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

The Iron King (The Iron Fey #1) by Julie Kagawa

Title: The Iron King
Series: The Iron Fey #1
Author: Julie Kagawa
Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy/Romance

Maturity Rating: 13+
Overall Rating:


My Quickie Synopsis: Meghan Chase must go on a fantastical adventure when her younger half-brother is kidnapped and brought to another realm. Along the way she meets all manner of odd creatures and learns secrets about herself and those around her that send her reeling head-first into a secret war.

Enjoyment Factor: 
The Iron King has been on my radar for a while now, but for some reason I just never felt the pull to read this particular book. However, I was specifically searching for books that were similar to the feel of the 80's movie Labyrinth recently, and The Iron King consistently came up. So I finally gave in. Don't judge me; David Bowie fascinates me! But, my obsession with 80's movies aside, I didn't rate this book based on its nostalgia factor for me, I promise!

If anything, The Iron King reminded me of Alice in Wonderland.

Ms. Kagawa is one powerhouse of a writer, and it shows in this book. It is an enjoyable read, but I wasn't falling all over myself to get to the second book right away. I had a few problems with plot execution to the point where I started to feel slightly disenchanted. The story is like a deliciously tantalizing piece of chocolate that's only slightly expired. You eat it anyway (well, if you're me, ha!), but you realize that it's not as good as it had the potential to be.




Technical Rating:

Character Building:
I suppose the one character that I take issue with most for development purposes is the Iron King, himself. The book is titled after him, for goodness' sake! And yet, I don't feel like we learned much of anything about him at all. What's up with that?! I'm not also entirely sure how I feel about the shaping of Ash; I understand for the time being his character is supposed to be more on the mysterious side, however, already there are inconsistencies.

Plot Strength:
Oh, boy. Well, like I said, this book was an enjoyable read, but had some plot issues. SPOILERS HIDDEN

How could a mother not realize that her son is not the same, especially considering that she remembers her encounter with the Seelie king. That shows that she must have a higher sensitivity to the Fae, right? And what was the point of the Iron King, except as a prop at the end? Perhaps he isn't truly dead, but still, his sudden demise left much to be desired.

I'm somewhat wondering if these issues had to do with the fact that this is Ms. Kagawa's first series. In my mind, perhaps she wasn't sure of the reception of the story so she gave it the ability to be a stand-alone if it came to that; but with a story of this magnitude, wrapping the story up so tightly actually suffocated the plot and didn't allow it to play out naturally.

Sincerity:
Perhaps I'm out of touch with the times; I hear that it's a problem that plagues adults as they get older. Anyway, I think that the insta-love was ill-placed. I understood it to a point, but seriously? A girl who just turns 16 and a boy (man?) who is quite possibly immortal and who is supposedly her enemy just don't add up. Sorry, not buying it!

Editing:
The Iron King shows Ms. Kagawa to be quite the proficient writer with a fantastic editing team.

Pacing:
The main antagonist and the general romance were so incredibly rushed. I was highly disappointed! This is the first book in a series and I felt like rushing those elements was a great disservice to both the book and the series overall.

My Icing on Top:
I haven't read many books that center specifically on Fae; usually Fae are companion characters to paranormal story-lines. I'm not sure if that's because I haven't been looking hard enough, or if it just isn't what's "in" right now. Either way, this book was interesting and I do know that I will eventually continue on with this series. My hope is that because her first book was so well received, Ms. Kagawa's remaining books in the series will strive to be a bit more polished in terms of plot and character development.

Check out my informal review on Goodreads!

Happy reading!

-K

The Maze Runner (The Maze Runner #1) by James Dashner

Title: The Maze Runner
Series: The Maze Runner #1
Author: James Dashner
Genre: Young Adult/Dystopia/Science Fiction

Maturity Rating: 13+
*WARNING*: SOME POTENTIALLY NIGHTMARE-INDUCING ELEMENTS
Overall Rating:

My Quickie Synopsis: Thomas finds himself thrust into a group of all boys who, like himself, can't remember anything other than their first names. If that weren't terrifying enough, their group is enclosed by mountainous walls that lead into a labyrinth, which seems to have no rhyme or reason. Then the first girl ever arrives, signaling that things are about to change. And it may not be for the better.

Initial Rating:
My Initial Response: "The night is dark and full of terrors!" Isn't that from Game of Thrones? No matter; it suits this book perfectly. I started this series when I was craving something akin to The Hunger Games, and I was not disappointed. The Maze Runner is a highly imaginative tale that will keep you up at night with it's fast paced writing and gripping story. As a side note, when I was looking for the image of the book cover, I came across fan art of the Grievers (one of those terrors of the book); it was absolutely incredible how real the images were to me. It goes to show what great descriptions that Mr. Dashner provides, because the images that these artists rendered looked exactly like the ones that filled my head while I was reading the novel. Truly terrifying.

The Grievers are way too creepy for their own good

Terrifying or not though, I could not put this book down. I remember talking to my boyfriend about it as I read it (a very bad habit of mine), and he was just as enthralled by the story as I was. And that was from my rambling second-hand account! The one reason why I can't give this a full five stars is because of how detached everything seems at times. There's a disconnect between the story and the readers due to a culmination of flat points.
I wasn't entirely sure where they were going with the overall plot because some of the mystery elements were a little dragged out; but, I can't say that I was surprised by the ending epilogue. Call me a cynic or just a generally desensitized person, but I could see this plot line playing out in an alternate future.

Technical Rating:
Character Building:
You know that board on Craigslist about missed connections? For some reason, that's all that comes to mind when trying to think of an adequate way to talk about Mr. Dashner's character building. There was a lot of initial spark, but the story sometimes had a way of trampling on character development. The plot had to move on, so some relationships ended up a bit neglected. At the very least, the foundation for the main characters was set.

Plot Strength:
The more that I consider the plot, the more that I realize that there were times when it was inconsistent. As you're reading it, it's easy to chalk up any plot holes as actual plot devices to keep you reading. After all, there is an air of mystery surrounding The Maze Runner. So what if a few things don't completely add up? In addition, this is a part of a trilogy, and some authors are known to throw in a lot of red herrings until the very end of the series. But, it can't be denied that this plot could have been a lot stronger if it made a bit more sense overall.

Sincerity:
Again, the lower rating is because of some of the flat spots within the writing. It's hard for me to elaborate on this without giving away anything, but suffice it to say, Mr. Dashner has the potential to improve this area in his next books.

Editing:
I didn't find any editing problems in The Maze Runner. I didn't particularly always like the new slang that Mr. Dashner came up with, but it works in terms of the setting that he built.

Pacing:
The Maze Runner probably would have benefited from slowing down slightly. Just as I stated with character building, sometimes it felt like Mr. Dashner was simply in a hurry to move the plot forward at certain times, and other elements of the story suffered. A mistake that I'm beginning to see for a lot of authors is the idea that a story has to be the same pace at all times; it doesn't. In that sense, I'd compare a story to that of a musical selection; not all music carries the same tempo throughout, and usually those are the most compelling pieces of art.

My Icing on Top:
If you're just catching on to the wave of The Maze Runner, you have impeccable timing! This series is set to be made into movies, the first of which is set to release in September, 2014. I sincerely hope that it sees better success than some of the other flops that have hit the screens lately, like Beautiful Creatures and The Mortal Instruments. Movies aside, however, I think that this series is worth looking into if you like the dystopian, young adult genre. I recommend it even more so to those who are tired of insta-love syndromes and overbearing romantic notions that saturate the young adult market at the moment. Just my two cents!

Before I sign off, I'd like to point out that I am having issues giving technical ratings without spoiling the story! I guarantee it will be something I'll be able to better address, however, when I have my website up and running.

Until then, happy reading!

Check out my informal review on Goodreads!

-K