous families, James finally seems to be seeing Marina in a new way, too. But on one disastrous night, James’s life crumbles apart, and with it, Marina’s hopes for their future. Now someone is trying to kill him. Marina will protect James, no matter what. Even if it means opening her eyes to a truth so terrible that she may not survive it. At least not as the girl she once was.

All Our Yesterdays is a wrenching, brilliantly plotted story of fierce love, unthinkable sacrifice, and the infinite implications of our every choice.

Like I've said before, science fiction isn't really my thing. But I wanted to try this one, because let's face it, time travel? Awesome! And again (just like before) I was pleasantly surprised! It turned out to be a fantastic premise, which was backed up by several different theories...that weren't too sciency.

Em was a good character for me-- she seems like a total bad-ass, but she doesn't act robotic (a.k.a., do everything you would expect a bad-ass to do). She makes a bunch of good choices and several bad ones, but the thing that I liked most about her was just....I don't know. Her. Does that make sense at all? I liked that she wasn't afraid to tell Finn exactly how it was, and that she never backed down. She did what she knew was right, in the end. But it's really weird, because she's not necessarily the one who did it. She got it going, though.

I really enjoyed the chapters from Marina's point of view-- they were so innocent compared to Em's, but they gave me new perspective on the entire story. Honestly, I wish I could reveal more, but for the sake of spoilers I'll leave it be!

The romance between Finn and Em was adorable. It wasn't all in your face like some books do it, but it was subtle and I enjoyed it. It was sweet and cute, and I hope to see more romances like that in the future.

And honestly, I hope to see more plotting like this in the future too. Because the plot was rock-hard awesome, and I couldn't have asked for more twists and turns. It kept the story moving at a good pace, and I was never confused or left wondering what had happened, which is really all I can hope for. That, and a fantabulous ending. Which I also got, if you were curious. ;)

All in all, All Our Yesterdays really delivered an awesome story. I never saw it coming.