Die For Me by Amy Plum - Review

Warning: This Review is Spoilerific!!
Die for Me (Revenants #1) by Amy Plum
Library copy read by me on August 7, 2011

First, let me say how much I liked this book. Secondly, let me tell you just how much this book reminds me of Twilight. Okay, to be fair, it doesn't 'remind' me of Twilight. It almost IS Twilight. (And I like Twilight.) Just like Twilight, Die For Me is not literary genius, but it is very entertaining for the most part.

Die For Me follows almost all of the same plot points from Twilight. It's eerily similar. But not so eerie if you read the author's blog and realize how much she loves Twilight. So she wrote her own version of Twilight, but instead of a family of vampires she uses the term 'zombie' - which is just to say that they are undead.

Off the top of my head, here are the ways that Die For Me is like Twilight:
Teenage Kate moves to a new city - Paris to be precise.
Kate meets boy, Vincent, under mysterious circumstances and is attracted to him instantly.
Vincent falls for Kate for no reason.
Kate obsesses over Vincent's good looks while not believing herself pretty enough to be worthy of him.
Vincent stalks Kate.
Vincent doesn't sleep.
Vincent is a 100 year old virgin who has never been in love before Kate.
Vincent wants he and Kate to stay pure.
Vincent thinks Kate should stay away from him for her own good, but he is miserable without her.
Vincent's Family has been around for centuries undetected. But they immediately take a liking to Kate and let her in their family unit.
Kate has a special power that no other human has.
Bad guys go after Kate to get to Vincent's family.
There's more, but I'll stop the comparison here.

I still can't believe that I like this book. It's total ripoff! But I gave it 3.5 stars anyway. And honestly, if I had never read Twilight, I would think that Die For Me was so original and different.

I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series. Hopefully Amy Plum can come up with the rest of this story without copying Twilight. Who knows, maybe she CAN have an original thought.

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There You'll Find Me - Review

There You'll Find Me by Jenny B. Jones

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Wonderfully written with diverse characters, There You'll Find Me is very heartfelt. I am not a religious person, so I was leery about reading this, but I am glad I did. While there were a few Bible verses, it wasn't overly preachy. Although I did find it odd that ALL of the secondary characters in this story had such firm religious beliefs. It was with the help and guidance of these characters that the protagonist, Finley, found her way through a difficult time.

Finley has lost touch with God after the death of her brother. Reading her brother's travel journal, Finley decides to follow in his footsteps and spend her senior year as an exchange student in Ireland. She believes that visiting the places that brought her brother closer to God will do the same for her.

On the plane to Ireland, Finley meets Beckett Rush, an actor and heartthrob who is a tabloid favorite. Because of Beckett's well publicized exploits, Finley wants nothing to do with him. Of course Beckett likes Finley due to her lack of interest in him. Beckett finds a way to spend time with Finley - by helping her locate and visit the places from her brother's journal.

I liked the slow build to the Finley/Beckett romance. They were able to let go and be themselves around each other, which lets the reader get to know them also.

While this is a serious book with lots of issues going on, it still had cute, fun, and entertaining moments throughout.

Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas Nelson for the eARC.

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Hereafter - Review

Hereafter by Tara Hudson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

While I enjoyed reading Hereafter, it was a little lacking. The writing didn't have enough depth, at least as far as the characters go. I would have loved to learn more of what Amelia and Joshua were thinking and feeling. Especially after Joshua saw Amelia for the first time. While I think their need for each other was a little quick, I can understand why they would be attracted to each other (even if this attraction and 'love' was never explained by the author). I am grateful that they didn't profess their love for each other over and over. It was just there, through looks and touches and actions, but not over the top excessive.

Then there were times when the story got too 'wordy' for me. How many times and how many paragraphs do you need to describe a sunset? How many times do you need to describe the tingles when Joshua touches Amelia? Or describe Amelia's 'nightmare'?

Overall, the story flowed nicely. There was enough happening that it kept my interest and kept me reading to find out what was going on. Throw in a Grandma who can also see spirits, a bad spirit named Eli, and a little sister who needs saving, and you have an entertaining read. And it turns out a lot of things were never explained, so that leaves me wanting to read the next book to find out what happens.

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What Happened to Goodbye - Review

What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I just finished reading What Happened to Goodbye, and I must say it's typical Sarah Dessen. Only this time it's a little boring. Nothing exciting happened at all. It just sort of rolls along.

The protagonist, Mclean, while likable, wasn't very deep. Since her parent's divorce, she has lived with her father, which means moving to a new town every 6 months due to his work. Mclean manages to reinvent herself in every new town. She can be whatever and whoever she chooses - she even has a different name with every move. It seems like it would take a lot of work to pull off a new persona with every new town. Her dad doesn't even notice that Mclean is a different person in each new place. And she doesn't get along with her mother, and feels that she doesn't fit in with her mother's life since the divorce (she remarried and has a set of twins). Mclean seems to have no problem packing up and leaving everything behind - she doesn't even make a point of telling her current set of friends goodbye.

In the latest move, Mclean becomes known as Mclean before she has a chance to become a new persona. So she finally decides to just be herself. Dave, the boy next door (literally) was flat and uninteresting. Even though everyone told us how different he was, he didn't display any qualities that would make him likable as boyfriend material. Sadly, Dave and Mclean didn't have chemistry, and there were no 'wow' moments between them.

I liked the new friends that Mclean made. They were an interesting lot, even if they weren't fleshed out at all.

Towards the end of the book, Mclean's lifestyle catches up with her and she is forced to realize why she has been hiding behind the varied versions of herself. It's all resolved quite quickly and with only the very slightest amount of teenage angst.

Another reviewer, Joy Kim, summed this up perfectly: "The good thing about Sarah Dessen is that you always know exactly what you're getting when you pick up one of her books. The bad thing is that you always know exactly what you're getting when you pick up one of her books."

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Where She Went - Review

Where She Went by Gayle Forman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.5 Stars

I really enjoyed If I Stay, and I was looking forward to reading Adam's POV in Where She Went. I started reading and could not stop. I was about 88% finished when I was just overwhelmed and had to stop. My heart was breaking for Adam. It has taken me several weeks to have enough courage to pick up this book and finish it. I went over possible endings in my head. Did I want them back together, or would I be satisfied if they had 'closure' and walked away from each other? I was quite scared that I wouldn't like the outcome. Now I am glad that I took the break before finishing. The ending was emotional and very satisfying. If I Stay and Where She Went are definite must-reads for everyone.

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Sing Me To Sleep - Review

Sing Me To Sleep by Angela Morrison

In Sing Me To Sleep we meet Beth, who is nicknamed the Beast at school since she is very tall and not attractive. Even her own father called her "damn ugly" when she was born. Beth has a childhood friend, Scott, who you can tell right away really likes her, unattractive or not. Beth's one bright spot in her life is singing. Not just in the school choir, but in a competitive girls choir. And Beth can really SING.

The girls choir gets invited to a competition in Switzerland, where Beth meets handsome and mysterious Derek, who is part of the famous Amabile Choir.

Derek is elusive - he is with Beth for a day or two, and then disappears for days or weeks at a time, and gives no explanation to Beth. This makes Beth wonder if he loves her as much as she loves him. Derek insists he does love Beth, but is still not willing to divulge his secrets. This made me want to keep reading and find out what this gorgeous, confidant boy was hiding.

Portions of the storyline take place in the form of song lyrics. Beth wrote lyrics to help her get through life. Sometimes she wrote down the lyrics, but sometimes they were just in her head. This was a really interesting way to show what Beth was thinking and feeling throughout the book.

Overall, this was a good read for me. It was entertaining and a little mysterious and kept my interest until the very end. Yes, there are things that bothered me. Derek's actions made him appear selfish and manipulative, but by the end of the book I understood why he did what he did. The character of Beth came off as a little too needy and clingy - and always wanting to kiss Derek to show her love - no matter the circumstance (which were sometimes weird). I don't think the author intended Beth to come over this way, that's just how I interpreted her actions.

On a side note, this is a completely beautiful cover. I think it captures the innocence of first love.

Be sure to check out the Sing Me To Sleep page to watch the trailer for the book and to hear the Amabile choir sing "Beth's Song". If you watch the trailer you also learn how to pronounce 'Amabile', which I totally screwed up for most of the book.

Then, AFTER you have read Sing Me To Sleep, be sure to read The Epilogue.


Waiting at my library for me to pick up are
Taken by Storm by Angela Morrison
and
The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

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Hush, Hush - Review

***SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!***

I received Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick for Christmas. I was really looking forward to reading it. I had read some reviews that were favorable, so I thought I would give it a chance. I have to say that the cover just blew me away. It's very intriguing. So imagine my surprise when I finally started reading it and was less than enthused.

The prologue introduces the concept of the Nephilim, which is the offspring of a normal human and a fallen angel. Other than that brief mention, Nephilim isn't mentioned again until 2/3rds of the way through the book. Hush, Hush starts with Nora being thrown together with a new Biology partner, Patch. Nora then blunders around trying to find information on Patch and his past. Why? Does she like him? Is she attracted to him? Who knows. He's a jerk, he's rude and uncooperative, but Nora is just determined to find out about him, so she attempts to dig up whatever she can on him. We get to read along while she is clueless. Weird things happen. Nora is afraid Patch means to harm her, but she attempts to spend time with him anyway.

Nora happens to get of glimpse of Patch's back, where he has a V shaped scar. Of course this sets her on the path to discovering what the scar means. She puts the scar together with the carnival ride called The Archangel that she and Patch rode together. Nora types 'angel wing scars' into Google and is rewarded with the answer - Fallen Angel. Wow. How lame.

Hush, Hush really picks up the pace and action towards the end. I wish the entire book had been this good. Nora's life IS in danger - and not just from Patch. There's a twist at the end, and Patch ends up giving her life back - literally. Happy ending.

Since Twilight, every supernatural YA book is compared to it. However, there are too many similarities in Hush, Hush to write off as coincidental.

The sequel, Crescendo, comes out in November 2010. Nora digs into her own past, her father's disappearance, and her own relation to the Nephilim. Let's hope Becca Fitzpatrick has learned how to write a more compelling story from beginning to end.

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