artsy musings of a bibliophile

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Review: The Rules for Disappearing by Ashley Elston

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ABOUT THE BOOK
The Rules for Disappearing by Ashley Elston
young adult contemporary mystery published by Disney-Hyperion on 14 May 2013
first book in the The Rules for Disappearing series

She’s been six different people in six different places: Madeline in Ohio, Isabelle in Missouri, Olivia in Kentucky . . . But now that she’s been transplanted to rural Louisiana, she has decided that this fake identity will be her last.

Witness Protection has taken nearly everything from her. But for now, they’ve given her a new name, Megan Rose Jones, and a horrible hair color. For the past eight months, Meg has begged her father to answer one question: What on earth did he do – or see – that landed them in this god-awful mess? Meg has just about had it with all the Suits’ rules — and her dad’s silence. If he won’t help, it’s time she got some answers for herself.
But Meg isn’t counting on Ethan Landry, an adorable Louisiana farm boy who’s too smart for his own good. He knows Meg is hiding something big. And it just might get both of them killed. As they embark on a perilous journey to free her family once and for all, Meg discovers that there’s only one rule that really matters — survival.

THE RATING

THE REVIEW
Mystery always pull me in so it’s no surprise that I wanted to read The Rules for Disappearing. It’s like a book about multiple personality disorder without the actual disorder. It made me think and think hard about life on the run. It isn’t always glamorous. It isn’t always oh-so-cool. The reality hit me hard and left me on the floor, my mouth gaped open.
There is irony in the way each chapter begins with a rule, the rule that Meg then simultaneously breaks. I felt her pain and I kept thinking why did Ashley Elston chose a rural town for all hell to break loose? Why did it took six identity changes for Meg to finally hit rock bottom, emotionally and physically? These questions kept me going.
It’s clear from the narrative that life as Meg is as far and opposite from her original life as it could be. Nondescript clothing, hair that makes her look like a boy, dull brown eyes and riding in a school bus as a senior is almost too much to bear. And it doesn’t help that she meets Ethan Landry in her first moments on the first day of school. The new-girl-in-the-middle-of-school-year is bound to attract attention and she does attract attention. Of the most popular girl in high school (as popular as one can get in Natchitoses anyway).
For most part of the book, Meg is at the edge of her nerves and it shows. Her mother is an alcoholic, her father is being way too mysterious and acting suspiciously and Teeny is on the verge of a breakdown at only eleven years of age. It seems Meg is the only one keeping it together. Or at least the one trying the hardest.
But I was waiting for a twist to arrive, a hand to pull back the curtain on the mystery a little bit. So I was a little disappointed when it came in the form of a nightmare on Meg’s part. Clichéd. Then she gets paranoid by thinking that someone is out to get her. And oh, she also owns a secret notebook in which she writes her thoughts and feelings.
Meg knows that the only way out is to go back to the beginning and then it gets crazy. We did get glimpses of her past life, her crush and her BFF betrayal throughout the book but the reality is pretty twisted. I got to say, I was not expecting that kind of a mystery at all. But it wasn’t the ohmiGod-is-this-really-happening kind of a mystery at all, it was more low-key and oh-so-that-was-what-we-were-getting-at one. The book also has a little road trip which made my heart soar a little bit. So yay for that.
Ethan is a sweet farm boy and I liked how he kept coming in the pizza place where Meg took a job. They have a hot-and-cold thing going on because Meg knows that getting attached only leads to hurt and Ethan has no idea what he is getting into. Teeny is a great character, I loved the sisterly relationship she has with Meg.
Overall, The Rules for Disappearing is a dynamic read. I’d still recommend it to readers because it offers a good character development, well-placed plot and is a quick read. It’d be interesting to see how the series proceed now that we finally know her real name and the mystery.
THE QUOTES
‘But there is one part of this that hurts. The carefree, normal part. The part of me that was lost when we first moved and that I’ll never get back.’
‘Rules for Disappearing by Witness Protection Prisoner #18A7R04M: Don’t fall into a routine. Shake things up. Doing the same thing over and over makes you feel comfortable. And feeling comfortable is bad.’
Thanks to Disney Hyperion and NetGalley for providing me an eARC of The Rules for Disappearing for review.

Review: The Rules by Stacey Kade

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ABOUT THE BOOK
The Rules by Stacey Kade
young adult science fiction published by Disney-Hyperion on 23 April 2013
first book in the Project Paper Doll series

1. Never trust anyone.

2. Remember they are always searching.
3. Don’t get involved.
4. Keep your head down.
5. Don’t fall in love.
Five simple rules. Ariane Tucker has followed them since the night she escaped from the genetics lab where she was created, the result of combining human and extraterrestrial DNA. Ariane’s survival—and that of her adoptive father—depends on her ability to blend in among the full-blooded humans in a small Wisconsin town, to hide in plain sight at her high school from those who seek to recover their lost (and expensive) “project.”
But when a cruel prank at school goes awry, it puts her in the path of Zane Bradshaw, the police chief’s son and someone who sees too much. Someone who really sees her. After years of trying to be invisible, Ariane finds the attention frightening—and utterly intoxicating. Suddenly, nothing is simple anymore, especially not the rules…

THE RATING


THE REVIEW
Lately, the sci-fi genre has made a habit of leaving me underwhelmed so I went into The Rules thinking it’d be same old, same old. Only it wasn’t. I fell in love with Ariane and Zane. The book is so much more than just sci-fi; there are elements of contemporary, high school drama and mystery woven into the story making it out to be a wonderful read.
The book opens with Ariane Tucker who is the result of combination of human and alien gene pool. Created with a sinister intent, it was a lucky day when she escaped from the GTX lab to lead a (mostly) normal life. Living right under the noses of GenTex lab, Ariane has to follow the five rules to avoid being noticed and captured.
Life is going as well as it should with a breakfast schedule to follow and a father for whom she’ll never come close to being the real Ariane. The one who died. But then her best friend Jenna sets her sights on being a part of the popular group by being too friendly with Rachel Jacobs. Rache, the granddaughter of Arthur Jacobs, infamous CEO of GTX labs. It naturally strikes a chord with Ariane who cannot help but blow up in the face of all her unfairness. More like, blow up bulbs.
The thing with Ariane is that being forced to use her telekinetic abilities for the worse by the evil Dr. Jacobs, a wall now blocks her abilities from manifesting. The abilities that surface whenever she witnesses Rachel bullying others for her amusement. Luckily for her, Zane Bradshaw is tired of all the crap Rachel pulls day in and out. In a flash of brilliance and intrigue on the part of Ariane, he takes up the task of humiliating her.
Zane decides to doublecross Rachel in one of her many schemes to take down Ariane because she had the nerve to defend her best friend. The scheme pulls Ariane and Zane together. Being a loner because of the rules, it is very hard for Ariane to let Zane in and she’s pretty much a bundle of hesitation and awkwardness at the beginning. Ariane is a very conflicted character and she really has to learn to shed off her resistance and bring her right foot forward. I honestly cannot decide which character I love more.

Being able to read from Zane’s point of view really helped me see him as he is. It is never justified why one would want to be a part of the popular group in high school anyway. So reading about all the reasons Zane had to do it and why he was tired of all that is a definite plus point. I really came to admire Zane because of the way he handled his father and the tensions at home. It really seemed like he’d spontaneously combust with all the rage boiling up inside him!

The oncoming major plot twist took me by hell of a surprise and I was left gawking like an idiot. The action in the book really kicked it up a notch towards the end. Also, the way Ariane’s identity is finally revealed to Zane is very thrilling and not at all clichéd. I pretty much had no idea how it’d all end and let me just say that Stacey Kade has won me over and left me breathless. I’d highly recommend The Rules to YA sci-fi readers. 
Now just where can I find book 2?
THE QUOTES

“The trouble with rules, though, is that you’ll always be tempted to break one- for the right reasons, due to unavoidable circumstances, because it feels as if there’s no other choice. And once you break one, the rest seem like so much broken glass. The damage is already done.”

“It might have been my human side clamoring for blood, or my alien side looking for a chance to exercise strategic dominance over a lesser life form. Either way, I was going to win.” 

Thanks to Disney and NetGalley for providing me an eARC of The Rules for review.

Review: Dirty Little Secret by Jennifer Echols

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ABOUT THE BOOK
Dirty Little Secret by Jennifer Echols
young adult contemporary published by MTV Books on 16 July 2013

Bailey wasn’t always a wild child and the black sheep of her family. She used to play fiddle and tour the music circuit with her sister, Julie, who sang and played guitar. That ended when country music execs swooped in and signed Julie to a solo deal. Never mind that Julie and Bailey were a duet, or that Bailey was their songwriter. The music scouts wanted only Julie, and their parents were content to sit by and let her fulfill her dreams while Bailey’s were hushed away.

Bailey has tried to numb the pain and disappointment over what could have been. And as Julie’s debut album is set to hit the charts, her parents get fed up with Bailey’s antics and ship her off to granddad’s house in Nashville. Playing fiddle in washed-up tribute groups at the mall, Bailey meets Sam, a handsome and oh-so-persuasive guitarist with his own band. He knows Bailey’s fiddle playing is just the thing his band needs to break into the industry. But this life has broken Bailey’s heart once before. She isn’t sure she’s ready to let Sam take her there again…

THE RATING

THE REVIEW
What I’d like to say to Dirty Little Secret is perfectly worded by Avril Lavigne, “Why do you have to go and make things so complicated?” I struggled with rating this book because frankly, where it lacked in depth in the first half, it definitely more than made up for it before the end. And that wasn’t even an issue when I started reading the book. 
The beginning of Dirty Little Secret was… boring. I honestly didn’t care for Bailey dressing up and playing her fiddle in tribute groups. But then she meets Sam at the mall, plays with him and he zones in on her. Now Bailey has to make a difficult decision, would she risk being seen as the loser sister of a rising star at a gig or cast her eyes down and carry on? This is when I saw life in Bailey and I was finally into the story.
Bailey accepts the gig because let’s face it, spending time at home playing the fiddle endlessly with her grandfather hovering, who wants that? She made a perfect rebel with bold fashion sense, asymmetrical hair, red lips and boots-to-die-for, but she couldn’t go on with it. Same gave her the out and she took it.
But the infamously titled Sam Hardiman’s band is trouble from the start. Oh who am I kidding, Charlotte is hate-worthy. Given that the drummer had a thing for Sam and is still okay with being not okay with whoever Sam dates. Because you see, Sam likes Bailey. But does he like her because she gives the oomph factor to the band or because she is talented?
Sam started out as a pretty normal guy and then he became persuasive as hell and who’d have guessed from that that he was pretty messed up from the inside. So while I was out admiring his ability to make everyone do what he wants to do, I was also in the state where I just wanted to quietly strangle him.
But then Sam said, “I like doing things that make me uncomfortable. I try not to have a comfort zone” and everything was perfectly clear. After going through a hard family life and counselling, you have to admire the guy. And Bailey does. Their conversation is beautiful and where Sam is trying to make up for the lack of channeling his emotions, Bailey is trying to get away from them by writing them down into songs.
I understood Bailey because even though she got treated horribly by her family, she didn’t give up on them. And I understood Sam because he wanted to not be like his father and wind up a loser. So they perform gigs together, discover each other, fight and then it all ends (not necessarily in that order). It was a moment of holding-my-breath-reading where you don’t know what’ll happen and how it’ll all go down. It is a difficult feat to achieve but I was going through it so Echols did achieve it.
Dirty Little Secret more than surprised me and made me feel despite the rocky start. People who like to read music-themed YA must read this. You’ll smile, go argh, get shocked and definitely swoon.
THE QUOTES

“And I was bitter. Bitterness and I were old friends by now, but at the moment bitterness was trying to go down my bra in public.” 

“Deana Carter sings about it. Lady Antebellum sings about it. Eric Church. Gosh, not just country artists. Katy Perry. Everybody has a song about it because everybody’s been through it. You find that person at eighteen and you lose yourself. And the tragedy is, it’s the person who’s completely opposed to everything you’ve ever wanted. You bond with that person, and that person breaks your heart. I’m that tragedy for you, and you’re mine.” 

Thanks to MTV Books and Edelweiss for providing me an eARC of Dirty Little Secret for review.

Top Ten Tuesday: Words That Instantly Make Me Pick Up a Book

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A word list is only second to a book list and if I could I’d have totally made a much, much longer one. But no bonuses because a ten is a ten and self-control is err, a good thing?

I’m an adventure-aholic and I cannot lie. Okay so I cannot for the life of me watch horror movies or have enough courage to go for a rollercoaster ride. Not yet anyway. But adventure for me is something I get an adrenaline rush from and I’d never say no to it if it stares at me in my face. So books with adventures in them? Yes, please.

Dangerous secrets undones you and there is nothing more saucy than secrets. Kind of reminds me of some historical era or some sci-fi awesomeness. Secrets are like essential in books anyway. Think The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer and Pushing the Limits.
Be it emotional or physical, survival books always teach you something. And the good thing is that it comes in the shapes of dystopia, sci-fi, contemporary, paranormal and fantasy. I mean all of Harry Potter was essentially about survival and look how popular it is!
When you’re on the run, there’s bound to be action and a lot of moments that are just breathtaking. You just never have to let go or you die. This fascinates me.
A lot of things can happen at parties and then there’s music in them. There’s just something so mystically attractive about hundreds of bodies moving to the beat of the music. Remember The DUFF? City of Bones? From What I Remember…? The list is endless.

Okay, I live for such books. Undeniable attraction is way better than boring companionship or that’s just how I like my books.
I don’t even need to read another word of the blurb if I come across this. Road trips are just so freakin’ awesome! Radio on, speakers blaring music, windows down and everything illuminated by the sun.
I’m a big fan of what if, I think of what ifs all day long and reading about characters going through what ifs is just great and so thought-provoking. Who said books are useless?

Remember crazy attraction? This is another variation which brings on crazy banter and there’s usually a bad boy involved. I find these books to be irresistible. Onyx? Perfect Chemistry? Classic.
Eiffel Tower is the best thing to ever happen and the ambience of Paris is just about perfect. The best romance happens there and in Amsterdam (The Fault In Our Stars, guys!).

What words are on you list? Leave a link!

Review: Unremembered by Jessica Brody

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ABOUT THE BOOK

young adult science fiction fantasy published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux on 5 March 2013
first book in the Unremembered trilogy

With no memories and no identity, the sixteen-year-old girl who was found floating among the wreckage of a devastating plane crash knows only one thing for certain: nothing is what it seems. Crippled by a world she doesn’t know, plagued by abilities she doesn’t understand, and haunted by a looming threat she can’t remember, Seraphina struggles to piece together her forgotten past and discover who she really is. But with every clue comes more questions. And she is running out of time to answer them. Her only hope is a strangely alluring boy who claims to know her from before the crash. Who claims they were in love. But can she really trust him? And will he be able to protect her from the people who have been making her forget?

THE RATING

THE REVIEW
I had been crazy excited for Unremembered ever since I discovered its existence. What really attracted to me about Unremembered was the main character being the lone survivor in a plane wreckage with a definite memory loss. I thought it didn’t get any better than that. Only it got worse. I wanted to like Unremembered, I really did. But I just couldn’t connect with it. Despite being just over 300 pages long, it took the book more than 250 pages to finally pick up its pace.
Not only that, I felt there was a lot of repetition. It’s one thing for Zen to find her but it took more than a few meetings for him to finally say something substantial to her. I know people are lying to her and what not but I wanted to scream at her to believe the guy already. More so when she almost trusts the wrong guy.
I also had a lot of issues with Cody. He’s supposed to be this 13-year-old foster brother but he acts like he’s Seraphina’s age fellow. He drives cars and can apparently leave and come home whenever he pleases. And it doesn’t help that he has a bit of an attitude despite his claims that pretty girls tend to look through him. Naturally, there is a lot of talk about the supermodel beauty of Seraphina which I got tired of really fast.
Seraphina is a pretty decent character; she doesn’t have a sense of belonging and only a meager amount of clues. She talks in foreign languages without even realizing it and she is this super smart math geek with an urge to count everything around her. However, she lacks depth which could’ve not been the case. Her thought process is predictable and she isn’t memorable at all.
Zen is the love interest and though we only get glimpses of how they fell in love, it is clearly not enough. He doesn’t have much of a back story so you really don’t get to know him. There’s the Sonnet that they just keep repeating throughout the book and the warm feeling Sera gets in between her eyebrows. Their romance is just really unbelievable somehow.
Just when I was about to give up on Unremembered, it decided to get better. The whole mystery was unveiled and while a lot of questions were answered, some are left unanswered. I was quickly awed by the whole mystery of how Sera ends up in the wreckage and who she’s running away from.
Honestly, if the whole book could have had more depth, I’d have definitely loved it. I loved how it ended, I finally felt the ohmigodyes feeling right there. And that was the Seraphina I was hoping to read about. So while I’m not giving up on the series, I just hope Unforgotten is way better than Unremembered.
THE QUOTES
“Forgetting who you are is so much more complicated than simply forgetting your name. It’s also forgetting your dreams. Your aspirations. What makes you happy. What you pray you’ll never have to live without. It’s meeting yourself for the first time, and not being sure of your first impression.”
“Death is not a memory you can fake.”
Thanks to MacKidsBooks for sending me an ARC of Unremembered.