Review: Imposter by Susanne Winnacker

Can Tessa pose as Madison . . . and stop a killer before it’s too late? 

Tessa is a Variant, able to absorb the DNA of anyone she touches and mimic their appearance. Shunned by her family, she’s spent the last two years training with the Forces with Extraordinary Abilities, a secret branch of the FBI. When a serial killer rocks a small town in Oregon, Tessa is given a mission: she must impersonate Madison, a local teen, to find the killer before he strikes again.

Tessa hates everything about being an impostor—the stress, the danger, the deceit—but loves playing the role of a normal girl. As Madison, she finds friends, romance, and the kind of loving family she’d do anything to keep. Amid action, suspense, and a ticking clock, this super-human comes to a very human conclusion: even a girl who can look like anyone struggles the most with being herself.

Hardcover, 274 pages

Published May 28th 2013 by Razorbill 

(info grabbed from GoodReads)

 

So, I hated this book.  I hated it so much, I don't even want to go through the effort of writing a proper intro paragraph.  Quick summary: Tessa is a variant with the power to change her appearance into anyone she touches (like a cross between ANIMORPHS and Mystique from X-MEN).  She is part of a special faction of the FBI called FEA, which is a collection of variants formed for the purpose of fighting crime.  Woop, sounds cool -- but this book is really about Alec and Tessa's relationship and petty hate between girls.

I find it rather pathetic that Tessa's relationship with Alec can be summed up with the Taylor Swift song "You Belong with Me," but without the upbeat music.  Nope, it's just a girl whining about how she should be with a guy because she is less of a primped up skank.  She seriously thinks she's entitled to Alec because she gets him, because liking the same movies and being great friends means you are meant to be.  No, that's not how relationships work.  The only saving grace for any of the characters in this book is that Alec tells her off because he does have a girlfriend. 

Everyone adores Tessa.  They love her so much, they're giving her a super special top secret mission even though she's still a minor.  And for what reason does everyone love Tessa?  Because she is abnormally average except for having a Variation like everyone else at this FEA summer camp?  I'm still trying to figure out why anyone would love Tessa, because there is nothing really likeable about her.  She is jealous, she is impulsive, and she isn't remarkably talented other than having a cool variation.  It drove me crazy that I couldn't stand the main character, but everyone in the book does without reason.

Everyone, except Kate.  Who is conveniently Alec's girlfriend and placed in the hateful bitch trope without any depth.  Kate has no reason to hate Tessa; she just does.  If there was a bit more feeling or a history there, I would have enjoyed that whole bit more.  But alas, this character solely exists as a foil to Tessa, to show how "girl-next-door" and plain Tessa is.  And so we're supposed to not feel so bad that Tessa is attempting to be a homewrecking tramp. 

The girl on girl hate in this book is so rampant and petty, it is unreadable.  The mystery is not very mysterious or even what the majority of the book seemed to want to focus on.  Nope, it seemed rather intent on focusing on Tessa's pity party over not feeling ready for such a mission and pining over her taken best friend.  The end.

Final Thought: NOPE

This review is also posted on GoodReads

Review: Grim by Christine Johnson

Inspired by classic fairy tales, but with a dark and sinister twist, Grim contains short stories from some of the best voices in young adult literature today:

Ellen Hopkins
Amanda Hocking
Julie Kagawa
Claudia Gray
Rachel Hawkins
Kimberly Derting
Myra McEntire
Malinda Lo
Sarah Rees-Brennan
Jackson Pearce
Christine Johnson
Jeri Smith Ready
Shaun David Hutchinson
Saundra Mitchell
Sonia Gensler
Tessa Gratton
Jon Skrovan

Kindle Edition, 480 pages

Expected publication: February 25th 2014 by Harlequin Teen

(info grabbed from GoodReads)

GRIM is an anthology of short story retellings of fairy tales.  This is true.  However! not every story is as dark as the blurb promises.  It was a nice surprise to me that the stories are all mixed up: you have dark tales and funny tales, urban fantasy and science fiction.  GRIM ended up being a delightful collection in how eclectic it was.

I'm not going to go through every story's ups and downs individually; each story in the collection was enjoyable (though to varying degrees).  Some highlights for me where Julie Kagawa's THE BROTHERS PIGGETT, an awesomely dark tale, and also Sarah Rees Brennan's BEAUTY AND THE CHAD, which had me laughing out loud.  And although I personally didn't enjoy SKIN TRADE by Myra McEntire, it definitely made my skin crawl, and I'm sure there are those out there where that is exactly what they're looking for.  And that is my point: there is something for everyone in this anthology.  There was a lot of variation from each original story, but also from each story within the anthology.

All in all, a great collection of short stories perfect for anyone who wants to revisit some familiar tales, but each with a twist.  The authors are truly talented and packed so much emotion and fun into their stories.  It was a fast read and surprisingly easy to read in one sitting.  Each tale stood on it's own and didn't blend into one another while reading.  I'd recommend it to anyone and everyone, because who doesn't love a good fairy tale now and again?

This review is also posted on GoodReads

Review: Hereafter by Tara Hudson

Can there truly be love after death? 

Drifting in the dark waters of a mysterious river, the only thing Amelia knows for sure is that she's dead. With no recollection of her past life or her actual death, she's trapped alone in a nightmarish existence. All of this changes when she tries to rescue a boy, Joshua, from drowning in her river. As a ghost, she can do nothing but will him to live. Yet in an unforgettable moment of connection, she helps him survive. 

Amelia and Joshua grow ever closer as they begin to uncover the strange circumstances of her death and the secrets of the dark river that held her captive for so long. But even while they struggle to keep their bond hidden from the living world, a frightening spirit named Eli is doing everything in his power to destroy their newfound happiness and drag Amelia back into the ghost world . . . forever.
Thrilling and evocative, with moments of pure pleasure, Hereafter is a sensation you won't want to miss. 

Hardcover, 404 pages

Published June 7th 2011 by HarperTeen
(info grabbed from GoodReads)

What teenager is this forward?  Ridiculous quote time!  I think three from the first 100 pages will suffice:

"'Beautiful.  Too beautiful for people not to have noticed you the other night.'"

-Joshua pg 35

"'...otherwise I'm crazy and I'm talking to a beautiful, electrified, imaginary girl.'"

-Joshua pg 71

"'Anyway, it doesn't matter where we go, I just want to be wherever you are.'"

-Amelia pg 87

Joshua, I do believe you are crazy.  I understand some odd behavior from Amelia since she's been dead for a mysterious length of time and hasn't brushed up on how to act like a non-dead-and-desperate person.  But Joshua?  His only reason for wanting to be around Amelia is "UR BEAUTIFUL AND I SAW YOU IN THE WATER WHEN I DIED.  WEIRD."  Granted Amelia's main reason for wanting to be around Joshua is also his looks, added with the fact he's the only person who can see her so, you know, slim pickings.  I don't like it.  It's not even insta-love; it's insta-attraction and nothing else.  No chemistry.  Just stupid.

  

Also, all mysterious-ness is forced.  All questions regarding Amelia could be answered with a minute of research.  And on that note, if I was a ghost and suddenly starting to remember my previous life, I think I'd be more interested in that than following around a boy who is perfectly aware of who he is.  Furthermore, if I were a boy hanging around a ghost only I could see who didn't even remember her last name, I would start investigating.  Immediately.  This book is written in the modern age (or not stated otherwise), and Joshua doesn't even think to look up recent obituaries on his smart phone?  Or go look up old newspaper articles about a girl who died in the river?  No desire to know the unknown?  What the hell! 

There is no love between HEREAFTER and me.  It is unfortunate, because I don’t like to not like books, but this one was a complete dud with me.  Momo and the infinite sadness.

Final Thought: Zero.  Just zero, no toadstools.

This review is also posted on GoodReads

Review: The Goddess Inheritance by Aimee Carter

Love or life.
Henry or their child.
The end of her family or the end of the world.
Kate must choose.

During nine months of captivity, Kate Winters has survived a jealous goddess, a vengeful Titan and a pregnancy she never asked for. Now the Queen of the Gods wants her unborn child, and Kate can't stop her--until Cronus offers a deal.

In exchange for her loyalty and devotion, the King of the Titans will spare humanity and let Kate keep her child. Yet even if Kate agrees, he'll destroy Henry, her mother and the rest of the council. And if she refuses, Cronus will tear the world apart until every last god and mortal is dead.

With the fate of everyone she loves resting on her shoulders, Kate must do the impossible: find a way to defeat the most powerful being in existence, even if it costs her everything.

Even if it costs her eternity.

(info grabbed from GoodReads) 

THE GODDESS INHERITANCE was a great (potentially temporary) end to THE GODDESS TEST trilogy.  It was action packed and filled with the same spark that made me love the first two books.  I also really liked how Aimee Carter left the ending open while still maintaining that complete feeling.  There is so much left in this world she created to explore; there are several characters that could have their own story and so many places that are only touched upon. 

I love how marriage is sexy in this series -- holy matrimony never looked so good.  Henry and Kate’s relationship still has a lot of spark to it, which I found especially lovely because they’re married.  Marriage isn’t terribly common in young adult (which makes sense; it’s young adult), but I love that THE GODDESS TEST series portrayed marriage in a good (and sexy) light.  In young adult, the glimpses of marriage you do get are usually through the parents of the characters.  And let’s face it, in young adult, there’s an abundance of absent and/or divorced parents.  Kate’s (somewhat incestuous) family is refreshing.  Plus, who doesn’t love a bit of win-cest?  I don’t usually, but for some reason I find myself loving how Kate’s mom is also her auntie and sister-in-law.

There’s nothing I would say is bad about the book, but there is something that was just okay.  I felt like I didn't have a strong feel for Henry's character anymore -- he's barely a main character in this book.  Actually, he is the definition of a supporting character, as he literally supports Kate.  That is his main role in the book, at least from my perspective.  Henry doesn't have the strongest personality to begin with, so with his depleted role, it was really easy to lose sight of who he is.  Henry is in the book more than he was in GODDESS INTERRUPTED, however, he just didn't have a lot of moments where his character shined.  In THE GODDESS TEST, my favorite part of the book was the chemistry between Henry and Kate, so the sequel and this one let me down a little in that way.

I love the way Aimee Carter writes; she has a relaxed way of writing that is so easy to read.  Not to say that her stories aren't dynamic or suspenseful, because they are.  The way she writes is kind of like how people normally talk: it is relaxed.  It is fluid.  It makes her books a quick, fun reads consistantly.  I would pick up another book written by her in a heart beat.  And it's nice to know I won't have to wait too long: her next book is out next month.  PAWN is the start of a dystopian series, which is a bit of a jump from THE GODDESS TEST, but I'm betting it will be just as good.

Final Thought: 23 out of 29 toadstools

This review is also posted on GoodReads

Review: Indelible by Dawn Metcalf

Some things are permanent.

Indelible.

And they cannot be changed back.

Joy Malone learns this the night she sees a stranger with all-black eyes across a crowded room—right before the mystery boy tries to cut out her eye. Instead, the wound accidentally marks her as property of Indelible Ink, and this dangerous mistake thrusts Joy into an incomprehensible world—a world of monsters at the window, glowing girls on the doorstep, and a life that will never be the same.

Now, Joy must pretend to be Ink’s chosen one—his helper, his love, his something for the foreseeable future...and failure to be convincing means a painful death for them both. Swept into a world of monsters, illusion, immortal honor and revenge, Joy discovers that sometimes, there are no mistakes.

Somewhere between reality and myth lies…

Paperback, 384 pages

Published July 30th 2013 by Harlequin Teen 

 

(info grabbed from GoodReads)

I am going to get right to the chase: Indelible was a good book, but not a great book.  Not on the fence on being a great book either, it was just good.  It was enjoyable and I didn’t want to throw it across the room, but I didn’t ache to keep reading either.  The biggest pro is that Dawn Metcalf has a great imagination and has created a novel using new ideas -- something not seen terribly often.  She mixes faerie mythos and creatures from her own mind to create a new world for the reader.  However, fresh ideas do not necessarily make a great novel. 

The book revolves around a very original mythology of fae created by the author.  The world of Indelible is creative and great imagination food.  The issue became though, that there was very little that was original besides the backdrop of the story.  Joy is your average YA female lead; she doesn't have a particularly strong personality, she's not a dynamic character in any sense, and she's not particularly joyful.  She's not particularly anything.  Ink is your typical aloof male character, with his lack of interest at first but overall vulnerability that develops because of the female lead.  Though there were some very well done scenes between the two characters that sparked with emotion, overall it wasn’t enough for me.  The romance, which was more the focus of Indelible, was rather blah for a romance novel.

My big dilemma with the world building was the stark contrast of the original concepts in the world mixed with the bland romantic plot.  It felt to me as though the story was too original in some aspects for how unoriginal it was in others.  I got the overwhelming feeling at times that I had read this book before, but with a different backdrop.  It made it hard for me to continue reading at times as I found myself bored.

Indelible, in my opinion, is a book that readers are going to be torn about.  Some readers, those who are big fans of PNR in all forms and have a less discriminatory eye, will love this book.  Others who are craving something new will feel half starved and underwhelmed. 

Final Thought: 5 out of 10 toadstools

This review is also posted on GoodReads