Review: Juliet Immortal by Stacey Jay (Juliet Immortal #1)

From Goodreads:

The most tragic love story in history . . .

Juliet Capulet didn't take her own life. She was murdered by the person she trusted most, her new husband, Romeo Montague, a sacrifice made to ensure his own immortality. But what Romeo didn't anticipate was that Juliet would be granted eternity, as well, and would become an agent for the Ambassadors of Light. For 700 years, she's fought Romeo for the souls of true lovers, struggling to preserve romantic love and the lives of the innocent. Until the day she meets someone she's forbidden to love, and Romeo, oh Romeo, will do everything in his power to destroy that love.

"These violent delights have violent ends
And in their triumph die, like fire and powder,
Which as they kiss consume."
—Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

**

OK, here comes a long review. Ready?

I have been wanting to read this book for a very long time. I saw it on Amazon and read the interview posted there with author Stacey Jay. I loved her interview and thought, "I've got to read this book!" Because, let's be honest, Romeo and Juliet is a classic, but it's also morbid. They don't call it a tragedy for nothing. I won't mention that I was completely obsessed with it as a teenager.

Anyway.

When my library called and told me they'd bought the book because I requested it, I was ecstatic! I drove over right then and got the book. I finished it 4 days later. The surprising thing was that, while I felt a push to finish and know what was going to happen next, it wasn't all that hard for me to put the book down in between my reading spurts. So, while 4 days seems pretty fast, it's actually longer than I would have expected.

Juliet: Eh...I'm not quite sure how I liked her as a character. If she were a normal person, rather than the heroine of a love story, I'd probably like her just fine. But the fact was she supposedly had 700 years of practice, and all of a sudden it's really hard for her to do her job. What? There was a little bit of light shed on that subject late in the book. For those of you who've read it, it's the comment Nurse makes about the number of shifts she's done. For those of you who haven't read it, read it and you'll discover what I mean.

Overall, I was sort of unmoved by her performance. I didn't hate her, but she wasn't one of my all-time favorite characters. And really, being distracted by a guy...wasn't that what got her into this mess in a first place?

Romeo: Surprisingly, I liked him. Sorta. Kinda. Just a little. He's super complex and totally warped. I'm probably a tad bit biased toward him because I've already started the sequel (called Romeo Redeemed...). But in the end we discover that even though he's a monster, he is still doing what he thinks is best and what will save Juliet. It's like he says, he's always loved her.


Ben: Um, I'm just going to say that I would have totally loved Ben had it not been for one simple thing. The head-over-heels, complete devotion kind of love that abounded seemed way too fast for me. It's supposed to be love at first sight, but that's what got Juliet into this mess in the first place! (Wait...have I said that before?) So really, it's not his fault. As a guy, I liked him. He was awesome. The situation was what make me pull back just a little. However, there was a twist at the end that was totally brilliant. 


The plot was fascinating. It was unlike anything I've ever read before. Two thumbs way up. The pacing was good and I didn't feel any jerks in the storyline (except for with Ariel's "best friend" Gemma. 'Scuze me? What kind of friend....never mind.) A drawback is the amount of blood, guts and gore mentioned in this book. The Mercenaries are the bad guys, and they are way bad guys. They feed (literally) off of killing people and convincing lovers to murder each other. Yeah, ick. There wasn't always a ton of detail, but that's the beauty of a good writer. She suggests just enough to let your mind fill in the blanks. And then, of course, there are the times when she just lays it out on the line and you don't need an imagination to know exactly what's happened.


All in all, if you don't have a weak stomach, this is a very interesting book, worth reading if you've got a gap in your to-be-read pile. I am already reading the sequel and finding it very interesting.


There is heavy violence, sexual references and swearing.

• Reading level: Ages 14 and up
• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (August 9, 2011)
• Source: local library
• Amazon
• Goodreads

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Review: Halo by Alexandra Adornetto

From Goodreads: Three angels- Gabriel, the warrior; Ivy, the healer; and Bethany, the youngest and most human- are sent by Heaven to bring good to a world falling under the influence of darkness. They must work hard to conceal their luminous glow, superhuman powers, and, most dangerous of all, their wings, all the while avoiding all human attachments.


Then Bethany meets Xavier Woods, and neither of them is able to resist the attraction between them. Gabriel and Ivy do everything in their power to intervene, but the bond between Xavier and Bethany seems too strong.


The angel’s mission is urgent, and dark forces are threatening. Will love ruin Bethany or save her?

**

There seems to be a lot of love/hate toward this book, and now I see why. I neither loved nor hated this book, but I'm glad I read it.

The story is wildly interesting. I thought the premise was fantastic, the characters were intriguing, and the ending was satisfying.

What I didn’t love about this book was the intense love story between Xavier and Bethany. Not that it was too physical or anything. Actually, their lack of physical relations and their reasoning behind it was quite refreshing. What I didn’t like was the fact that they so strongly professed their love for each other, then after one little setback, Bethany is essentially ready to commit suicide. It wasn’t healthy or believable.

Also, there seemed to be a conflict with the character of Bethany. She’s an angel and this is her first trip to earth. She’s incredibly naive about some things, and it understandably takes her a while to get oriented to her physical body. However, she speaks in slang and makes references to things that no one but an experienced teenager could understand. I would expect this if she sat around watching TV and movies for research purposes, but their family deliberately doesn’t have TV or internet. So that was a bit too much for me, as a reader, to swallow.

And if you notice, the book description mentions hiding their luminous glow and super human strengths. Uh, I don't remember them having to hide their strength, and Bethany only mentions her glow once...maybe twice. After that, it doesn't seem to matter that she glows in the dark. She goes to beach parties a couple of times with no concern.

All in all, I enjoyed Halo, and I will probably read the sequel.

And seriously? How could you NOT adore that cover?!

• Reading level: Young Adult
• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Square Fish (August 30, 2011)
• Source: Local library
• Amazon
• Goodreads

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Review: My Unfair Godmother by Janette Rallison

Tansy Harris stopped using her father’s last name the day he and her mother divorced, and he abandoned them to move across the country. In the years that followed, she took second place to her father’s stepson. When fortune, or misfortune, smiles upon Tansy, she finds herself having to move across country to live with her father for a year.

Enter Bo, the small town’s bad boy. Tansy realizes she has a chance to reinvent herself to be whomever she wants. And at the moment, she wants to be a rebel.

When rebellion finds her at the police station being interrogated by detectives over a misunderstanding, Tansy’s life couldn’t get any worse. Could it?

She's about to find out when she meets Chrissy Everstar: Tansy’s Fair Godmother. Chrissy offers Tansy three wishes, and in true Chrissy form, promptly twists them until they're more nightmare than dream come true.

All Tansy wants is a little attention and to be loved by her father. She never thought that would bring Robin Hood and his…not-so-Merry Men to pillage the town. She also never expected to be thrust into the middle ages where she has to battle Rumplestiltskin himself.

With the help of her family, a handsome guy from her high school (another misunderstanding) and a whole lot of thinking, Tansy has to work her way through to see if her story ends up happily ever after.

--

I am a huge fan of Rallison’s work. I have loved every book of hers I’ve ever read. My Unfair Godmother is no exception. The second installment in the Godmother series, My Unfair Godmother had large shoes to fill.

One of the things I love the most about Janette Rallison’s books are the humor. The dialogue usually has me in stitches because it’s so real. My Unfair Godmother only had two or three parts that were really funny. Tansy is more frustrating than lovable. Her attraction to Hudson seems to blossom overnight…or rather over three nights.

Those things aside, I was super impressed with the author’s creativity! I have no idea how she can read a fairytale and say, “what if this is what really happened?” and make it into a book. It was fascinating. I was literally turning the pages out of sheer amazement at how the story was unfolding.

I was quite satisfied with the ending.

I highly recommend this very clean, very entertaining, and sufficiently romantic book.

• Reading level: Young Adult
• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers (April 12, 2011)
• Source: Local Library
• Amazon
• Goodreads

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I'm a huge fan!

Last week I got a phone call from my local library. A book I had put on reserve was ready for me to pick up.

Awesome. I always love getting those calls! Even though they never tell you what book it is you've got coming.

So, I hauled my two-year-old down to the library, stuck him in his stroller, and went to the reserve shelf. (I keep him in a stroller because I'm pregnant with twins, and since I've had complications, I'm not allowed to lift him.)

Imagine my surprise when this is the little gem I picked up:

Woohoo! That's MY book! And I just checked it out from the library!! On my way to the check out desk, I wanted to stop everyone in the library and say, "Have you ever read this book? It's really good. I'm a huge fan of the author." Which is true. I think I can be my biggest fan or my worst critic, depending on the day.

It was surreal walking out of the library with something I had written.

I even have my own call number!...sorta.

I'm not actually going to read it. I'll take it back tomorrow when I drop off my son's Winnie the Pooh VHS. Yes, VHS.

Anyway, if you happen to live in the same area as I do, you may now check out The Gifted from the local library.

I asked my husband if I should sign it before returning it. He told me probably not because they'd charge me for defacing library property.

And just because I thought it was funny that my darling dear took this picture, here is a photo of my pregnant belly...and only my belly. Apparently the rest of me doesn't matter in this whole pregnancy thing.

Can you believe I'm only 14 weeks? Me neither. Pin It

Review: Matched by Ally Condie

Cassia’s life is perfect. She has loving parents, a doting grandfather, and she was just matched with her best friend, Xander. When girls turn seventeen, they are systematically matched with their perfect partner. The fact that she knows her match is unheard of, but to Cassia, it’s perfect.

Until a glitch in the system shows her that maybe there was a mistake. Maybe her society isn’t perfect. Perhaps she shouldn’t accept everything the Officials say without question.

All it takes is one mistake to teach Cassia that her life should belong to her, and it’s time to start living it.

And what about the mistake? The boy who should have been her Match instead of Xander?

**

I’ve been so excited to read Matched for a really long time. I was on the waiting list for almost 3 months.

The dystopian aspect of this book was subtle and cunning. The Officials and residents are completely convinced that Society knows best. I loved little details about this story like the three pills every person must carry with them at all times. The green one for anxiety, the blue one to keep you alive for days if there is a disaster, and the red one that you should only take if an Official tells you to. No one knows what it does. Cool, huh?

There were things I was left to figure out on my own, like what “sorting” was, or what a datapod was. I’m still not entirely sure I know, but that’s ok.

I had a hard time with the love story in this book, which is the main focus of the novel. Cassia seems to fall in love with an idea and attaches it to someone.

In the end, I feel like this is a big lead-in to book number two. I enjoyed it, but I feel like I only read half the story. I will definitely be reading the sequels.

• Reading level: Young Adult
• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile; First Edition edition (November 30, 2010)
• Language: English
• Source: Local library

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Getting your hands on books.

This week's IMM included the book Fallen by Kate Lauren. I was surprised at how many people said they couldn't read it because their library doesn't have it.

Like many of you, I don't have a bottomless bank account at the ready to satisfy my book needs. I rely heavily on my local library. So what do I do when they don't have a book I want? Usually I pout for a minute, and then move on, disappointed that I'll never get to read that book.

But it doesn't have to be that way. Did you know you can request your library buy a book? Sometimes, if they don't have the resources or demand to buy the book, they can just borrow it from another library in the area. Sometimes there is a cost to this, but not usually.

It's probably safe to say that all libraries have a website. There should be a "request materials" link somewhere on the website where you can go and suggest the library buy a certain book. It can be on the home page, but not necessarily. If you're having problems finding it, ask someone the next time you stop in.

I'm an author, and in my dream world, every person would have their own personal copy of my book. But I live in reality (no matter how often I vacation to my imagination), and most people don't buy every book they read. Do I mind? No. Not really. I would love to have my book in libraries! I would rather have people reading and enjoying it, and I really mean that.

So, if you're discouraged that your library lacks pizazz, help them out and recommend books for them to buy.

And while you're at it, I know a book you can recommend they buy... Pin It