Bout of Books: Wrap-up

May 20, 2013 by Anya 2 Comments

Bout of Books Finish Line :D

Woooohoooo, we did it! While I’ve signed up for Bout of Books before, this was the first time that I was able to really increase my reading and participate a little bit ;-). As the road-trip continued, I realized that I had no internet access on the final stop, so I’m sorry for suddenly no longer updating and I didn’t get to join any challenges or chats :(. Goals for next time!

All in all I finished 6 books! Two of them were novellas ;-). I also made progress on my read-a-long book. Here they are:

Gameboard of the Gods – started a while ago and finished on Monday. Quite enjoyable, recommended for adult sci-fi fans!
Legion – novella which I listened to on audio. Started on Sunday, finished on Monday.
Siege and Storm – ARC borrowed from a friend that obviously HAD to get read :D. Started on Tuesday, finished on Wednesday and so much love!
Through the Door – Netgalley book that has already been published. Started on Wednesday, progress on Thursday, finished on Friday. This was a really fun celtic inspired fantasy (set in modern day), I do recommend you trying it if you got your hands on a copy.
And All the Stars – Netgalley book from aaaages ago that I never got to. What was wrong with me?? This alien invasion apocalypse story was so awesome. Started on Saturday, finished on Sunday and highly recommended if you have an alien invasion craving after 5th Wave ;-).
Among the Nameless Stars – Funny story, I got my titles mixed up and thought this one was the above from Netgalley, then realized it was too short and was actually the novella that I had downloaded free, haha. Anyway, I loved this prequel and am going to be ordering For Darkness Shows the Stars asap. Read on Saturday.
The Dragon Reborn – This is my read-a-long book that I’m so behind on, but I made progress and hopefully can finish this week in time for the grand finale posts :D.

This was such a successful read-a-thon for me, I never read this many books this quickly! I still have a lot of review books that I need to get going on, but first to the review writing, haha!

How did you read-a-thon go???

-A

Filed Under: Administrative Tagged With: bout of books, goals

2 Stars: The Resurrectionist by E. B. Hudspeth

May 20, 2013 by Anya 4 Comments

I was very excited to receive The Resurrectionist by E. B. Hudspeth from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program. I love a good fantastical nonfiction that brings to life and reality all of the fun fantasy critters we adore ;-). However, I found my expectations were somewhat misplaced, since The Resurrectionist is not a book about dragons and satyrs being real and dug up. Instead it is a story about a mad “scientist” who constructs mythical creatures from tortured animals and humans in his desperation to be right about their existence. While The Ressurectionist might appeal to those who love a macabre premise and some pretty illustrations, it was not my cup of tea.

Note: I received a copy of The Resurrectionist to review through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program.
Goodreads | Amazon | LibraryThing

Title: The Resurrectionist: The Lost Work of Dr. Spencer Black
Author: E. B. Hudspeth
Length: 192 pages
Genre-ish: Fictional Nonfiction
Rating: ★★☆☆☆- Pretty pictures, creepy and inaccurate

Philadelphia, the late 1870s. A city of gas lamps, cobblestone streets, and horse-drawn carriages—and home to the controversial surgeon Dr. Spencer Black. The son of a grave robber, young Dr. Black studies at Philadelphia’s esteemed Academy of Medicine, where he develops an unconventional hypothesis: What if the world’s most celebrated mythological beasts—mermaids, minotaurs, and satyrs—were in fact the evolutionary ancestors of humankind?

The Resurrectionist offers two extraordinary books in one. The first is a fictional biography of Dr. Spencer Black, from a childhood spent exhuming corpses through his medical training, his travels with carnivals, and the mysterious disappearance at the end of his life. The second book is Black’s magnum opus: The Codex Extinct Animalia, a Gray’s Anatomyfor mythological beasts—dragons, centaurs, Pegasus, Cerberus—all rendered in meticulously detailed anatomical illustrations. You need only look at these images to realize they are the work of a madman. The Resurrectionist tells his story.– Goodreads

Strengths:

The premise of The Resurrectionist is interesting. I think all lovers of fantasy like to think about whether mermaids and all the other mythical beasts could have been real. I love the idea of a “nonfiction” book diving into that concept.
The illustrations in the second half of the book are lovely and very detailed with all the anatomy of various beasts.
The first part of The Resurrectionist definitely felt like a real biography, complete with newspaper clippings and quotes.

Weaknesses:

There were some flaws with the historical set up. Dr. Black refers to genes and inheritance quite frequently and while was working on his theory at the time the book was supposed to be set, he had no idea how inheritance would have worked because DNA and genes had not been discovered yet. It was quite annoying to someone who has studied genetics even briefly.
We are going to continue on the science flaws bandwagon here with the flaws of how evolution was presented. While it is entirely possible these were on purpose because Dr. Black was obviously insane towards the end of his life, it still annoys and evolutionary scientist when evolution is presented as the body trying to reach a goal. That is not how it works at all.
Further, what Dr. Black was doing in the second half of his life is not science at all. The Resurrectionist continues to refer to his madness as science, when he was really just performing macabre surgeries for carnivals….
Finally, the whole story of The Resurrectionist was just waaaaay too creepy for me. Dr. Black is told to have sewn bird wings onto a living dog to try to prove it could work, and the torture and suffering of the animal is described in quite a lot of detail. Dr. Black didn’t keep to animals either, and there are hints of the horrible things he did to human beings to try to recreate harpies and snake-women…. Just too much for me personally.

Summary:

If you enjoy a creepy story with lots of illustrations to accompany it, then you might enjoy The Resurrectionist more than I did. Unfortunately, The Resurrectionist had various scientific and historic flaws that I just could not let go of and the general tone of the story was not what I enjoy.

- A

The Resurrectionist by E. B. Hudspeth

Filed Under: What A Story - Book Reviews Tagged With: dark fantasy, fictional nonfiction, hudspeth, resurrectionist, two stars

5 Stars: Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

May 17, 2013 by Anya 1 Comment

Veronica Rossi’s Through the Ever Night is the second in the Under the Never Sky trilogy and I have to say I think I liked the second book better :D. There will be spoilers for Under the Never Sky, so check out my review of it instead. Under the Never Sky was actually one of the first books I got from the library based on book blogger suggestions, so this trilogy has a special place in my heart ;-). I had some issues with the first book being too romance focused, but Through the Ever Night has completely fixed that problem! Through the Ever Night has strong friendships, heart-breaking adventure, just enough romance to make me smile, but a story beyond just how Aria and Perry feel about each other, haha. I haven’t read the novella about Roar and Liv, and I kind of recommend reading that before Through the Ever Night since I think it would have just upped the feels all the more. But now I get to go read it and get more of these awesome characters :D.
Goodreads | Amazon | LibraryThing

Title: Through the Ever Night
Author: Veronica Rossi
Length: 352 pages
Genre-ish: Dystopia YA
Rating: ★★★★★- amazing sequel, can’t wait for more!

It’s been months since Aria last saw Perry. Months since Perry was named Blood Lord of the Tides, and Aria was charged with an impossible mission. Now, finally, they are about to be reunited. But their reunion is far from perfect. The Tides don’t take kindly to Aria, a former Dweller. And with the worsening Aether storms threatening the tribe’s precarious existence, Aria begins to fear that leaving Perry behind might be the only way to save them both. Threatened by false friends, hidden enemies, and powerful temptations, Aria and Perry wonder,Can their love survive through the ever night? – Goodreads

Strengths:

Based on most of the YA books I’ve read, I’ve been convinced that boys and girls can’t be friends without falling in love. Through the Ever Night fixed this, yey! I was relieved and excited to see a strong friendship between Aria and Roar that didn’t have love triangle overtones (well, except for that one amusing moment with Perry >.>).
The action just keeps heating up in Through the Ever Night. The Aether is getting worse and not even Aria’s former home in the pod is safe. Everyone wants to find safe haven and I was biting my nails waiting to see how far they’d go to find it.
I know I said the romance wasn’t the major focus, and it isn’t, but I actually really like books where the main characters’ relationship is established and a comfy background to stressful plot developments. It’s like what real relationships are ya know?
If you’ve read Under the Never Sky, you already know this, but the writing of Through the Ever Night was fluid and compelling. The world-building is awesome (hope this doesn’t happen to our planet for reals D:). The characters develop and interact and grow together as real people. Also can I be best friends with all of them? I just need to hug Cinder and Willow :D.

Weaknesses:

I had a bit of vertigo when I started Through the Ever Night. I don’t re-read previous books before jumping into a sequel and I’ve never found it to be a problem. However, I felt like I had missed something when I started Through the Ever Night and actually went to make sure the novella wasn’t 1.5 and required to read 2. It’s not, you’ll get it figured out, just keep reading.
Ummm… when is the third book released please? (That’s all I got, I loved Through the Ever Night, sorry!)

Summary:

I like this pattern I’m seeing in second books where the romance becomes a secondary element and we get to really bite into the plot. Everything is being ratcheted up in Through the Ever Night and the friendships and relationships developed in the previous book are necessary for everyone to stay sane from the stress! If you were a little disappointed with the ending of Under the Never Sky, keep going! It’s totally worth it and you will (hopefully) not be disappointed. I wasn’t at least ;-).

Remember to subscribe for weekly reviews of awesome books!

- A

Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

Filed Under: What A Story - Book Reviews Tagged With: dystopia, five stars, heroine, rossi, sci-fi, through the ever night, trilogy

Bout of Books: Let’s Do This

May 13, 2013 by Anya 19 Comments

Bout of Books Starting Line

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 13th and runs through Sunday, May 19th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 7.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. – From the Bout of Books team

Yey it’s finally here :D *hops around excitedly* All right, so my reading list is changing a bit since I decided to join in the Clean Sweep challenge and therefore want to read all review copies! I also was very lucky and a certain awesome friend of mine gave me a lot of ARCs (old and newer) that she didn’t want to hold on to. I therefore have lots of ARCs to read, yey! I’m also lucky enough to be able to take a couple days off this week and go to my mom’s graduation which is a 12-hour drive away. My boyfriend prefers to drive and I prefer to read, so that’s 24+ hours of reading right there :D.

Note: I didn’t wisely plan lots of posts ahead of time and so I will not be posting anything besides Bout of Books things this week until Friday (when you can check out my review of Through the Ever Night :D). However, I will be updating this posts every day and entering in the challenges, yey!

There are some books that I accepted for review many many months ago that still need to get some love. Those will be first, though I’m not promising that I’ll read in any order, haha:

The Breeders
The Order of Dimensions
Tavern on the Edge of Time
Carlousia

And then I have a couple of NetGalley books that I need to read so NetGalley doesn’t get mad at me:

Gameboard of the Gods Finished 5/13/13 (4 Stars!)
Some Quiet Place
Through the Door
Playing Tyler
Mist

Then a couple of the old/new ARCs that I just really want to read and they totally count right?

Siege and Storm (omg, so excited) Amazing – 5 stars
Colossus Rises
Hero’s Guide to Saving the Kingdom
Hero’s Guide to Storming the Castle
The Wells Bequest
Winterling
Summerkin
Spellbinding
Different Girl
Rush

Finally, I have one short book that I borrowed from a friend and so will throw in if I’m craving it ;-)

Searching for Dragons

Still a very long list, but I’m not actually expecting to get all of them read, I just like lists, haha.

Updates

I’ll cross books off up above when I finish them, but here is where I’ll also put everything for each day.
[Read more...]

Filed Under: Administrative Tagged With: bout of books, goals

4.5 Stars: The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson ARC

May 13, 2013 by Anya 7 Comments

I was very excited to borrow an ARC of The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson from Krys at Bibliopunkk. I am a freaking huge Brandon Sanderson fan, so the opportunity to read his first YA novel was not one to pass up ;-). Like all Sanderson novels, The Rithmatist has a new and intriguing magic system, plot twists on top of plot twists, and characters you can’t help but adore. It also takes place in an alternate history where North America is actually an archipelago and so the United States is less united and more a bunch of island states that grudgingly cooperate! The Rithmatist is definitely a YA novel, though, with a magic school and teenage protagonists. While there isn’t a series indicator on the Goodreads page yet, I’m very much hoping Sanderson decides to write a sequel, because I can’t wait to go back to the world of chalk battles and mysteries. Though I have to admit that I’m still not sure which Rithmatist the title is referring to specifically….

I originally read an ARC borrowed from my friend. However, Tor also sent me a final copy for review, thank you!!! The Rithmatist will be published May 14th 2013, go get your copies tomorrow!
Goodreads | Amazon | LibraryThing

Title: The Rithmatist
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Length: 384 pages
Genre-ish: Fantasy YA
Rating: ★★★★★ (4.5) - amazing magic and ending, beginning a little simple

More than anything, Joel wants to be a Rithmatist. Chosen by the Master in a mysterious inception ceremony, Rithmatists have the power to infuse life into two-dimensional figures known as Chalklings. Rithmatists are humanity’s only defense against the Wild Chalklings—merciless creatures that leave mangled corpses in their wake. Having nearly overrun the territory of Nebrask, the Wild Chalklings now threaten all of the American Isles.
As the son of a lowly chalkmaker at Armedius Academy, Joel can only watch as Rithmatist students study the magical art that he would do anything to practice. Then students start disappearing—kidnapped from their rooms at night, leaving trails of blood. Assigned to help the professor who is investigating the crimes, Joel and his friend Melody find themselves on the trail of an unexpected discovery—one that will change Rithmatics—and their world—forever.– Goodreads

Strengths:

First thing is first: chalk magic :D. Certain people get the power to instill their chalk drawings with physical abilities like making an invisible wall above a line of chalk or attacking said walls. The best though are the little doodles that come to life to defend you or attack your opponent :D. There are dragons!!
I loved all of the characters for their own unique quirks. Melody is both girly with her unicorn drawings, insecure in her abilities and freaking hilarious in her declarations of “Everything is a tragedy!” Joel is a character many younger readers will relate to in that he is talented and bright when it comes to the subject he loves (Rithmatics) but is struggling in the rest of his classes because he just isn’t interested. Finally, Professor Fitch is a wonderful portrayal of the absent-minded professor, though he has his own strength when it comes to believing in all of his students, no matter their abilities. Seriously, I just want to hug all of these characters!
Brandon Sanderson always has awesome plot twists, and so I expected no less. The Rithmatist surprised me, however, with plot twists on top of plot twists with it all making sense in the end. I loved it! You will not be able to guess how this one ends, even when you only have 20 pages left ;-).
The alternate history was not emphasized much, but it was quite interesting as a backdrop to the magic and mystery. I am excited to learn more about how their world is different but similar to ours.
The ARC of the The Rithmatist that I read had delightful drawings that I’m sure with persist to the final copy. There are drawings at the beginning of every chapter to teach you about Rithmatic lines and strategies and then there are little doodles throughout the chapters of the chalkings (chalk creatures) that are being drawn in the accompanying text. They are awesome :D.
While the end of The Rithmatist left me content with what we had learned, it also is already building-up for an amazing sequel. I really hope that the sequel doesn’t take too long *puppy dog eyes*.
The ARC I originally read didn’t have a map, however the final copy does and it’s preeeeetty! It also helps a ton with understanding the alternative geography ;-).

Weaknesses:

The first 2/3 of The Rithmatist felt closer to MG that YA honestly. There was a strange dissonance in my head of Sanderson’s style that I’m used to in his adult books and the feel of a YA on the young side of the spectrum.
Hopefully this will be fixed in the final version, but there were a fair number of sentences that were quite repetitive, telling me information I had already learned a half page ago.
There is a church in The Rithmatist that apparently split from Christianity when Rithmatics was discovered but still is kind of Christian I think. There was some weirdness when it came to referring to the other world religions…. It just didn’t seem to be handled well.

Summary:

I am thrilled that Sanderson has decided to break into the YA genre and I think Harry Potter fans will love The Rithmatist. It has the same magic school with a mystery feel to it and it was just so much fun. The magic system seems simple at first, but we soon start to suspect there is much more potential than has been discovered so far. Sanderson has laid the ground work for an excellent series with The Rithmatist and I really hope he decides to build upon it soon, I must know all the answers!

Remember to subscribe for weekly reviews of awesome books!

- A

The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson

Filed Under: What A Story - Book Reviews Tagged With: 4.5 stars, fantasy, magic system, mg, sanderson, the rithmatist, ya

4 Stars: School Spirits by Rachel Hawkins

May 10, 2013 by Anya 10 Comments

School Spirits by Rachel Hawkins may be a spin-off of her Hex Hall series, but it stands on its own as a fun start to an exciting new series. I haven’t actually read the Hex Hall series and still greatly enjoyed School Spirits. I’m now excited to go track down copies of Hawkins other series just to stave off the withdrawal, haha. I think a lot of us have a soft spot for younger urban fantasy set in high school. School Spirits does this well by approaching from the outsider’s perspective. Hawkins really nailed what it would be like for a home-schooled monster-hunter to try to figure out high school for the first time. I’m very much looking forward to Izzy’s next adventure!

Note: I recieved School Spirits for review through Netgalley. Thank you to Disney-Hyperion and Netgalley!
Goodreads | Amazon | LibraryThing

Title: School Spirits
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Length: 304 pages
Genre-ish: YA Urban Fantasy
Rating: ★★★★☆- well done characters and fun plot

Fifteen-year-old Izzy Brannick was trained to fight monsters. For centuries, her family has hunted magical creatures. But when Izzy’s older sister vanishes without a trace while on a job, Izzy’s mom decides they need to take a break.

Izzy and her mom move to a new town, but they soon discover it’s not as normal as it appears. A series of hauntings has been plaguing the local high school, and Izzy is determined to prove her worth and investigate. But assuming the guise of an average teenager is easier said than done. For a tough girl who’s always been on her own, it’s strange to suddenly make friends and maybe even have a crush.

Can Izzy trust her new friends to help find the secret behind the hauntings before more people get hurt? – Goodreads

Strengths:

As I said above, one of my favorite aspects of School Spirits was Izzy trying to understand this crazy high school thing. She turned to amusingly overdramatic TV shows and those hilarious teen advice magazines. Understandably, there were some laugh out loud moments as she discovered that all she had seen on “Ivy Springs” was not what high school was really like ;-).
Many YA novels have a strange lack of parents, but School Spirits didn’t fall prey to this theme. Izzy’s mother was a great character: just as confused as Izzy about this high school thing, trying to deal with Izzy’s sister’s disappearance, and trying to let Izzy grow into a successful monster-hunter.
There were some glimpses of the broader UF world that School Spirits’ inhabits at the beginning, which makes me really excited for further book to explore the world more. I assume though that Hex Hall is set in the same world, so I could get my world-building on that way, hehe. School Spirits understandably focused on the ghost aspect as well as a little magic.
I looooved the friends that Izzy made at school. Nerds and outcasts are the best in my opinion and what better place for Izzy to make friends than a paranormal hunting club, ha.
While you might be nervous at first, there is none of the love triangle angst, scout’s honor!

Weaknesses:

The ending of School Spirits had an easy wrap-up with a good info dump thrown in to explain everything. Not a happy Anya :(.
Izzy’s life-story can be very easily compared to early Buffy episodes, not that I don’t like Buffy, I just don’t like obvious comparisons.
As I said above, the world of supernatural beings was glimpsed early on in School Spirits, but then all we got was a little ghost-hunting throughout the rest of the book. I want to know more about this Council and all the interesting supernatural powers!

Summary:

School Spirits is a perfect book for those who are addicted to school settings with a supernatural twist. I was loving it all the way to the end when there was a bit of a hiccup in the awesomeness factor. However I’m very hopeful for the sequel to explore more of the mystery around Izzy’s sister and the hints of a pretty epic series plot-line. I also neeeed to go checkout Hex Hall now :D.

- A

School Spirits by Rachel Hawkins

Filed Under: What A Story - Book Reviews Tagged With: four stars, ghosts, heroine, school spirits, urban fantasy, ya

Mermaid Summer Reading Challenge

May 9, 2013 by Anya 10 Comments

That’s right folks, one more reading challenge for me this week! I, like Ms. Hill, have been craving mermaid books like nothing else! I was very excited to see her starting this challenge which includes the list of 21 mermaid books she’s found :D. I probably won’t manage all of them, but these are the mermaid books I’m going to see if I can find:

1. Mirage (sequel to Above World)

2. Florence

3. The Forbidden Sea

4. The Vicious Deep

5. The Savage Blue (Vicious Deep #2)

6. Of Poseidon (seen mixed reviews, we’ll see how it goes!)

7. Wake

8. Monstrous Beauty

9. Everblue

10. Madly

11. Semester Aboard

I am aiming for ten book since it seems like a good number, haha. I’m hoping to find more mermaid book recommendations to switch out any that I don’t end up liking, so if you have a recommendation, I would love to hear it!

-A

Filed Under: Challenges Tagged With: mermaid challenge

Clean Sweep ARC Challenge

May 8, 2013 by Anya 4 Comments

Clean Sweep ARC Challenge Start

That’s right all, I’m joining my first challenge :D. I have a number of ARCs that I need to get to (and review books in general, gulp) so it seemed like the perfect opportunity! I also should have lots of reading time this month with Bout of Books coming up! So, I’m starting a couple days late, but really I was reading ARCs anyway, haha.

These are the ARCs I’m going to be aiming to read asap:

Mirage by Jenn Reese (Finished, need to review)
Gameboard of the Gods
Some Quiet Place
Through the Door
<stack of six ARCs that are hiding from me currently, but I know they exist darn it>
The Breeders
Tavern at the Edge of Time
Carlousia: The Passing of the Guard
Order of the Dimensions
Clockwork Princess (audiobook, so this depends on how much I drive)

I read 12 books last month, so 14 seems doable since I’ll be upping my reading game this month :D. Maybe I’ll even get through them all and add a couple of the last review book I have! Wish me luck! What are you reading for Clean Sweep??

-A

Filed Under: Challenges Tagged With: clean sweep arc challenge

3 Stars: Zenn Scarlett by Christian Schoon ARC

May 7, 2013 by Anya 12 Comments

Zenn Scarlett by Christian Schoon has a promising premise and a gorgeous cover. There were some fun characters, but in the end I was left wondering where the plot went. I was very excited to receive Zenn Scarlett through Netgalley after seeing a couple of mentions on blogs, so thank you Strange Chemistry for giving me the opportunity to review it! While I had a good time reading Zenn Scarlett, and am therefore hopeful for the second book, I was left a bit unsatisfied :(. Zenn Scarlett comes out May 7th (today!), 2013 if you want to check it out yourself!

Note: I read an eARC of Zenn Scarlett from Netgalley. Some things may be changed in the final version.

Goodreads | Amazon | LibraryThing

Title: Zenn Scarlett
Author: Christian Schoon
Length: 304 pages
Genre-ish: Sci-fi YA
Rating: ★★★☆☆- fun premise and characters, weird plot

When you’re studying to be exoveterinarian specializing in exotic, alien life forms, school… is a different kind of animal.

Zenn Scarlett is a resourceful, determined 17-year-old girl working hard to make it through her novice year of exovet training. That means she’s learning to care for alien creatures that are mostly large, generally dangerous and profoundly fascinating. Zenn’s all-important end-of-term tests at the Ciscan Cloister Exovet Clinic on Mars are coming up, and, she’s feeling confident of acing the exams. But when a series of inexplicable animal escapes and other disturbing events hit the school, Zenn finds herself being blamed for the problems. As if this isn’t enough to deal with, her absent father has abruptly stopped communicating with her; Liam Tucker, a local towner boy, is acting unusually, annoyingly friendly; and, strangest of all: Zenn is worried she’s started sharing the thoughts of the creatures around her. Which is impossible, of course. Nonetheless, she can’t deny what she’s feeling.

Now, with the help of Liam and Hamish, an eight-foot sentient insectoid also training at the clinic, Zenn must learn what’s happened to her father, solve the mystery of who, if anyone, is sabotaging the cloister, and determine if she’s actually sensing the consciousness of her alien patients… or just losing her mind. All without failing her novice year….– Goodreads

Strengths:

Exovets :D. The premise of Zenn Scarlett is freaking awesome. It in fact makes total sense that people would need to learn how to heal all sorts of alien critters once we start making contact with other life forms. I love sci-fi with a dose of “it could actually happen this way!”
Zenn and Hamish are awesome for their own completely different reasons. Zenn is a great main character, exceedingly relatable (especially for us students!) with a protected but strong heart. Hamish is such a realistic insectoid alien :D. He has to ask permission to do anything because he comes from a colony where the queen tells everyone else what to do always. Makes a lot of sense huh?
Once I figured out what the plot was, there were plot twists and exciting action, yey!
Zenn has a pet that is fuzzy but intelligent named Katie! Katie is awesome and deaf and so Zenn taught her to use sign language. Now they chat and Katie says the cutest things!!!! “Katie hungry, hungry Katie eat now?” *squees”

Weaknesses:

Confused….

As I mentioned briefly above, I had a hard time nailing down the plot of Zenn Scarlett. There were all sorts of big important problems revealed early on, but then Zenn didn’t really try to fix any of them (because really she couldn’t do much). This left me scrambling to try to figure out what the big problem of the book would be that Zenn could solve. Eventually it becomes clear (it’s the strange events happening at the cloister), but not until at least half way through.
On that note, what about all that other stuff! There is a mysterious problem with ships disappearing (which Zenn is quite personally vested in), Zenn is having crazy connections with the animals, Zenn’s father is off doing crazy things, and the cloister is in financial trouble. All of these problems are revealed in Zenn Scarlett, but none of them are resolved in any way. So many questions left!
Related the general plot problem, there is a huuuuuuuuuuge cliffhanger. To the point that I really don’t consider the end of Zenn Scarlett all that connected to the rest of the book. The main plot is resolved and then another plot line starts. Then the book ends. Have fun waiting for the second book!

Summary:

Zenn Scarlett had a lot of promise between the amazing premise and wonderful characters. However the lack of a clearly defined plot frustrated and confused me. I will probably read the second book if/when it comes out, mostly because I want to know what freaking happens, but I hope that more attention is paid to having a well-developed plot line. If the premise of Zenn Scarlett interests you and you enjoy shenanigans at schools that need to be figured out, then you will probably enjoy Zenn Scarlett, so go for it! However if you can’t stand cliffhangers and unresolved questions, stay away ;-).

- A

Zenn Scarlett by Christian Schoon

Filed Under: What A Story - Book Reviews Tagged With: heroine, schoon, sci-fi, strange chemistry, three stars, ya, zenn scarlett

Welcome to the Dragon Booth! Giveaway

May 6, 2013 by Anya 60 Comments

Why hello Spring Blog Carnival go-er. *raspy wide eyed voice* I hope you are having simply a maaaarvelous time at this year’s carnival! Now I’m sure you’ve heard of the great mystical creature called The Dragon right? Of course, of course, yes, if you’re attracted to The Dragon Booth, that would be a silly question to ask. Now, I wonder just how thorough you’re studying has been, however. Have you journeyed across the worlds to find all varieties of this great creature that you could? Well, it’s always good to get some extra studying in on such a wonderful subject, isn’t it??

I tell you what, you present five examples of your favorite dragons and why those particular dragons are awesome to show me that you are truly serious about the study of this great creature, and I might just give you another book to aid your studying from the ones I have here.

Ahem *coughcoughsplutter* Yes, so what I was saying is that my challenge is to list your five favorite books with dragons and why those particular dragons are so awesome. You can have that be a blog post that you link to or you can comment (just say you commented and what name you commented with) if you don’t have a blog you want to post at. I will pick one winner who will get to choose one of the dragon books above or another book obviously related to dragons to get from the Book Depository. This is open to anywhere the Book Depository ships. If the book you choose is significantly more than $20 I’ll ask you choose another, since we don’t want to drain my funds for other giveaways.

Note: I’m not responsible for books lost in the mail, sorry! Winners will have 48 hours to respond with a mailing address. I can make amendments to this rules if I forgot something.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Also, check out all the rest of the booths below the fold! [Read more...]

Filed Under: Giveaways Tagged With: dragon booth, giveaway, spring blog carnival