Some of the rules have been easy to follow, like #5, never dye your hair a color of the rainbow, or #7, never hook up with a teacher. But Dave has a secret: he’s broken rule #8, never pine silently after someone for the entirety of high school. It’s either that or break rule #10, never date your best friend. Dave has loved Julia for as long as he can remember.
Disclaimer: On Loving the Language of Literacy, the term "BookTalk" refers to a thorough review of the novel plus a spoiler-filled discussion.
Who Would I Recommend This Book To?
Fans of Morgan Matson, Emery Lord, Robin Benway, Jenny Han & Rainbow Rowell
Background & Backstory?
I actually didn't intend to read this but was in the mood to get out of my school-induced reading slump, so I picked this up for a quick cutesy contemporary.
What Was My Reaction Upon Finishing? Seriously?
Plot | 80%
Premise | 67%
Characters | 50%
Romance | 60%
Originality | 90%
Cover | 75%
Title | 55%
Feels | 40%
Writing Style | 57%
Pacing | 70%
Ending | 60%
How Likely Is It That I Will Read Another Book By This Author?
45% | I'm not certain I'll read Let's Get Lost simply because the feedback hasn't been stellar but I'll consider it if I'm in the mood for a road trip novel.
Conclusion: Never Always Sometimes was a cute, diverse contemporary with well an unpredictable, well-developed plot and characters.
Goodreads Synopsis: From the author of The Beginning of Everything: two teens with a deadly disease fall in love on the brink of a cure.
At seventeen, overachieving Lane finds himself at Latham House, a sanatorium for teens suffering from an incurable strain of tuberculosis. Part hospital and part boarding school, Latham is a place of endless rules and confusing rituals, where it's easier to fail breakfast than it is to flunk French.
There, Lane encounters a girl he knew years ago. Instead of the shy loner he remembers, Sadie has transformed. At Latham, she is sarcastic, fearless, and utterly compelling. Her friends, a group of eccentric troublemakers, fascinate Lane, who has never stepped out of bounds his whole life. And as he gradually becomes one of them, Sadie shows him their secrets: how to steal internet, how to sneak into town, and how to disable the med sensors they must wear at all times.
But there are consequences to having secrets, particularly at Latham House. And as Lane and Sadie begin to fall in love and their group begins to fall sicker, their insular world threatens to come crashing down.
Told in alternating points of view, Extraordinary Means is a darkly funny story about doomed friendships, first love, and the rare miracle of second chances.
Disclaimer: On Loving the Language of Literacy, the term "BookTalk" means that there will be both a spoilery and non-spoilery section of the Review.
Goodreads Synopsis: National Book Award-finalist Adele Griffin tells the fully illustrated story of a brilliant young artist, her mysterious death, and the fandom that won't let her go.
From the moment she stepped foot in NYC, Addison Stone’s subversive street art made her someone to watch, and her violent drowning left her fans and critics craving to know more. I conducted interviews with those who knew her best—including close friends, family, teachers, mentors, art dealers, boyfriends, and critics—and retraced the tumultuous path of Addison's life. I hope I can shed new light on what really happened the night of July 28.
Disclaimer: BookTalks mean that there are clearly marked spoilers, so proceed at your own risk.
Who Would I Recommend This Book To?
For fans of mysteries, unreliable narrators, and psychological thrillers like the Mara Dyer Trilogy, We Were Liars, Andrew Smith,
Background & Backstory?
I had no genuine desire to read The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone until my school's library got the book in and my librarian and I delved into this lengthy conversation about how to shelve multi-media novels. With that in mind, coupled with the intriguing premise, I had to read it.
What Was My Reaction Upon Finishing?
WTF!
Multi-Media Books | My latest Sofia Speculates dives into the nitty gritty of multi-media novels and my overall opinion of them, but now I want to discuss the way Adele Griffin used art to truly bring this story to life. Addison Stone is an art prodigy, so naturally, Griffin supplies us with photographs of her work from sculptures to drawings to paintings. What is more, there are also photographs of Addison with various characters in the story, aiding readers in picturing certain scenes and crucial events in the overall story arc. I have to admit that not all of the graphics made sense in the context they came from, nevertheless, they enriched the reading experience of this particular story, succeeding in their job of being the various threads making up a great tapestry.
The "It's Not a Biography" Issue | My school's librarian originally had issues with how to shelve The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone because Adele Griffin goes to painstaking measures to get the reader to believe Addison's story is a true one. Obviously, everyone in America would have heard of Addison Stone had she been a real person, but the amount of "newspaper clippings," "magazine articles," and "photographs" of her truly added to the larger-than-life image Adele painted of her protagonist. My librarian also pointed out that she would have loved to know how Griffin accumulated all of the photos/images and the whole behind-the-scenes process of creating this book.
Is this book a mystery? | One of the issues the librarian and I discussed was the mystery behind Addison Stone. As readers, we delve deeper and deeper in Addison's life, every bit and piece of people's narration being thrown onto the grand canvas known as the big picture of this story. But because of the way it ended, on has to ask themselves if Adele Griffin intended for it to be a mystery. I accepted the truths the author presented, but another reader could have easily interpreted the premise as a call to action "to find out what really happened." The best comparison I can make is with the book We Were Liars in terms of the type of character Addison was as well as the air of mystery and "something is not alright" that surrounded the novel.
Toxic Relationships & Teenage Love | The majority of the bookish community detests insta-love and love shapes of any kind. While it can be annoying, I never usually effected as much as I was with the dynamics between Addison, Lincoln, and Zach. She become so involved, both emotionally and physically with the both of them at different times. I have never once read about a relationship in a novel before and said to myself, "She should get out of this ASAP because of how bad he is for her." because I truly believe that she may not have gone to the same extremes she did, had it not been for the unhealthy relationships she was involved in,
How Likely Is It That I Will Read Another Book By This Author? 50%
There is obviously no way Adele Griffin could possibly write another book like this, and I wouldn't be able to expect that either, but based off of everything that made up The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone, I will likely pick up another book by Adele Griffin.
Conclusion: The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone is a gorgeously accomplished multi-media, multi-perspective masterpiece surrounding one unforgettable girl and an even more unforgettable story that will stay with you.
My Synopsis: *I believe that the publisher's synopsis gives away too much of the story's plot, containing information from page 300 of the book, therefore I revised it to what I felt would be fitting as a reader*
This is a Middle Grade, historical fiction novel with a touch of magic about a 15 year old slave boy named Nic in the Roman mines who is forced to search for treasure in a sealed cavern. He discovers an ancient bulla or amulet (featured on the cover) that belonged to Julius Caesar thats magic gets transferred to Nic. Against his will, Nic is brought to Rome and finds himself caught up in a war attempting to destroy the Roman empire.
Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Who Would I Recommend This Book To?
If I were to describe this book in an X meets X formula, I would say Percy Jackson's world meets the protagonists of The Horse and His Boy meets the political intrigue from The Ring and the Crown.
Would I Buy It?
80%
The ARC cover for The Mark of the Thief is beautiful enough and I am dying to get my hands on a finished copy. I'm dying to know if the bulla is embossed in the final copy and if the colors really are as vibrant as they appear to be.
Background & Backstory?
The most disappointing part about all of this is that I had filmed a lengthy BookTalk video for Mark of the Thief. Unfortunately, my computer decided to eat the footage and due to time constraints, I was unable to refill/edit/upload it.
On a more positive note, Mark of the Thief andAll Fall Down (Ally Carter) are the first ever physical publisher ARCs I have ever received and I felt so overjoyed to reach that milestone in blogging with what had started of as a hobby.
What Was My Reaction Upon Finishing?
Per usual with every Jennifer Nielsen book I have ever read -
Sequel. PLEASE!
Right off the bat you should know that I had A LOT to say about this novel and I mean a lot. While I always try to deter you from looking at my Goodreads Reading Updates (because they're full of spoilers) you will notice that there are over FORTY of them. I had my phone by my side throughout my reading of Mark of the Thief and updated it every time I had some inference/feels-filled response to report.
Characters | 90% Let's talk about Nic.... Nielsen's strength has ALWAYS been her outstanding male leads and he is no different, but he was far enough from Sage in the Ascendance Trilogy that I didn't feel she had merely copied-and-pasted her protagonist. His snark and sarcasm was a bit more subtle and was fueled purely by emotions and selfish reasons versus Sage who had a greater sense of duty, although with the way Mark of the Thief ended. I wouldn't be surprised if Nic's moral compass improved, as well as his priorities, and his levels of compassion towards others as the series progresses. Sage was under someone's command, but he was still in enough a position of power where he could be reckless. However, Nic had his little sister Lucia to look out for as well as his hide which could have easily been skinned if he acted out too harshly. Nic was a very rough-and-tumble character who only cared about himself and was inexperienced with the ways of society.
And good news.... there was a strong female lead. Aurelia plays an interesting role in the story because of position in society and the way she begrudgingly becomes friends with Nic despite the fact that their relationship started as business-only. She wouldn't take any of his crap, stood up for herself, and put him into his place when he needed it.
Romance | 70% Nielsen writes Middle Grade and that means that romance is most definitely NOT her speciality. Nonetheless, the relationship between Nic and Aurelia was cute and I can't wait to witness the dynamic between the two of them evolve throughout the series because they feed off of each other's characters very well.
But, I'm not here to talk about AURELIA and Nic.... I'm here to talk about Corvus. While he's not a main character, he plays a prominent role in the story by helping Nic and Aurelia when they need it. I might sound like I'm jumping the gun with this 100% crackpot theory, but I think he might be romantically attracted to Nic. Wait until Jennifer Nielsen reads this review and facepalms herself repeatedly because she's written Aurelia and Corvus together and bringing in an LGBT aspect is the farthest thing from her mind. Anyways, he seemed uncharacteristically nice -for someone of his status- to them without a clear motive, except, perhaps.... love??? The last big splash of LGBT we've seen as readers was Riordan choosing to make Nico gay which aroused quite a conversation amongst fans. I'm dying to see this become a norm in all/any genre and would applaud Nielsen immensely.
Or we can just all agree I'm crazy.
How did the book's genre affect the story?
Despite the fact that I'm having a hard time determining the actual genre of this book, the premise/genre does affect it by giving the author the chance to make use of symbolism, mythology, and prophecies, three of my favorite things. Anyways, this is portrayed in particular with Caela, the griffin, featured on the bulla on the cover of Mark of the Thief. She plays a surprisingly important role in the story and I like the layer of complexity it adds.
Ending | 100% Per usual, Jennifer Nielsen's ending will either make her readers “want to kill you, kiss you, or be you...” (as Finnick Odair kindly supplied for me). It was completely mind-blowing, plot-twisting, and everythingyou have come to expect and respect from her.
How Likely Is It That I Will Read Another Book By This Author?
99.9%
While nothing about sequel to Mark of the Thief hasn't been announced yet, Nielsen fans can keep their eyes out for A Night Dividedwhich (according to the vibe I'm getting from the Goodreads synopsis) is a historical fiction thriller with a female narrator this time *waggles eyebrows* I loved the addition Aurelia provided to both the story and the fact that Nielsen's stories can feature kickass females. The different perspective will be an entirely new thing, especially because we won't hear from a snarky MALE protagonist this time. I am SO looking forward to this one.
Conclusion: Another well-paced series starter featuring two strong protagonists, a well-crafted world, and a mind-playing story you don't want to miss.
Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn’t think she’s the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She’s also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her “the Duff,” she throws her Coke in his face.
But things aren’t so great at home right now, and Bianca is desperate for a distraction. She ends up kissing Wesley. Worse, she likes it. Eager for escape, Bianca throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with him.
Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out Wesley isn’t such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she’s falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.
Disclaimer: A BookTalk means that this review contains spoilers, but if you HAVE NOT read this novel, the spoiler-ey paragraphs have asterisks -more commonly known as stars- to inform you of when spoilers begin.
This book breaks down all my pre-concieved boundaries in terms of buying/re-reading. I sincerely want to buy this book and have it in my collection because THAT is how effected I am. While the cover is fitting and embodies the novel quite well.... I hate it and don't really want that on my bookshelf. Hopefully, a new cover (that's not that hideous movie cover) will be released soon.
Background & Backstory?
I picked this book up for the reasons a lot of people have in the past couple of months. On February 20, 2015, the book-to-movie adaptation is coming out. So, of course, I HAD to have the bragging rights of reading the book before the movie. There's a lot of hype around this novel, even before the news of the movie became big, I was SOOO close to giving this novel a 5/5 stars, and know exactly why people love this novel as much as they do.
What Was My Reaction Upon Finishing?
Expected, but appreciated. I have so much respect for Kody, Bianca, and Wesley.
Inexplicable Feelings: In 2014, I read five or so books that I was so confused about. I had no idea what to feel because there were ALL of the feels. The difference between a feels-filled books and the inexplicable feelings, is that these books range from TWO to FIVE star ratings. I may have hated the story, I may have loved it, but something in common with all of these books is the fact that they have made me think.
I LOVED LOVED LOVED the story, message, characters, and dynamics between various relationships. The dialogue and themes are rough.... but not necessarily gritty. The writing style, not the voice, is what killed that last half star for me. The dialogue, plot threads, and character molds (at first sight) were all hackneyed and done before. This is Keplinger's DEBUT novel, and the fact that it's so highly praised, and is being made into a movie is absolutely WONDERFUL. I would have preferred a smidgeon more of editing.
High School: If you look at ANY trailer for a movie set in high school, they give you this appearance like it's one for one and all for themselves. There are the certain labels and classifications people draw and call each other. Almost as if there's instantaneous self-damnation. If you believe in something for a single second.... that's who you become. High School is torture according to movies, and if done right, that is the best kind of contemporary novel setting. An author, such as Keplinger, who is able to find a perfect balance between an original plot and the setting because it provides reliability to the target audience without being a total cheese fest.
Sluts, Whores, and Bitches, We've Got Them All.... Kinda: Yes, I did use those words on my blog. I've come to a conclusion recently about use of language in blog posts. I'm not going to go dropping F-Bombs in reviews of Middle Grade novels.... but if I'm reviewing a book with a certain kind of language, and I need to use that word to further express my thoughts about the book.... I'm not going to keep typing asterisks between the first and last letter. That's a little noob-blogger of me. [Mini-Rant Over]
Anyways, Kody Keplinger deals with the topic of slut-shaming quite perfectly. There's the "DUFF" Bianca, who starts sleeping with Wesley, and for a sort of "darkest moment" for her character, she believes that she is a whore and a slut. By definition, she couldn't be, and by society's judgment.... society is screwed up anyway on their perspective of women. The term "slut" has absolutely NO positive connotation in society, and is only used as a degrading insult that does nothing to depict a person's character. To people squeamish of sluts, alcohol abuse, divorce, and cheating, Keplinger basically tells you to DEAL WITH IT in a way that is neither offensive to the reader or to gritty, but perfectly comprehendible to the non-booknerds of the world.
***The side character, Vicki, is brought into the light in a brief chapter when rumors of her being pregnant are spread. She is immediately slut-shamed, because it's true that she has a habit of "sleeping around." With Bianca's new-found revelation of labels just being another hurdle for teenagers during the track meet of life, she comforts Vicki, and assures her that she's not a slut.***
Wesley aka Zach Goode in an Average High School: If you haven't read the Gallagher Girls series, this will make 0% sense, but if you have.... do see how clever I am? Despite the attempt to portray him as a "bad boy" he didn't feel bad, and I quite enjoyed the dynamic between him and Bianca. She tells him to (how shall I say this PG-13?) shove his persona and douche-bag attitude up his behind quite a few times. Despite his sarcasm and womanizer stereotype, I loved him and he was probably my favorite character. Even if everyone knows bad boys can't be tamed.... let the booknerd wish what she wants.
Aint Nobody Got Time For That aka Bianca: She was a stunningly crafted character, intelligent, cynical, and sarcastic. Yet she was forced to cope with various issues and did so perfectly. Despite getting lost in Wesley and "using" him as a distraction, she was solid with herself and who she was. Bianca would not take crap from ANYONE and I respected that in a YA character so much, almost as much as being kick-ass and cold-hearted.
How Likely Is It That I Will Re-Read This Novel?
80% Everyone who has been following my blog for more than a day will know that I DO NOT re-read books. I have practically yelled it from the rooftops and out of the 153 books I read last year.... TWO of them were re-reads. Yet, I legitimately want to re-read it. As in, pick it up RIGHT now and start reading it again. I am certain this will show up in my Top 15 of 2015 and I will re-read this in 2016 for sure.
How Likely Is It That I Will Read Another Book By This Author?
85%
It will be hard to write another novel of the same caliber, and I'm not sure Kiplinger can out-do herself in my eyes, especially because I haven't heard ANYTHING regarding her other novels. Nevertheless, I am 100% willing to give another one a try and will be ecstatic if I can be as emotionally effected by another book of hers.
Conclusion: This is most certainly a memorable and raw Young Adult novel that should be recognized for the barriers it pushes past.
Goodreads Synopsis: A princess must find her place in a reborn world.
She flees on her wedding day.
She steals ancient documents from the Chancellor's secret collection.
She is pursued by bounty hunters sent by her own father.
She is Princess Lia, seventeen, First Daughter of the House of Morrighan.
The Kingdom of Morrighan is steeped in tradition and the stories of a bygone world, but some traditions Lia can't abide. Like having to marry someone she's never met to secure a political alliance.
Fed up and ready for a new life, Lia flees to a distant village on the morning of her wedding. She settles in among the common folk, intrigued when two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive—and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an assassin sent to kill her. Deceptions swirl and Lia finds herself on the brink of unlocking perilous secrets—secrets that may unravel her world—even as she feels herself falling in love.
Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Who Would I Recommend This Book To?
Fans of the Fire & Thorns Trilogy (Rae Carson), The Shamer Chronicles (Lene Kaaberbøl), Throne of Glass Series (Sarah J. Maas)
Would I Buy It?
70%
There is actually a large possibility of me purchasing The Kiss of Deception because of 1) How much I enjoyed the novel and 2) How beautiful the cover is of both this book and its sequel
Background & Backstory
Fun Fact: I put off reading The Kiss of Deception for literally the longest time possible, even though it was one of my most anticipated releases of the summer. I had received this book as an eARC from Netgalley ages ago, like in April of 2014. Pretty much, life has gotten in the way of my reading this book, and I forgot about being accepted for it until the release date drew nearer and it was getting so much prepublication hype. Even that didn’t make me pick up the book immediately. Finally, I put it on hold at my library and borrowed. But wait.... there’s more. I renewed this book TWICE, which mean I had it in my possession for almost nine weeks. For an anticipated release, this sure was getting pushed to the back burner a lot.
And then.... came the move.
for personal reasons, I had only recently (last Saturday) been notified that I was to move cross country to upstate New York. And as you know, I only recently (four months ago) moved around 30 miles from the home I had lived/grown up in almost my entire life. But enough about that, I had been forced to move, and because of this, I had had to return all 31 of my library books (I’m not an impulsive clicker at all). Because of this, I was forced to read books I actually owned (what a concept), and I saw this as a sign and a FINAL go-ahead to read The Kiss of Deception.
What Was My Reaction After I Finished This Book?
Stupid, Stupid, Stupid male protagonist that makes me yearn for a sequel this very instant!
I conquered my hatred! If you’re new around here, you may not have seen a discussion post from September which was entitled, I Hate Big Books and I Cannot Lie. In this, I explained about my hatred of reading big books because of the sense of unproductively and dissatisfaction they gave me. And the number one time this hatred is felt is when reading large eBooks. There is an ongoing debate about eBooks versus Physical Books, and one of the best arguments for Physical Books is the sensation of turning pages and the visual representation of making your way through a book, something us 21st century readers like to see to have our egos stroked. Anyways, The Kiss of Deception clocks in at almost 500 pages, something I was blissfully ignorant to when I began reading. Yet, I sped through this chunkster in less than 24 hours. My eBook reading pace is usually three times as much as my physical book one for other reasons mentioned in [INSERT POST TITLE/LINK]. Reading The Kiss of Deception has made me conquer my hatred of big books, and made me believe in myself and the fact that, if I am loving a fat eBook, it can be read in an extremely short amount of time. The fast-paced intrigue of the novel is the most attractive aspect of it, and if you struggle, like I do, with chunkster, you may have no issues whatsoever.
Multi-Points-of-View-Sensory-Overload: One of the most enticing factors for myself as a reader is multiple POVs (Thank the Legend Trilogy by Marie Lu for this). And The Kiss of Deception had a boatload of perspectives. The majority (60%) of this novel was told my Lia, aka our leading lady. The other 39% was told by her two love interests, Rafe and Kaden, or “The Assassin” and “The Prince,” as the ominous headers for each chapter state. The last 1% is an unnecessary chapter told by Lia’s best friend, Pauline. Anyways, one of the biggest appeals of The Kiss of Deception is the fact that Lia, and yourself as the reader don’t know if Rafe is the assassin or Rafe is the prince or if Kaden is the assassin or Kaden is the prince. I don’t know how many revisions and rewrites Pearson had to make to get the reader so clueless as to who was who, but she accomplished it. I felt intelligent (for once) because I actually guessed which name was attached to which person. On another quick side note, it doesn’t matter actually whose name is attached to who in the fact that neither man uses their real name. You have this idea of who each man is, but in the next chapter you read, you’re thrown off, and your presumption is *maybe* proved wrong. I will have to say that they weren’t the most distinct voices I have ever heard (June and Day will forever be that pair), but they definitely held their own and got the job done.
Length Not Needed? While I wasn’t bored, and the story was fast-paced, I do think that it could have been shorter by 100 pages or more. There was a lot of extra standing around, waiting for each, and every, distinct, little, event to happen a lot of revelations could have been made in a shorter span of time. 55% of the story took place in this ONE town and it got a little tedious. The other 40% of it took place in a desert-like terrain which annoyed me a little, coming from The Fire and Thorns trilogy, and although that wasn’t The Kiss of Deception’s fault, there was still so much extra traveling time trekking across the desert.
Fantastical Tropes? Having only begun to incorporate High Fantasy into my regular reading, I can’t judge as to what is a “cliche” or “overdone” trope. But I sure as heck can point out the similarities between three separate series. I am talking about the Fire and Thorns Trilogy, the Throne of Glass Series, and The Kiss of Deception. All three of these had so many similarities in their royalty structure and the protagonist’s desires to break out of the mold and tradition set before them. I get it, it’s a common problem with royalty now, back then, and in these high fantasy universes, but you would think their systems would vary slightly. Yet, they don’t. Royalty doesn’t want to be royalty. Magic is taboo but some still believe in it. Protagonist has to make the decision to make a stand for her home. The end.... until the second book.
Love Triangles That Work: I am not in the party of bloggers who think love triangles are the devil. I am known to indulge and and enjoy a well written one every once in a while. The Kiss of Deception’s trio was, as usual, unprobable, but I just liked them together and thought their relationships worked well. Each man provided something different that Lia needed, and I enjoyed seeing the contrast between them a lot. What I will have to say is that the name (Rafe/Kaden) and the occupation (Prince/Assassin) of the guy who I was routing for ended up not coinciding, which would be kind of awkward if these book characters knew my wish of exchanging one for the other.
Ending 40%: I am such a fickle mistress when it comes to liking endings of books, because I usually don’t and they fall flat. Sadly, The Kiss of Deception continued this trend. The vibes I was getting felt so Crown of Embers, and the character’s motives for their actions unrealistic. Why did you have to let me down but entice me enough to pick up the sequel Mary E. Peason? WHHHHY?!?
How Likely Is It That I Will Read The Sequel To This Book?
80%
Hell yeah, I’ll be reading the sequel. *Fast forwards a year from now and Sofia still hasn’t read it* I need answers.
Conclusion: A strong series debut with lyrical prose, multiple points of view, fast paced, plenty of intrigue, a likable love triangle, and suspenseful ending.
Pages Count: 247 Genre: Science Fiction, Romance, Time Travel, New Adult, Young Adult, Fiction, Publisher: Create Space Publication Date: July 29, 2014 Format: eBook Source: Candace's Book Blog Promotions
The year 2069 is coming to a close, and eighteen-year-old Bianca Butterman's time-craft license is finally official. She's ready for the Induction Day she’s waited for since she was a kid—the one that will secure her name on the Butterman family tree of time travelers. But ever since the media discovered Bianca is pop superstar Tristan Helms’ latest new honey, everything Bianca does or says becomes a target of criticism. Having her professional credibility topping the gossip sites across social media is an open invitation for the government to step in and regulate Bianca’s Induction. Now she will have to ask herself if saving 1500 people from drowning is worth losing everything she’s ever worked for, including the Butterman family biz.
Welcome to Butterman Travel, Incorporated; a full service agency designed to meet all your exclusive time travel needs. We’re a family owned and operated business with one hundred years of experience. A place where you can rest assured, safety and reliability always come first.
Anxious to attend some special event from the past? Or for a glimpse of what the future holds?
You’ve come to the right place. We’re a fully accredited operation, offering an array of services; including, but not limited to: customized travel plans, professionally piloted operations, and personal trip guides. *Terms and conditions do apply
Use our Web conferencing to contact our frontline reservation specialist, Bianca Butterman, who will handle all your inquiries in a professional and efficient manner, offering a tentative itinerary and free fare quote, so you can make the most of your time trip.
We look forward to serving you at Butterman Travel, Inc., where time is always in your hands.
Synopsis: Welcome to Butterman Travel, IncorporatedWe are a full service agency designed to meet all your exclusive time travel needs. Family-owned and operated, we offer clients one hundred years of time travel experience. A place where you can rest assured, safety and reliability always come first.Anxious to attend a special event from the past? Or for a glimpse of what the future holds?You’ve come to the right place. We’re a fully accredited operation, offering an array of services; including, but not limited to: customized travel plans, professionally piloted operations, and personal trip guides. *Terms and conditions do applyConference us directly from our Website. Our frontline reservation specialist, Bianca Butterman, will handle all your inquiries in a professional and efficient manner, offering a tentative itinerary and free fare quote, so you can make the most of your time trip.We look forward to serving you at Butterman Travel, Inc., where time is always in your hands.
PK Hrezo is a native Floridian rarely found without her flip flops on. She shares her home with her firefighter husband, their two children, and big dog named Ripley. When not creating characters and their worlds, PK can be found at her other job of rearranging passenger’s itineraries for a major international airline. The only hobbies she loves more than traveling are reading, writing, and music, and when the four are combined she exists in total bliss.
To be entered into a special giveaway, copy one of these ready-made posts and share it. Make sure PK’s name is tagged so she can see it and enter your name into a giveaway. The more you share, the more entries you receive. Five winners will receive a time traveler’s book thong:
TWEETS: Induction Day by @PKHrezo is a #timetravel #mustread. Retweet this to be entered into a special #giveaway. Add it to #AmazonCart here.
FACE BOOK: Induction Day is here! A taut, fast-paced, engrossing read by PKHrezo. Find it on Amazon here:http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00G9ADV2O
GOOGLE PLUS: Induction Day by #PKHrezo is a #timetravel #mustread. Retweet this to be entered into a special #giveaway. A taut, fast-paced, engrossing read. Find it on Amazon here:http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00G9ADV2O
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Disclaimer: I received this book from Candaces Book Blog Promotions in exchange for an honest review.
Background &Backstory
I was planning, somewhere on my lengthy TBR, to read this book, after all, I had sincerely enjoyed Butterman (Time) Travel, Inc back in January and wanted to know what happened next. I just hadn't planned on reading it as soon as I did in November. Yet, sometime in October, Candace's Book Blog Promotions when they inquired about me wanting to participate in the Induction Day blog tour. I thought, "What the hey?" I liked the first book, I already wanted to read the second, I love supporting authors I have previously worked with. I'll do the tour.
What Was My Reaction After I Finished This Book?
That was.... somewhat confusing, sequel PLEASE
Pro | Solidity/Deliverance: In terms of self/independently-published books I have read for promotional events, Butterman (Time) Travel, Inc is on my top three list. The first book had an extremely strong plot, interesting take on time travel, a swoon worthy romance, and well-developed characters. I am so happy to say that the sequel, Induction Day, was just as strong and solid of a sequel, delivering on my expectations after reading Butterman (Time) Travel, Inc. Sophomore Slumps are a common occurrence amongst all authors and I was so appreciative for Induction Day carrying out my wishes as a reader (I don't sound entitled at all :p).
Con | The Feeling of Wanting More Well-Roundedness : In Butterman (Time) Travel, Inc. The story's setting and focus had a lot more variety. So, while Induction Day was satisfying to me in terms of reading enjoyment, it was not nearly as diverse in terms of where, what, how, why, when everything was taking place. Butterman (Time) Travel, Inc. was a big bucket of crazy (of the good variety). Yet, Induction Day was centered in only Alaska and the Titanic versus the multiple locations of Butterman (Time) Travel, Inc. I had just wanted a wider scope of vision in Bianca's world and didn't receive it. What I will point out is the fact that this novel did serve as an excellent foundation for the next book.
Pro | Characters & Romance: Butterman (Time) Travel, Inc allowed us to see into the minds, form opinions, and get to know Bianca and Tristan, our leading man and lady. Induction Day put our preconceived ideas of the two of them to the test. The raw, grittiness of Tristan's smoking hot character was upheld with all of the recent issues with his drug addiction. Bianca's Butterman's choice of judgement and intelligence was challenged with her Induction Day, and I respected her so much as a character because of it. On top of that, even though this novel is classified as New Adult (by default with the protagonist's ages), but the two of them have not been to the intimate level so many teenaged book character get to by at least the second book. I commend Hrezo so much for making Bianca hold so strongly to her moral beliefs about her virginity. The couple's relationship was also put to the test. They argued, yet as any reader/author duo knows, that is what makes the story stronger and more believable.
Con | Confusion With Time Travel: Time Travel has always been an extremely confuzzling concept for our inapt human minds to handle. Therefore we are bound to not understand. Butterman (Time) Travel, Inc. did not have me confused with this concept, but because Induction Day built on what I had already learned in Butterman (Time) Travel, Inc. everything was just multiplied in terms of complexity. P.K. Hrezo did a brilliant job of going into detail with this concept and designing her own rules for this peculiar concept. Therefore it is a personal thing only, with the matter of my finding this book a tad confusing when it came to the time travel aspects.
How Likely Is It That I Will Read The Sequel To This Book?
40%
Since beginning to book blog/vlog, I have needed to prioritize my TBR and make sure that my bookish needs were satisfied above anything else. (Yes, I am aware about how selfish that sounds) I try my best to only read books that I truly want to read. Therefore, I probably won't obtain this book purely on my own want for a sequel, but most definitely, if the opportunity to promote/support the next book comes up, I will take it.
Conclusion:A solid, satisfying, fast-paced sequel that delivered everything I expected.
Goodreads Synopsis: Coraline's often wondered what's behind the locked door in the drawing room. It reveals only a brick wall when she finally opens it, but when she tries again later, a passageway mysteriously appears. Coraline is surprised to find a flat decorated exactly like her own, but strangely different. And when she finds her "other" parents in this alternate world, they are much more interesting despite their creepy black button eyes. When they make it clear, however, that they want to make her theirs forever, Coraline begins a nightmarish game to rescue her real parents and three children imprisoned in a mirror. With only a bored-through stone and an aloof cat to help, Coraline confronts this harrowing task of escaping these monstrous creatures.
Gaiman has delivered a wonderfully chilling novel, subtle yet intense on many levels. The line between pleasant and horrible is often blurred until what's what becomes suddenly clear, and like Coraline, we resist leaving this strange world until we're hooked. Unnerving drawings also cast a dark shadow over the book's eerie atmosphere, which is only heightened by simple, hair-raising text. Coraline is otherworldly storytelling at its best.
Would I Buy It?
40% None of the book covers give me the urge to die unless I got the book in gorgeous, hardcover form. While scrolling through the various covers, none stood out particularly to me, so much so that I didn't even insert a book cover (found it off of google images). This story deserves something spine-chilling and striking, something to depict the darkness in this seemingly innocent Middle Grade novel. Basically something that I would be terrified to have on my shelves and would deter every little prospective 10 year-old out there.
Background & Backstory Grab a seat. This backstory could take a while. My memory is horrible, I don't remember what I ate for lunch yesterday, let alone movies/books from the Summer of 2010. Yet, the cartoon version of Coraline (made by Tim Burton) defied the clutches of forgetfulness, and to this day, I still remember a TON of main plot points, characterization, and absolute terror I felt.
That alone should tell you something. When I was little, I liked terrifying myself, which means that I watched Coraline nearly every chance I got. I expected myself to get less afraid because of the repetition, but that didn't happen. I would climb into my mom's bed because I was so scared after watching this movie.
Fast-Forward more than four years and I STILL like giving myself goosebumps. AT this moment, I am the sole patron of every YA novel in my local libraries that hadn't already been checked out. Of course, a book that took primary real estate on that was Coraline.I had had the opportunity to read this book around two years ago, but the memories of the movie still haunted me, and I hadn't dared.
What Was My Reaction After I Finished This Book?
I'm glad I read that.
Middle Gradenesss: Over the past six months, I have developed a rather unsavory (what the heck does that mean?) prejudice for Middle Grade. I hate those feelings, especially when I get so defensive about everyone being able to read YA. Coraline was a classic Middle Grade book, but I was okay with that. Aspects of the novel could be considered somewhat juvenile, but when Neil Gaiman is the author.... you can easily look past the fact.
Spookiness: I'm not sure if the book wasn't as creepy because I knew what would happen, but the book DEFINITELY did not creep me out and make me want to sleep with the lights on. This might be because Neil Gaiman didn't want to scare off his target audience? Despite me not feeling creeped out, I believe the reason I was so scared when I was little was because of how expertly the movie was adapted. This is also not to say the adaptation was unfaithful (there was some word-for-word dialogue), it was just the WAY it was adapted that made the movie so terrifying versus the book.
Premise: Something about a book that will immediately draw me in is the premise and proper of execution of it. And let me tell you, Neil Gaiman follows up with it BE-YOU-TI-FULLY. I never once felt like I was promised something and not delivered (a feeling uncannily common with adaptations as well as movies in general). Just the concept of parallel universes is one I have always been intrigued with (*hint hint* NaNoWriMo novel), and the way Gaiman twists it so artfully, making it that the evil "Other Mother" would suck Coraline's soul *shivers get sent down spine* with those godawful button eyes which were petrifying in the movie.
Concise: Coraline was my VERY first Neil Gaiman book ever. Since then, I have read (and flipped out over how much I loved) The Ocean at the End of the Lane and am currently reading The Graveyard Book. And I might (just might *winks*) have put every Neil Gaiman book on hold at my local library. Something I commend Gaiman for with the highest respect is with how many few words he can develop the richest, most detailed, most abstract stories I have ever read. I never once felt like the novel was incomplete or that I wanted more (of the novel, not his writing). There was a distinct and satisfying beginning, middle, and end. And the book was only 162 pages. Beat that!
How Likely Is It That I Will Re-Read This Book?
90%
Because of its lack of length, I am considering making Coraline an annual re-read accompanied by watching the movie. So (for once) it is very likely I will be re-reading this book.
Conclusion: Spooky, Eery, Conceptual with a terrifying premise. Perfect for Halloween time and sleeping with the lights on.
