Madame X (Madame X #1) by Jasinda Wilder

Title: Madame X
Series: Madame X
Author: Jasinda Wilder
Genres: Romance/Drama/Dark/Adult

Maturity Rating: 17+
*WARNING: TRAUMA TRIGGERS* 

Overall Rating:

My Quickie Synopsis: Madame X lives in a plush world of sophistication where she caters to only the privileged and most elite of society-but it's not in the way that you might expect. She's a mistress in the art of class, confidence and control; her job is to impart this knowledge to the entitled yet thoroughly ignorant sons of her clientele. However, her carefully constructed reality and identity threaten to come crumbling down when a few chance encounters force her to question her lifestyle and circumstances.

Micro Review: I typically don't like doing micro reviews because I feel that they do a disservice to the book and author. That being said, I also realize that most people don't give two flying craps about technicalities. I get it and I can appreciate it. So, I'll try the condensed version out for a while. We'll see how long it lasts!
On to the juicy bits though-
Madame X is probably going to be unlike anything you've read in a while and I say that purely from the standpoint of the writing style. There are certain aspects of the story told in a kind of diary-style second person; it takes a while to get used to, but it certainly adds a richness to the story. On top of that, I can't think of many authors that would be brave enough to tackle that point of view and then go on to excel with it.
That's just the tip of the iceberg here; the most compelling aspects of the book are the characters themselves. The titular character, Madame X, is a veritably complex woman and you can't help but to feel an emotional connection to her the deeper you find yourself immersed in her world. The supporting cast of characters each come with their own skeletons and emotional baggage, and X's interactions with each of them spark a slow shift in her perspective. These interactions alone will probably have you reading all night just to see what X will get herself into next.

You're hurting my heart, X!

I will say that I personally was disappointed with a few of X's choices, but the fact of the matter is that everything made perfect sense, And honestly, as a reader, you can't really ask for anything more. There are several difficult topics explored within Madame X, and each one is handled with a certain poise alongside a dose of harsh reality that you just don't see as often in modern romance novels. Don't get me wrong; there's plenty of romantic fantasy to be had within the story, but it's grounded by the heavier issues that Ms. Wilder introduces in a seamless way.
In line with the majority of reviews that are already out regarding this book, I too do not want to give too much away. It's a book that has to be experienced with a fresh pair of eyes.

My Icing on Top:
It's really rare for me to rate a book at five stars. This is only the second book I've rated as such for books I've read in 2015. To put that in a bit of perspective, I've rated 83 books this year. I know that this book won't be for everyone, as the subject matter is on the graphic side; however, if you're up for reading a superb modern drama with a twist of dark romance and plenty of thought provoking moments, please pick up Madame X the next chance that you get.

Check out my informal review on goodreads!

As always, happy reading!

-K

Micro Burst Reviews

Hello everyone! It's time to get back into the swing of things. The new website is still underway, but should be up soon! In the meantime, I'll be posting a few micro burst reviews. As you can imagine, life gets busy, but never too busy to the point where I'm not reading at least a few books a week.

Here's a sneak peek at some of the books I'll be posting reviews of in the upcoming weeks!

Madame X by Jasinda Wilder-

Trigger alert! This book is graphic my friends and it certainly needs a warning label as such. But what a fantastic read! The characters are phenomenal and are sure to keep you locked in to the story-line. Can't wait for my full review? Read my quickie Goodreads review here! 

The Dark Ones by Rachel Van Dyken-

This is the first book in a new paranormal series by Rachel Van Dyken. There's a ton of potential here, but it is a short read clocking in at only 268 pages. The story isn't particularly novel in its presentation, but it is enjoyable nonetheless and serves as a great introductory tale.

Bound by Duty by Stormy Smith-

I liked this book, but I do feel that the romance was a bit forced and the story line was a bit predictable. Whether logical or not, I do have high hopes for the next books in this series, as the first book does have good bones. Can't wait for my full review? Read my quickie Goodreads review here! 

Queen of the Deep by Kay Kenyon-

Queen of the Deep is a book I received courtesy of NetGalley. This was definitely a weird read for me. I say that in the most positive way though! The story was quite different than most of what I had been reading at the time, however, it needed to spend just a little more time in the development tank. Can't wait for my full review? Read my quickie Goodreads review here!

I look forward to posting more about these books as well as a few others in the near future! In the meantime, happy reading!

-K

Always You by Missy Johnson

Title: Always You
Author: Missy Johnson
Genres: Romance/Drama/Young Adult

Maturity Rating: 13+
Some graphic sensuality, but okay for a mature teen reader
Overall Rating:

My Quickie Synopsis: Wrenn is taken in by her aunt when tragedy befalls her family; her aunt also happens to be the headmistress of her new all girls school. Still acclimating to her new surroundings, Wrenn is blindsided by her substitute teacher Dalton Reed. He's everything she never knew she wanted and more, but Dalton's secrets and position of authority threaten to derail their relationship before it even begins.

Enjoyment Factor:
And here we go again; here is yet another book that claims it's new adult, but screams young adult fiction again and again. Our main heroine is in high school and our main hero is her hot, young, substitute teacher. No matter how you look at it, the relationship is sketchy as hell. Yes, she's of legal age, and yes, the age difference is acceptable; however, this particular love story just doesn't ring true. Why would a man who has spent the better part of his life avoiding commitment suddenly give in to having a go with a girl who could potentially ruin his career?

This is a joke...right?

Even if I could overlook that glaring inconsistency in the name of super duper insta-love syndrome, I can't get over how painfully immature Wrenn is. Honestly, it killed the book for me. The way Wrenn reacted when she confronted Dalton about his secret was juvenile, and I can't believe that Dalton just took it. To top it off, the girl has no filter. She flat out asked a character what it was like to watch her husband suffer. There was no easing into the question, and there was no softening context. The girl is just plain rude and selfish; I don't see why a character like Dalton would become hung up over her just because of her blunt, simplistic world views. It's still not ranking with the worst books that I've ever read though, so it gets a two star enjoyment rating; I know there's an audience for this, but it just wasn't my cup of tea.

Technical Rating:

Character Building:
For as much as I disliked the heroine, I can't say that she was an underdeveloped character. As a matter of fact, all of the characters had depth to them, with the possible exception of Paige. But, thankfully, the story wasn't about her, so I'll let that one slide. I think my favorite character though had to be Wrenn's best friend. She was a good dose of quirky in a desolate landscape of romantic angst.

Plot Strength:
The premise of the story is actually pretty good; taboo romance, hot-for-teacher action, and heavy secrets should all make great ingredients for a steamy good read. But there was no follow-through! If this were a cake, the story would be the equivalent of mixing all the ingredients but never actually putting it in the oven. There was an overall lack of cohesiveness in the plot elements that made it feel like I was being bounced around from scene to scene.

Sincerity:
I find myself struggling on how to rate this category; on one hand, I still fail to see how the characters would ever end up together. However, if I maintain a healthy distance from my own reservations, I see the glimmer of a possibility. Perhaps she's so broken and he's so dense that they actually work together. I can partially accept that.

Editing:
I honestly think that the editor went through the first half of the book and said to themselves that it was decent and then proceeded to ignore the latter half of the novel. If I went back to re-read this, I could probably point out the exact page that marked the beginning of the editor's holiday. It was jarring; there I was sailing through the book and then suddenly I was hit with rough waters. It's not a pleasant feeling.

Pacing:
The accusations that Paige made were so quickly brushed off that it made my head spin. What was the point of even dropping that bomb if you weren't going to dedicate serious time to exploring it? I'll make another analogy since I'm on a roll: It's like making a tutorial that only shows the beginning and the end steps. Pointless. Outside of that warp-speed fast-forward, I think the pacing was adequately handled, so a half star it is!

My Icing on Top:
I'm going to be honest here; the secret that Dalton has is one that was similar to a secret my own boyfriend had to share. All I felt was heartbreak when Wrenn started to throw a tantrum over it; I couldn't fathom being so cruel. Did that affect my enjoyment rating? Absolutely. But I tried to not let that bleed into my technical rating. This isn't an awful book, but it is awfully predictable. It's an average tale of two people with less than stellar pasts who come together in a somewhat taboo romance. Consider Always You to be a midnight snack of books; it can be your guilty pleasure, your little secret, until you get to read a more fulfilling story at a later point in time. But don't come complaining to me about remorse; I told you so!

Check out my informal review on Goodreads!

Happy reading!

-K

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Title: The Fault in Our Stars
Author: John Green
Genre: Young Adult/Drama/Romance

Maturity Rating: 13+
Overall Rating:

My Quickie Synopsis: Hazel Lancaster is a young woman with terminal cancer who has been blessed with receiving ground-breaking medicine that has hindered the growth of her tumors. But Hazel knows that it's only a temporary fix; she doesn't want to get too close to anyone because she feels like a ticking time bomb. That all changes the day she meets Augustus Waters.

Enjoyment Factor:
I finally gave in and read this book, primarily because I was considering going to see the movie. Now that I've read the book, I'm actually wondering if for once the movie might be better. There is a bucket load of pretentious writing in this novel. Granted, being a little on the cavalier side is a popular trait in teens, but this took the cake. The following quotes are just a few nuggets of the philosophical rhetoric that fill the novel:
"My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations." 
“We’re as likely to hurt the universe as we are to help it, and we’re not likely to do either."
“It seemed like forever ago, like we've had this brief but still infinite forever. Some infinities are bigger than other infinities.” 
“Pain is like fabric: The stronger it is, the more it’s worth.” 
"You're arguing that the fragile, rare thing is beautiful simply because it is fragile and rare. But that's a lie, and you know it."
I'm sure that by now you've seen tons of memes/graphics/posts that spew out these lines. On their own they do hold meaning, sure. On their own they are bright, vibrant beacons of thought provoking sentiments. However, The Fault in Our Stars is drowning in these one-liners and I think that the over emphasis seriously detracted from the story. If the point is to show that you have to live life to the fullest and not let ailments define you, I think the book failed. It's full of defeatist mentality; I'm not buying that the sarcasm of the main characters shows that they are above their predicament. Honestly, the main thing I took away from reading the novel was that I must be a glutton for self-inflicted emotional sabotage.

Except you can't; your tear ducts have been hijacked.

The Fault in Our Stars is probably one of the better crafted contemporary stories out there designed to make you feel. The entire book read like a long eulogy of the reader's heart. Seriously. There's a pretty good chance that you'll cry at the end.
But even with its shortcomings, The Fault in Our Stars is a good read. It's nice to see the ebb and flow of Hazel's relationships with her family, her friends and, of course, Augustus. I enjoyed it, but it's not something I'm too keen on reading again.




Technical Rating:

Character Building:
I think that the character building was fine, although perhaps a bit monotonous. It seemed like the majority of the cast of characters had the exact same personality just to varying degrees. I can't particularly fault the book for that though because in the end, it works.

Plot Strength:
For every strong plot element in The Fault in Our Stars there seems to be an equally weak element lurking nearby. The exposition was great; you get hooked on the characters and their life stories because Mr. Green pulls you in right away. But then the rising action feels lacking; the love story seems forced at times as if we were reading a manual on how romance ought to be. Augustus may have been on a roller coaster that kept going up, but the plot was on a crazy inverted roller coaster of exhilarating highs and sickening lows.

Sincerity:
The sincerity of the novel was both a hit and miss for me. Sometimes it felt like I was being artificially manipulated to feel for these characters; there's something to be said for a book that can evoke emotions organically. The story also felt a lot like being talked at, and not in a good way. I would prefer not to be preached at about how we are all simply side effects of dying! That being said, I did get an emotional rise or two out of this book, so I can't completely knock it on the sincerity front.

Editing:
The editing was fine. I did get the sense that Mr. Green struggled with how to make his characters sound like teens. "Like" and "um" are both peppered throughout Hazel's inner dialogue as well as forced modern euphemisms such as "I'd tap that." Even so, I don't think it was necessarily detrimental, so full marks here.

Pacing:
I think the ending felt a little rushed in spots, however, I think it all goes back to the remark in the book that you get to choose how you tell the story. Here, they chose not to dwell so much on sad times but rather on the happier moments throughout the book. So, even though it isn't what I'd normally say was appropriate, I think the rushed spots were meaningful in their own way.

My Icing on Top:
Honestly, the more I think about it, the more that I believe that this story was meant for one person and one person only: Esther Grace Earl. It was a chance for Mr. Green to write something beautiful for a young woman who passed away without ever experiencing her own romantic moment of happiness. And it was also a way for Mr. Green to pay homage to the time that he worked with ill children; apparently he had wanted to write a story about children as cancer patients for ten years! Perhaps the faults that I found within the book simply stem from the fact that the book wasn't written for me, or for any general audience. It is a tribute piece that isn't for everyone. If you're looking for a young adult fiction with a moving love story, a la Nicholas Sparks, then give The Fault in Our Stars a try!

Check out my informal review on Goodreads!

Happy reading!

-K

Very Bad Things (Briarcrest Academy #1) by Ilsa Madden-Mills

Title:  Very Bad Things
Series: Briarcrest Academy #1
Author: Ilsa Madden-Mills
Genre: Young Adult/Romance/Dark

Maturity Rating: 17+
*WARNING: TRAUMA TRIGGERS*
Overall Rating:

My Quickie Synopsis: Nora Blakely seems like she has the best of everything; she's talented, smart, beautiful and comes from a well-to-do family. But Nora is harboring excruciatingly dark secrets, and she's tired of having to put on a face of perfection. She's ready to give in to her darker side.

Enjoyment Factor:
This book had me seriously scratching my head over what constitutes being a new adult book. In my head, I always considered new adult as being anything that happens post high school up until the late twenties, early thirties range of adulthood. But this story, which was promoted as new adult fiction, focuses entirely on a girl who is still in high school. Sure, she's nineteen, but she's still in high school. There's still locker-side talk going on. This book read like a young adult fiction that desperately wanted to be in the big leagues of adult fiction but settled for calling itself new adult. I'm not buying it.

A cotton candy book playing with trauma triggers?

Mislabeled genres aside, this book just came across as weak. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't fantastic either. The main characters felt so extraordinarily cookie cutter and I just didn't connect with them the way I would have wanted to. I was actually more invested in what happened to the supporting characters; perhaps the author was more invested in them as well since she goes on to tell their stories in subsequent books.
My main problem with Very Bad Things is that it puts a nice veil on a very serious topic. Everything is handled so incredibly casually and with such shallow convictions that the story lost quite a bit of its much needed poignancy. Everyone deals with trauma in their own way, but I feel like Very Bad Things glamorizes the after-effects. Instead of actually dealing head on with what Nora was going through, everything seemed more like a long-coming rebellious phase that was due to an overbearing, evil mother.To make matters worse, there definitely was some rose-colored shading going on as well. I could understand if the author didn't want to focus much on Nora's traumatic past, but the fact of the matter is that she made it a huge plot point that was only brought up when it was convenient. If it weren't for this indelicate handling, I'd probably rate the book slightly higher. As it stands though, I do realize that there's an audience out there that would eat this up without batting an eye, so it gets a solid two stars from me!

Technical Rating:

Character Building:
I touched on this a bit in my initial response, but to reiterate, the main characters needed quite a bit of work. Both Nora and Leo are extraordinarily flat in their character builds; any complexities that they had felt like mere ornaments to their personalities instead of having actual intrinsic value. The supporting cast of characters were a bit more grounded, which was refreshing, but disappointing at the same time. If only the main characters had been developed as much!

Plot Strength:
I'm not sure if you'll recall when I explained what a cotton candy book is, but I'll redefine that here. A cotton candy book is one that looks amazing, sounds like it's interesting, but when you read it, you realize that even though it might fulfill a base desire, there isn't actually much there to it. Very Bad Things is one such book. There's no actual edge to this book, and the plot elements are as weak as the character builds of the main characters. The climax? Anticlimactic. The resolution? Loose at best. However, the elements are there so I gave it half a star.

Sincerity:
The supporting characters save Very Bad Things from getting a big fat zero in this category. The main characters are borderline unbelievable in their actions. A lot of pieces don't really add up when it comes to the pair, and I can't even chalk it up to fairy tale syndrome.

Editing:
I can't particularly recall anything that made me cringe or stumble, so full marks here.

Pacing:
The only time that I took real issue with the pacing was towards the end. Everything was speedily wrapped up for the HEA (Happily Ever After). I did skim a few parts, but to my recollection it had nothing to do with a slow paced story, I just was getting fed up with the main characters! So an okay pace overall, I give it a half star.

My Icing on Top:
In all fairness I read this from the anthology Devour, which I mentioned in a previous review. Unfortunately, the anthology is no longer available for purchase (it was a limited time kind of deal) so you'll have to settle for buying this lovely tale on its own. For the reasons stated above, this book was not my cup of tea. However, I do know that this will come as a happy diversion book for many readers out there. If you (like me) take issue with traumas taken lightly, don't read this book. But, if you're just looking for your next fluff piece that has decent insta-love, give Very Bad Things a shot.

Check out my informal review on Goodreads!

As always, happy reading!

-K

Lexicon by Max Barry

Title: Lexicon
Author: Max Barry
Genre: Thriller/Science Fiction/Fantasy

Maturity Rating: 13+
*Graphic scenes, but more than manageable for high level teen readers*
Overall Rating:

My Quickie Synopsis: Wil Jamieson finds himself in the center of a war that he cannot comprehend; there are people who can wield words as weapons, bending the world around them to their will. Caught in a tug of war between the two factions, Wil must fight to survive and uncover his hidden past before it's too late.

Enjoyment Factor: 

This is one of those books that grabs you by the collar on the very first page and dares you to look away. It's pretty balls-to-the-wall from the get go. It's uncomfortable. It's fantastic. It's bizarre. It's thought-provoking. There's a reason why the likes of TIME Magazine and NPR are shouting its high praises as one of the best reads from 2013. And yes, I know. It's 2014, but that doesn't make this book any less stellar. You know how in high school, or college (if you took certain liberal arts courses) you had to read books and write book reports? Yeah, this is a book that makes me want to write a book report. There's so much to discuss and I'm already having a hard time not jumping right into any highfalutin BS that you didn't come here to read. The premise is extraordinarily smart and edgy and it makes sense. Words have always held power, but their power is much more immediate and tangible in Mr. Barry's imagined world.

Start to think about why words, even images, affect you the way that they do.

But let's step aside from the intellectual side of Lexicon for a moment, shall we? I want to point out that Mr. Barry presents a highly entertaining read. You don't have to dig deeper to find the "greater meaning" of the book to enjoy it. It's an action-packed roller coaster ride of adventure and even if you only give it a surface read, it more than blows away most expectations for a good sci-fi thriller.

Technical Rating: 

Character Building:
I am not entirely certain how I feel about the main characters. I'm not sure whether my indecision is due to weak development, or just a general sense of unease about their attributes. That being said, the reason why I ultimately downgraded this particular rating had nothing to do with the protagonist(s) of the tale. The antagonist felt grossly glossed over. The announcement of the villain felt underwhelming in many ways, and truth be told, it detracted from the story.

Plot Strength:
For the most part (I'm talking a solid majority kind of part) I loved the plot. However, there are a lot of vague concepts that are never fully explained. I'm going to go ahead and say that the fuzzy "what the what?" feelings that Lexicon provides are purposeful; I think one of the main points to the tale is that you'll never fully understand every how or every why. Just like it's nearly impossible to wrap your mind around the why and the how of words affecting people the way that they do. Sure, you can give a technical explanation by going into the details of the brain and its mechanics, but after a certain level, you'll be left grasping at straws. Anyway, I'm starting to get into that highfalutin BS I promised I wouldn't get into, so let me just say why I didn't give this category a full star: the ending. It's such a cop-out! I actually felt a little shortchanged. Here I was, completely invested in what was going on, even though at times the story crumbled under its own weight. And then, BAM! A watered down ending that felt like Mr. Barry just wanted to be done with writing.

Sincerity:
Terrible ending aside, I think the sincerity was spot on. The way the plot was set up, I could see the events as having plausibility. And the characters felt like they belonged in that crazy world with their super secret war raging.

Editing/Writing:
I caught a couple of strange typos, but I'm going to chalk it up to E-book conversion. 
By the way, I haven't made any serious note about this, but I do generally read books in some kind of e-book format. At the moment it's just the more economically sound decision!

Pacing:
As I said before, Lexicon was a roller coaster ride, and the pacing reflected that. It picked up where it needed to and slowed down when it was appropriate for the tone of the events.

My Icing on Top:
So this review had been finished. And then it didn't save properly and I lost about half of it; I just can't catch a freaking break! I do feel slightly bad about getting back to re-writing it so long after the fact, but I owe you all quite a few reviews at this point! Anyway, go read Lexicon if you're looking for your summer fix. It's an intelligent story that will have you glued to the pages (or screen) until the very end. And if you're the type that likes to discuss the deeper meanings of books, hit me up! I'd love to discuss this with you :)

Check out my informal review on Goodreads!

Happy reading!

-K