artsy musings of a bibliophile

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Review: Beastly by Alex Flinn

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Title: Beastly (Kendra Chronicles, #1)

Author: Alex Flinn
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: 1 January 2007
Pages: 300 (eBook)

Synopsis
I am a beast. A beast. Not quite wolf or bear, gorilla or dog, but a horrible new creature who walks upright – a creature with fangs and claws and hair springing from every pore. I am a monster.
You think I’m talking fairy tales? No way. The place is New York City. The time is now. It’s no deformity, no disease. And I’ll stay this way forever – ruined – unless I can break the spell.
Yes, the spell, the one the witch in my English class cast on me. Why did she turn me into a beast who hides by day and prowls by night? I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you how I used to be Kyle Kingsbury, the guy you wished you were, with money, perfect looks, and a perfect life. And then, I’ll tell you how I became perfectly beastly.
My Rating
* * *
The Review

Beastly is truly one of a kind novel. It is funny yet sarcastic and sad. The witty, snarky dialog, the whole curse situation, the inclusion of classic literature from Shakespeare’s Sonnets to Jane Eyre to Frankenstein; it was a hell of an enjoyable read! I didn’t know what to expect from the book besides the fact that I wanted to read it before watching the movie adaptation.
I got everything out of it. Though, I’d say, it was true to its teenage target audience by being somewhat teenage-ish yet it had its moments. I loved the characters of Will, Magda and even mean Kyle. As Adrian, he gave a completely different feel to the character. Moreover, the focus was more on the beast-like features than the ugliness of it.

It didn’t take me much time to finish the book, I was well engrossed in it anyway. From one extreme of beauty to another extreme of ugliness, this tale is about finding the value of beauty and not only using it as a tool. Yeah, the theme’s similar to Beauty and the Beast, but every book has something different to offer to the reader so I am not that keen on the similarities between them.
The character of Lindy could have very well been sidetracked by the number of clichés Alex Flinn managed to divert her from. Even then, the mellowness and the childlike ‘jumping up and down’ only added to the liveliness of her character.
My only problem with the book was that the 16 year olds protagonists were a bit too young for such a book. But I liked the story a lot; it was refreshing, hilarious and taught stuff about morality. I had fun reading about the theme of the darkness in his life and the touch of reality to all of it. I never really thought I’d like this book; I did and I am glad.
Best Quote(s):

“Now that all the beauty of my old life is gone, I crave it like good. A beautiful thing like this rose: I almost want to eat it, to swallow it whole to replace the beauty I’ve lost.”

“Retribution. Poetic justice. Just deserts. Comeuppance.”

Review: Zombie Queen of Newbury High by Amanda Ashby

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Author: Amanda Ashby
Genre: Young Adult, Zombies
Publisher: Penguin
Release Date: 5 March 2009
Pages: 208 (eBook)

Synopsis

Quiet, unpopular, non-cheerleading Mia is blissfully happy. She is dating super hot football god Rob, and he actually likes her and asked her to prom! Enter Samantha—cheerleading goddess and miss popularity— who starts making a move for Rob. With prom in a few days, Mia needs to act fast. So she turns to her best friend, Candice, and decides to do a love spell on Rob. Unfortunately, she ends up inflicting a zombie virus onto her whole class, making herself their leader! At first she is flattered that everyone is treating her like a queen. But then zombie hunter hottie Chase explains they are actually fattening her up, because in a few days, Mia will be the first course in their new diet. She’s sure she and Chase can figure something out, but she suggests that no one wear white to prom, because things could get very messy.

My Rating
* * *
The Review
Zombie Queen of Newbury High is one of those books which makes the reader laugh, but is forgettable. First off, the characters of Mia and Candice doesn’t really go through much development apart from the whole beating-the-odds scenario. The book is rather short and things always seem to be rushing through.

Candice, the quirky BFF, is a hypochondriac and has a habit of going to a place where a woman sells natural medicine. Candice takes Mia to that place just so Mia doesn’t lose Rob before prom. Things go awry from there on. The whole fattening-up-the-zombie-queen was a pretty hilarious situation with Mia getting all types of candies and snacks. 

What annoyed me about this book was that all of the seniors didn’t behave like they were 18-years-old. The dialogue between them was petty and too unlikely that it could only be laughed at. Yeah, prom is a huge deal for high school seniors, but even though Mia knew how typical she was being, she decided to carry on with it. It is safe to say that the whole story revolved around Mia fixing the catastrophic situation just so she could happily attend prom.
Moving on to Chase. What a guy! Sure Chase is someone who never gets angry, is always considerate and what not. But seriously, he sounded more like someone from an adult contemporary romance novel with a little bit of seduction thrown in. He didn’t even resemble an 18-year-old boy, let alone someone supposedly at the peak of raging hormones. It is safe to say that Rob and Chase were poles apart and not in the way appropriate for lead characters in a book geared towards teenagers.
Overall, the Paranormal Containment thing was seriously lacking and there were some major flaws within the story line. There were some parts which were just waved away casually in the end and the whole zombie situation though full of humor, seemed to lack something. Nevertheless, I had a few laughs while reading it. The title, Zombie Queen of Newbury High, is nothing short of intrigue, anyway.

Best Quote:

“Do you think we could stop talking now so I could kiss you? I’ve heard that it’s how all the very best TV shows end.”

Review: Knee Deep by Jolene Perry Blog Tour

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Click the banner for the tour schedule.

Title: Knee Deep
Author: Jolene Perry
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Tribute Books
Release Date: 1 May 2012
Pages: 239 (eBook)


Synopsis
Shawn is the guy Ronnie Bird promised her life to at the age of fourteen. He’s her soul mate. He’s more uptight every day, but it’s not his fault. His family life is stressful, and she’s adding to it. She just needs to be more understanding, and he’ll start to be the boy she fell in love with. She won’t give up on someone she’s loved for so long.
Luke is her best friend, and the guy she hangs with to watch girlie movies in her large blanketopias. He’s the guy she can confide in before she even goes to her girlfriends, and the guy who she’s playing opposite in Romeo and Juliet. Now her chest flutters every time he gets too close. This is new. Is Ronnie falling for him? Or is Juliet? The lines are getting blurry, but leaving one guy for another is not something that a girl like Ronnie does.
Shawn’s outbursts are starting to give her bruises, and Luke’s heart breaks as Ronnie remains torn. While her thoughts and feelings swirl around the lines between friendship and forever, she’s about to lose them both.
My Rating
* * * *
The Review

Knee Deep is all about immersing oneself more than one can take and there is only one driving force behind it: the fear of letting go. When I started reading Knee Deep, I never thought it would be such an emotional ride for Ronnie, Shawn and Luke. To see Ronnie mature emotionally was a very unlikely experience for me as it gave me insight into the reason for staying in relationships that end up bringing one down.
It’s hard to break out of one’s comfortable zone and Ronnie taught me how difficult it could be. Not that I didn’t get the urge to shake some sense into her. Ronnie is an insecure and confused character in the book. She is so desperate to keep things with Shawn at peace that she keeps stepping on her wishes time and again. 
Ever since Shawn came back after the summer, he has been tight-lipped, moody and gets easily upset. So much that Ronnie and they end up arguing every other day. But Ronnie knows that things at home are not alright with Shawn. She knows that she is just adding to the list of problems rather than helping him come out of the funk. 
To make matters more perplexing, Ronnie gets the role of Juliet’s understudy but end up playing her role opposite Luke. Now she has to keep her growing attraction towards Luke under wraps by convincing herself what she feels for Luke is due to Juliet, not herself. She knows she is treading on dangerous ground here but Shawn is her soul mate and all of this will blow over once the play is over.
But Shawn’s behavior is making Ronnie more and more afraid of him but unable to do anything about it, she takes the next best option: she bears the physical pain because it is definitely a small episode. However, things only take a turn for worse. Especially after the play when Luke comes clean about his feelings and Shawn is waiting outside for Ronnie so that they could be alright again. 
Knee Deep kept me on my toes towards the end and I can only say how much I appreciated Jolene Perry for pointing out the importance that sometimes not being in a relationship is good for a person. Not saying how it ended though. On a side note, I really liked the dressing sense of Ronnie and her wedge heels, too. Knee Deep is a roller-coaster ride of emotions and I highly recommend it to the readers of contemporary YA.
Best Quote:

“Why is it that I can sit there and listen to their stories and know exactly what they should have done, but had no idea what to do in my own story? My story that’s my LIFE. If it’s so important, why didn’t I know what to do?”

About the Author
Jolene grew up in Wasilla, Alaska. She graduated from Southern Utah University with a degree in political science and French, which she used to teach math to middle schoolers.

After living in Washington, Utah and Las Vegas, she now resides in Alaska with her husband, and two children. Aside from writing, Jolene sews, plays the guitar, sings when forced, and spends as much time outside as possible.
She is also the author of Night Sky and The Next Door Boys.

Jolene Perry can be found at 

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Tribute Books can be found at
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Buy Knee Deep

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Thanks to Tribute Books for providing me a copy of Knee Deep for review.

Review: Black Satin by Rae Hachton Blog Tour + Giveaway

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Click the banner for the tour schedule.

Title: Black Satin (Pretty In Black, #2)

Author: Rae Hachton
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal
Publisher: Teen Pulse
Release Date: 28 May 2012
Pages: 303 (eARC)

Synopsis
Marcus Marble has disappeared from Ellie’s life, and she needs answers to questions and he’s the only one who can answer them. How is her sister back from the dead, and why is Ellie still alive?

When Ellie realizes Marcus isn’t coming back, she is forced to move on with her life the best way she can, in hopes of finding the answers herself, but when people at school begin to be viciously murdered, and Giles reveals to her a life changing secret, she decides to investigate the possible truth of it.

What she discovers is more than she thought she would. The only time Ellie feels normal is when she’s around Walter, the new guy at school. And normal is how she wants to feel, now that Marcus is gone from her life. But Walter may not be all that he seems, either, and she just might spiral in to an even more dark world, she never thought possible. And when it occurs to her that Marcus has made the decision to pass on through to the afterlife, during the Risorgimento, she races against time to stop him, while knowing she has feelings for Walter, too.

Will she make it in time to stop Marcus from passing through, and if she does, what will she tell Walter? Her heart will have to make the final decision. But will the choice be worth dying for
My Rating
* * *
The Review
As it usually is with sequels, Black Satin delves deeper into the world of Nevermore: the Evermores, the Corvidae hunters and the Gargoyles. It explored more despite being more fast paced and with more action. Ellie gets to know more of her past; meets people who know more about the land of Nevermore and the Land of the Naught (Gargoyle’s residence) and uncover the mystery surrounding her life. 
Ellie, being a mature protagonist, knows that she has to move on somehow now that Marcus has disappeared from her life. But she also knows that despite having her family the way it was before everything turned ugly will never be enough. She tries anyway. 
Enter Walter, the new student, who is instantly attracted to Ellie, is devastatingly good looking and have an air of mystery surrounding him. This is where the story gets off-track. I personally think the story could have easily moved forward even without Walter. It just complicated things and as for the role Walter played, that could have been fulfilled by Fifi. The reason I am saying this is because being as feisty and smart as Ellie is, the more quickly Walter fell for Ellie. In fact, it was insta-love for them. I think it made Black Satin a somewhat ordinary story.
However, I saw Ellie grow in Black Satin even though she seemed to neglect her family for Marcus which is understandable but not to the extent that Ellie went to. The dream sequence scene where Ellie dreams of clocks is visually simulating scene and I was entranced. Walter, on the other hand, is a character who is capable of competing with Marcus for Ellie; he has that factor. 
Marcus was absent from most of Black Satin. At the start of the book, there is a chapter that narrates the scene from Marcus’ point of view when Ellie and Marcus first meet in the cemetery. I found it to be a pleasant addition as it provided me with a much needed insight on the character of Marcus.
In all, Black Satin is an interesting read and I would be continuing the story to its last quartet. The rituals of the Nevermores, the journey of Ellie to the Land of the Naught and finally, the race against time to get to Marcus before he passes over during the Risorgimento ceremony is what Black Satin is all about. The spunk Ellie has is very likable and I look forward to reading more from Rae Hachton.
Best Quote:

“Snow flakes fell from the majestic sky above us, wrapping us in a haunting globe, both tragic and beautiful.”

About the Author

Rae Hachton [pronounced H-ton] is the nom de plume of author Desirae Hennington. She is the Indie Author of the Gothic Romance series Pretty in Black. She is twenty-three years old and lives with her Muse and her Ghost. When she is not composing new novels, she is working on her cinematography studies, and devouring YA books. Her favorite band is The Raveonettes, and she is a major fan of Edgar Allan Poe and Ravens and Crows. 

Although she is writing Gothic Fiction at the moment, her favorite genre of all time is Contemporary YA. Favorite contemporary book: tie between Forever by Judy Blume and the Summer I turned Pretty series by Jenny Han. Favorite author: David Levithan. If Rae Hachton wasn’t writing, she’d give it one last shot at being kewl, and probably start a band.

Rae Hachton can be found at 
Buy Black Satin (Pretty In Black, #2)
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The Giveaway

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Thanks to Rae Hachton and Supa Gurl for providing me a copy of Black Satin for review.

Armchair BEA: Sharing My Tips

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Design Credit: NinaReads

Armchair BEA is a virtual event for the book bloggers who can’t attend Book Expo America and the Book Blogger Convention in New York this June (June 4 – 8, 2012). Go to Armchair BEA for more details and to join in all the fun!

Today’s post is all about “asking a question or sharing a tip.” What did you always want to know about blogging but were afraid to ask? Alternatively, we can also share our experience and wisdom with others.


I have only been blogging since last November but it’s been a very insightful journey as I seem to be learning something new every day. Today, I will be talking about what my experience of blogging has taught me. The most important thing I can say to any blogger out there is: improvise! Nothing irks the audience more than a blog design with big font size, hard-to-read font, unexpected sound on visiting and irregular sized pictures of books, blog tour banners, etc. I won’t be likely to visit a blog again if I had a hard time reading the content because of poor font/background combination, for instance.

Social media helps, especially Twitter. I cannot stress this enough. I have found so many blogger friends because of twitter and it’s also a best way to network and get your blog out there. Another social media I really like is Formspring, whether you’re asking questions or answering them you really get noticed there. Networkedblogs and Facebook also help to an extent.

Lastly, participate. Taking part in blog tours, registering on NetGalley and Edelweiss, posting giveaways and joining twitter chats is also a great way to network with readers, bloggers, authors and publishers. The blogging community is a friendly and people will respond to you if you are willing to connect.

So this is it, guys! Where are your links for the last day of Armchair BEA? Leave me links!