Entwined by Heather Dixon

 

Azalea and her younger sisters dance in the mysterious silver forest every night, escaping from the sadness of the palace and their father’s grief. What they don’t understand—although as time passes they begin to get an inkling of the danger they are in—is that the mysterious and dashing Keeper is tightening his snare with deadly purpose. Luckily, Azalea is brave and steadfast. Luckily, a handsome young army captain also has his eye on Azalea. . . . Lush, romantic, and compelling, this debut novel by Heather Dixon will thrill fans of Shannon Hale, Robin McKinley, and Edith Pattou.

My Thoughts/Review:

It was magical. I loved it, for all it's flowing words, and fairytale beauty. I can honestly say that I've read several adaptions of The Twelve Dancing Princesses, but this is the only one that has captured my heart and made me really want to read more about them. I mean, twelve princesses, named in alphabetical order? Nothing could be more magical, in my opinion. I loved Azalea's charm and wit, and Bramble's plotting and pranking, because for me, some characters are better as pranksters. Also, Clover was very interesting, and I wish we got to see more of her in the story.

I also loved how the author took a different approach to the dancing, because it was way better when they chose to be there than it was when they were cursed to be there because their mother had wanted twelve children. Much more intriguing. And forever making me want know more about how it ended. The author did a good job. One thing though, when Lily first appears, your shocked when she rarely comes back up, because shes a baby! And you see her a grand total of about 8 times in the book. How did that baby stay alive? It's insane!

I really liked the subplot with the romances, and the strange goings on by Keeper. When you first read him, you think, "Oh No, Here comes trouble." and guess what? Your right. He is trouble. In the worst kind of way. I won't tell you anything that he does, because that would ruin the book, but it is freaking scary. Because he is completely, and utterly, off his rocker. But you'll figure it out. I was highly entertained, and barely breathing so I could figure out what happened next, so what do you say you check it out?

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                                                                    Favorite Quote:
What was she even doing here? She's had some vague idea that people visited graveyards to find a connection--or something--with the dead. That somehow she would know what to do, if she stood next to Mother's grave, hoping for some sort of answer.

Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher

When Sarah Byrnes was three years old, her condition became synonymous with her surname. Her face and hands were badly burned in a mysterious accident, and her father refused to allow reconstructive surgery. She developed a suit of cold, stainless steel armor to defend herself against the taunts of a world insensitive to her pain. You enter into Sarah Byrnes's world on her terms, or you don't enter.
Enter Eric Calhoune--Moby to his friends. Eric passed through his early years on a steady diet of Oreos and Twinkies and root beer floats, and he sports the girth to prove it. Because of their "terminal uglies," he and Sarah Byrnes have become true masters in the art of underhanded revenge directed at anyone who dares to offend their sensibilities.


When Eric turns out for the high school swimming team, he begins to shed layers of extra poundage. Fearing the loss of the one friendship he treasures, he gorges to "stay fat for Sarah Byrnes," who discovers his motive and threatens to beat him more senseless than she thinks he already is. Then the truth of Sarah Byrnes's horrific past finally catches up with her.



My Thoughts/Review:

I guess I don't really care for the way that Crutcher writes. This is the second book I've read by him, and neither of the books I've read by him have really spoken to me. I just don't really like them at all. They're alright, but they always seem to just drag for me, and I really dislike that in a book. I want some action! You know what I mean?

I'd say that Eric himself was a good character, but he had some flaws. For one, he was forever trying to get Mark's beef, and generally driving everyone in the vicinity insane. Not that Mark wasn't a total ass, but he made up for it, just a little, in the end. Now Eric though, he drove me insane the entire time. I could not get him to shut up. Really. It was that bad. His character's voice is literally in my head now. He won't shut up. But I guess some people look for that in a character. Not me. Never.

I really would have liked to have read some of the story through Dale Thorton's point of view, because it seemed like he could have been an amazing character. He was just so.....interesting. And that's what I look for in a character. One's that'll keep me interested. He did. I wish that this book had been as fast in the beginning as it was in the end, because I think that would've improved the book somewhat. Not that we'd ever get over Eric's voice in my head! But it might have helped a bit. Also, for being called 'Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes', Sarah Byrnes was not in the book near as much as I thought she would be. All in all, I'd say I was entertained, but not really fulfilled.
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What We Keep is Not Always What Will Stay by Amanda Cockrell

Fifteen-year-old Angie never used to think much about God—until things started getting weird. Like the statue of St. Felix, her secret confidante, suddenly coming off his pedestal and talking to her. And Angie's mother, who's busting up her third marriage for no apparent reason. Then there's Jesse Francis, sent home from Afghanistan at age nineteen with his leg blown off. Now he's expected to finish high school and fit right back in. Is God even paying attention to any of this?


Against the advice of an increasingly vocal St. Felix (who knows a thing or two about war), Angie falls for Jesse—who's a lot deeper than most high school guys. But Jesse is battling some major demons. As his rages start to become more frequent and unpredictable, Angie finds herself losing control of the situation. And she's starting to wonder: can one person ever make things right for someone else?



My Thoughts/Review:

Well, that is one mouthful of a title, ain't it? And I don't really understand it. One line from a poem, and that becomes the title? Hmm. I really enjoyed Angie's character, because she was quirky in all the right ways, and really had a voice of her own. I don't really get why they needed a character as screwed up as Jesse, though. Cause he was completely screwed up. He's paranoid, he's abusive, and he's downright insane. I just don't understand the need for him in the book. I guess he's a part of it, but I still really hate him.

Also, it was nice for once to read about a girl who wasn't
A. Obsessed with a random dude,
or B. Suicidal
That's always a plus, right? In my world it is. Moving on. There's really no plot, but for a plotless book it was alright. Didn't move too fast, was cute enough, and I lived through it. Not something I'll be recommending, but I lived.

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                                                                  Favorite Quote:
"I felt like an impostor," I said. "I'm not holy."
"You are to me," Jesse said. Really quietly, so I almost didn't hear him. "When things get bad, I'll think about you in that starry cloak. You'll be my talisman."