In the Shadows

by Kiersten White (text) and Jim Di Bartolo (art)

Charles is sick with a disease that doctors cannot cure, so his father sends him to a boardinghouse for fresh air with his brother, Thom.  There, they meet sisters Cora and Minnie as well as another boarder named Arthur.  Together, they delve into secrets left by Arthur’s father that seem to be following Charles and Thom in the form of a group of mysterious strangers.  It struck me as gothic in tone, complete with hidden pasts and witches.

Overall, this book was flat.  It is told in sequences of pictures (done by Jim Di Bartolo) alternated with text chapters (done by Kiersten White), and it seemed as though the authors skimmed over the story like an in-depth summary rather than really digging into it.  The entire time I read it, I felt emotionally detached.  The characters weren’t fleshed out and the depth of plot and world was hinted at rather than explored.

This book is a 2.2.  I’m left with very little to say about it given the lack of feeling I was left with after finishing.  There was some mild confusions over what I had just read.  It was like a cereal bar.  It’s not terrible, but you eat it, you finish it, and you go on with your life.  Eating the cereal bar is barely a blip in the day, which is how I felt about reading this book.  It’s good for a quick read if you need something to use up some time.

The Kiss of Deception 
By Mary E. Pearson
I would recommend for this book trail mix to go along with all of the time they spend on the road.
Lia is a princess and a first daughter in a world where the eldest daughters are always married off often for political gain. Her father has decreed that she is to marry the Prince of Dalbrek , a near by kingdom with which they seek to improve relations. Lia, who has never met this prince and is known for her quick temper, is livid and has no desire to follow tradition and be condemned to an uncertain life not of her choosing, so she takes her fate into her own hands and runs away with only her faithful servant Pauline, but she is pursued. Lia also had two love interests, Rafe and Kaden, who are more then they seem.
I really liked Lia as a character. She didn't complain very much and when she didn't like something she took it into her own hands to change her situation. She is also smart and has a quick temper. She stands up for herself and doesn't rely on other to things for her. At the same time she is very likable and relatable. She reacts realistically to events that happen around her. I also liked the implications about who she is and what power she has, and hope to see where the author takes it in the future. While in the beginning she takes a little warming up to I really enjoyed her as a character. The other characters were enjoyable as well. They were all developed with their own quirks and secrets to be uncovered.
The world itself was also very interesting with its own religion that Lia seems to respect and scorn, as it has governed her whole life. There was a lot of interesting things interspersed throughout the novel, and the author only gives you a taste of the world was a whole leaving some things to be developed later.
While I did love this book over all the one part I did not like as much was the beginning. I felt like it dragged a bit and that it took a while to get to know Lia's character as who she is, not as the princess running away. Overall The book was very strong. I just felt the beginning could have used some improving.
4/5 Stars

Take Back The Skies
By Lucy Saxon 
    To go with this an éclair to pair with the stormy skies.
Take Back The Skies is set in a very original steam-punkesque universe where ships sail through the sky and storms not the ocean is the threat.
Catherine or Cat is a very likable and well rounded main character. She has spunk and independence which is much appreciated. She doesn't let others decide things for her, and she figures things out quickly.
The book starts out with Catherine planning her escape because her father has decided to marry her off, and her mother is dying, so there is nothing keeping her there. We then begin to explore the universe,  as Cat has stowed away on a smuggler's ship.
The universe its self is fascinating with elements of steam punk, dystopia, and fantasy all melded together. In addition the universe is truly original. All to often books seem to fit it to cookie cuter formats with some variation. However this book creates a fun new world.
Its on the ship that we meet the majority of the other characters including the main romantic interest, Fox. All of the characters are fleshed out well and I really liked Fox. He was interesting, funny, and he and Cat take time to like each probably because Cat pretends to be a boy.
The ending and final part of the book is also really interesting because of all the twists that I'm not going to spoil. Its safe to say that you won't see them coming.
While there is another potential romantic interest introduced, Prince James. I appreciate that Cat shows no interest. Also I liked that the characters react very naturally to events that happen.
4/5 Stars
Lucy Saxon Take Back the Skies

A Girl Called Fearless

Extra Points for a cool cover :)

Written by: Catherine Linka

Eat some granola bars on the go while you read about Avie's fast paced escape!

Avie Reveare lives in a Paternalist society, where her every move is controlled by the men that surround her. She must adhere to the strict rules that govern her and all the women, and she never has a moment of privacy (really, never). When Avie's father arranges her marriage to a vile Paternalist billionaire, Avie realizes that maybe it's time for her to run away to Canada, where women are free and treated equally. With the help of her long-time love interest Ronan, and a network of friends, she is spirited away in the night. On her way to freedom though, she slowly realizes just how oppressive the Paternalists are. She deals with romance, betrayal, and lots of action.

I liked this book! The plot/setting was really original and definitely was an interesting commentary on the society we live in today. A lot of books that I read these days just seem like a repeat of the same plot over and over again (vampires and werewolves anybody?), so I appreciate the originals! The book was written well, and the sequence of events was interesting. All the supporting characters are dynamic, and their personal stories really add to the book as a whole. I liked this especially because the story wasn't 100% focused on one single character.

Ok, now for the not so fun part. Unfortunately, I was disappointed with Avie herself. Several times I found myself thinking that she was unrealistically thick. It took her chapters for her to figure out what I already had, and she made mistakes that nobody in their right mind would think of doing. She was just a little unrealistically lacking in forward thinking.

On the whole, the book was a success, and there were a few moments where I was very impressed. I would give this book a thumbs up, but maybe not recommend for your first choice.

3/5 stars

Parched

Written by: Georgia Clark
Gulp down a tall glass of H2O and some water crackers for this one!

Yay for sci-fi/adventure/romance/dystopian original novels! Seriously, I really liked this book. Clark is a charismatic writer, and her characters are complex and fun to get to know.

Tessendra Rockwood is a spoiled rich girl who (for reasons initially unknown) leaves the protective dome of her city, Eden, to camp out in the Badlands. The contrast is horrifying; people in Eden live clean, happy lives and have an abundance of precious water, while in the Badlands children fight over the smallest sip of muddy liquid. Tessendra is eventually found by a member of the rebel group Kudzu, who are intent on ending the growing inequality. She returns home and lives with her uncle, who she thinks may be helping Eden keep the water in and the Badlanders out. She works undercover with the Kudzu, and eventually hatches a plan to help free the water, all while balancing her time studying at home with her Uncle's assistant, a handsome but odd boy who seems just a little off.

I can't say more without revealing too much, but I can say that this is a really good novel. To quote from the back of the book, "robots, renewable resources, and romance get tangled together in this thrilling futuristic adventure." It's true! The plot is just complicated enough to be interesting, and the setting is full of possibilities and a possible commentary on the current global situation. There is no stagnancy in this novel (in so many others I feel like I just want to get on with it already!), in fact the plot keeps twisting and turning so I was never bored. The villain is thoroughly evil, and the heroes are satisfyingly daring.

There are only two things that I wasn't quite happy with. First, I found it difficult to like the beginning of the book. It was a little confusing, and I wasn't sure what was going on. My advice is just to get through it, Chapter 3 is where it starts to pick up, and that's only page 26 so it's really not that hard. Second, occasionally Clark fell into the trap of making her main character a little too slow. I understood key plot points chapters before Tessendra did, which was fairly frustrating. This was my biggest qualm, and besides that, the book was awesome!

If you like futuristic adventure romances, I absolutely recommend this one.

4/5 stars!

The Geography of You and Me

Written by: Jennifer E. Smith
A big bag of Sweethearts would go well with this sweet novel!

This novel follows the life of Lucy, the daughter of wealthy but detached and barely-ever-there parents, and Owen, who struggles daily with the recent death of his mother and caring for his desolate father. One night during a NYC blackout, Lucy and Owen are trapped in an elevator together, and slowly realize that they have found their soul mates. They fall in love, but cruel fate separates them when they both end up moving away from the city, and from each other. The reader follows their up and down relationship over continents and through time zones, and watches as they eventually figure out how to deal with their complicated romance.

This book was... pretty average, actually. It certainly wasn't bad, and I'm all for a good romance, but the way the novel was written was just a tad too unorganized. Something just didn't quite click.

Lucy and Owen are both adorable people, romantics with a knack for witty banter (something we all wish we had), but unfortunately I thought they were just a little too similar. Their backgrounds were different, but their voices were the same. The dialogue was almost like reading the same person having a conversation with him/herself. I found it difficult to believe in these two people who had 100% compatibility.

Furthermore, the timeline was a little weird. Owen and Lucy spent too much time apart, brooding about how much they miss each other, and not enough time actually together. I don't disbelieve in love at first sight, but there wasn't enough of that kind of thing to make me remember why the pair actually wanted to be together.

All in all, this book certainly wasn't bad, it was just not satisfying. There was no suspense, no doubt in my mind about what would happen, no heartbreak that I felt I could relate to. Lucy and Owen weren't desperately in love enough for me to believe they could survive their geographical separation, and there wasn't enough together-ness to keep me interested.

I don't want to trash this book though, it's not that bad. I was on the edge of liking it, and just happened to fall on the not-so-much side. Smith is a very appealing writer, and I was impressed with her use of metaphor in a number of places. The scenery is beautiful, and the subplots of Owen and Lucy learning how to deal with their parents were really good. Their relationships were perhaps the ones I was most invested in.

So, if you're bored and have this book lying around, The Geography of You and Me is still a decent quick read.

2.25/5 stars

Doon

By: Carey Corp and Lorie Langdon

Once again I found myself reading a romance.  This is not exactly my genre.  While I can admire romances in books with intricate plots, romances just  don't do the same thing for me.  In general, I find it annoying when one character is constantly thinking about another.  This was an average romance.  The main character Veronica was in love with another character, Jamie, the entire time.  There was some suspense and action but most of it was about the romance, which makes sense, because Doon is a romance.  I won't say it was an extraordinary romance but it also didn't fall short.  Veronica is a girl from the United States.  Her dad left her when she was 12, her mom is marrying someone she hates, and her boyfriend just left her.  Overall, her life is pretty bad.  Her friend Kenna takes her to Scotland for the summer where they discover a magical world called Doon.  Doon passes time at about one fourth as fast as "the mortal world."  A bridge to Doon only opens every one hundred mortal years for one day unless you have two special rings.  Veronica and Kenna have these rings so they arrive in Doon two weeks before the passage to Doon is open.  When the time comes they will have to decide to live in Doon or leave it forever.  Veronica's love (who she saw visions of before coming to Scotland) is the crown prince of Doon, Jamie.  Then the romance continues all the way through the climax and the resolution of the book.  In an unfortunate turn, the book ended cliff hanger-ish.  My only problem with the ending is that it could have easily been avoided if the characters had just thought a little bit.

This book was like a loaf of bread.  Yummy, but pretty much average.  Not special but not bad either.  This book is a 2.5.