Review: Waiting to Forget by Sheila Kelly Welch

Title: Waiting to Forget

Author: Sheila Kelly Welch

Publisher: (namelos, October 1, 2011)

Source: NetGalley ARC

From GoodReads:

T.J. has always looked out for his little sister, Angela. When Momma used to go out and leave them home alone, he'd lock the door so they'd be safe, keep Angela entertained, and get out the cereal and milk for her. When Momma's boyfriend got angry at them, he'd try to protect Angela. Later, at their foster homes, T.J. was the only one who knew how to coax his little sister out of her bad moods. The only one who understood why she made origami paper cranes and threw them out the window.

But now T.J. is sitting in the waiting room at the hospital, wondering if Angela, unconscious after a fall, will ever wake up. Wondering, too, if he will ever feel at home with his and Angela's new parents—Marlene, who insists on calling him Timothy, and Dan, who seems to want a different son.

Going back and forth between Now and Then, weaving the uncertain present with the painful past, T.J.'s story unfolds, and with the unfolding comes a new understanding of how to move forward.

Waiting to Forget by Sheila Kelly Welch is not the kind of book I typically read. I tend to lean toward fantasy, dystopian and supernatural, just because I really enjoy getting lost in books instead of feeling like they're too real. I requested this eGalley on a whim, and am so glad I did.

Waiting to Forget is an honest, sometimes brutal, look at what it means to be a kid in the modern foster system. T.J. comes from a broken, cruel world and the honest portrayal of that is sometimes difficult to read. While reading this book, I was reminded just how lucky I really am - the problems in my family really aren't problems at all. T.J. and his sister go through a lot, and still try and find a reason to believe that there is good in the world and in their lives.

This is a well written story that bounces back and forth between the present (Angela in the hospital) and the past (what led to this point). Many of the supporting characters are incidental and seem almost larger than life, but I really enjoyed T.J.'s point of view. There is enough good in the story that it's worth reading, but if you're looking for something upbeat and happy, this isn't the book for you!

Final thoughts: Check it out from the library.

Teaser Tuesday: Lovetorn by Kavita Daswani

Title: Lovetorn
Author: Kavita Daswani
Publisher: HarperCollins (January 17, 2011)
Source: ATW ARC Tours

From GoodReads:

When Shalini’s father gets a new job in L.A., she is torn away from her life in India and the boy to whom she’s been betrothed since she was three. L.A. is so different, and Shalini dresses and talks all wrong. She isn’t sure she’ll survive high school in America without her fiancé, Vikram, and now she has to cope with her mom’s homesickness and depression. A new friend, chill and confident Renuka, helps Shalini find her way and get up the courage to join the Food4Life club at school. But she gets more than just a friend when she meets Toby—she gets a major crush. Shalini thinks she loves Vikram, but he never made her feel like this. 

In Lovetorn, Shalini discovers that your heart ultimately makes its own choices, even when it seems as if your destiny has already been chosen. 

Author Kavita Daswani has always been fascinated by child marriages and betrothals, and this story of a traditional girl from India, who is exposed to so many more freedoms and experiences after being dropped in a completely alien culture, is a fresh and contemporary look at the subject.

I became interested in reading Lovetorn by Kavita Daswani because of the multicultural aspect. I love reading about other cultures and I think it's important to have more YA books on the market that incorporate diverse characters. For that reason, I was super excited to read Lovetorn. Unfortunately, I wasn't completely satisfied with it. It has some great aspects, but overall, I wanted a little more.

I'll discuss the good points first. The multicultural aspect was very well done. I have basic knowledge of some Indian customs and culture, but this book provided a lot more information without sounding like a tutorial. I thought the storyline itself was an interesting idea. An Indian teenage girl who is already engaged moves to America and begins to wonder about her future and her options. This seems natural and plays out organically. Her relationships with friends, family, and loved ones change at a reasonable pace.

I also appreciated how Daswani describes the reactions to the move of all family members. Each member has a different experience transitioning, and I think they are all reasonable given the circumstances and ages of each person. They all go through a journey which impacts each other.  Unlike some other YA novels, each family member is important to the plot and overall story. No Disappearing Parent Syndrome here.

Clearly, there's lots of good stuff in this novel. Unfortunately, there were also aspects I didn't like. First, I thought some of the relationships between the smaller characters developed unrealistically. While changes in the family members were gradual and organic, the friendships, social enemies, and crush relationships did not develop at a natural pace (in my opinion). This might sound strange, but the characters turned out too nice. Even the mean girls, who were really mean, came out sounding too nice by the end. The crush was the most realistic in my view.

Second, I didn't know who to root for. Maybe it's just me, but when there's going to be some kind of love triangle, I like to know who I should be rooting for and the reasons why. I had a sense that maybe I should root for the new guy because he's a new guy, but I really liked what I'd read about Vikram. Part of me really wanted her to stay with him, even though I wasn't sure how that would turn out. This is purely personal preference, so it may not bother other readers.

Third, and this is really, really nitpicky, there was misinformation about the psychologist. Psychologists can't prescribe medications. Psychiatrists can. This very small distinction bothers me purely because it's a common misconception and I'm in the field of psychology. By all means, this did not ruin the book for me, but it is irritating when the facts aren't right.

So, overall, Lovetorn was an enjoyable read. I just wish I'd gotten a little more from the novel. It's definitely worth the read, especially if you're interested in reading about other cultures.

Final thoughts:  Borrow. 

Review: Brightest Kind of Darkness by P. T. Michelle

Title: Brightest Kind of Darkness

Author: P. T. Michelle

Publisher: Patrice Michelle (June 27, 2011)

Source: Review Request

From GoodReads:

Nara Collins is an average sixteen-year-old, with one exception: every night she dreams the events of the following day. Due to an incident in her past, Nara avoids using her special gift to change fate…until she dreams a future she can’t ignore. 

After Nara prevents a bombing at Blue Ridge High, her ability to see the future starts to fade, while people at school are suddenly being injured at an unusually high rate. 

Grappling with her diminishing powers and the need to prevent another disaster, Nara meets Ethan Harris, a mysterious loner who seems to understand her better than anyone. Ethan and Nara forge an irresistible connection, but as their relationship heats up, so do her questions about his dark past.

I was immediately drawn to Brightest Kind of Darkness by P. T. Michelle because of its dark themes, paranormal influence, and romance. Those three things in combination create a sizzling and thrilling story. Exactly the kind of book I look for.

The beginning grabbed my attention immediately with Nara predicting a bombing at her school and trying to stop it. If that's not a good hook, I don't know what is. The excitement from this first chapter got me through the first few chapters, but if I'm being honest, my attention wavered a little after that. The story was still compelling, but some aspects of the writing bothered me.

I'll remind you that I like to write, so some of the things that bothered me might not bother the average reader. For my personal reading preferences I would have wanted more editing, in the sense that I think there was a lot of information that wasn't necessary. Some of that came in the form of telling instead of showing. Ethan--mysterious loner extraordinary--is intriguing. I didn't need Nara to directly think that she was intrigued by him for me to get that impression. Also, it seemed there were too many details. Any introduction to an important character came with some flashback or memory. It didn't necessarily take up much page space, but I think it could have been cut to make the story flow smoother.

Now, the good thing is that even though those aspects of the writing bothered me, I still really enjoyed Brightest Kind of Darkness. After my attention wavered for a few chapters, I became engaged again by the intensity of the story. Once I really got into the meat of the plot, I didn't want to put it down. The creativity of the content and plot was awesome. I could not predict what was coming at all and I loved learning more about Ethan and Nara, as well as the strange paranormal abilities.

Ethan is a classic tortured character, which I'm always drawn to. I thought he was particularly well-done. As much as I loved him as a romantic hero (and yeah, I loved him a lot!), I also was dying to get inside his head. He's just so tortured! I wanted to see more from his perspective! (Okay, crazy person alert. Yes, I revel in the torture of characters.)

By the end of the story, I was riveted for more! You bet I want to read the next in this series.

Final thoughts: Buy it. 

100 Follower Giveaway!

A couple weeks ago, during my 500 Follower Giveaway (twitter), I surpassed my 100 follower mark on the blog! Don't think I forgot about you, loyal blog followers. I've got a giveaway for you too. :D

I recently read Unearthly by Cynthia Hand and absolutely loved it!  (Review is here.) With the sequel coming out next month, what better gift could I share?

One lucky winner will receive my hardcover copy of Unearthly by Cynthia Hand (read once, very good condition). All you have to do is be a blog follower, but there's a couple ways to earn some extra entries. This contest will be open for 5 days, so you have until 11:59pm EST on Friday, December 9th to enter. Just fill out the Rafflecopter below to enter.

Good luck!

In My Mailbox #12

IMM is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren

Lately, I've been happy to have some quiet weeks as far as book arrivals go. As usual, I want to catch up (or, at least, make some progress) on my TBR pile. 

No such luck this week.

But, hey, I can't complain. That just means I received some awesome books! It's really a win-win, regardless of what happens. :D

Here's what I got:

ARC Tours

Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber

Slide by Jill Hathaway

Hallowed by Cynthia Hand

Galleys

Halflings by Heather Burch

Allegiance by Cayla Kluver

Suggestion Saturday

Inheritance by Christopher Paolini

So excited about all of these books! Can't wait to get a chance to read them. :)

Friday Favorite: The Neverending Story

Title: The Neverending Story

Author: Michael Ende

Publisher: Dutton Juvenile (1997 Edition)

Source: Own

From GoodReads

Shy, awkward Bastian is amazed to discover that he has become a character in the mysterious book he is reading and that he has an important mission to fulfill.

First of all, I was more than a little surprised when the above was all GoodReads had to say about The Neverending Story. There is so much to this book, and that kind of description just doesn't do it justice!

I will admit, I read The Neverending Story the first time because the original movie is one of my favorite films. I so wanted to BE the child-like princess growing up, it wasn't funny (even walking around with a necklace in my hair in order to look more like her). As an adult, I wanted to read the book to see if it was as good as my childhood memories of the movie. And, not surprisingly, the book is so much better.

Bastian is still the main character, but the first movie leaves off just part of the way through the book. Once the child-like princess is named, there is still a lot of story left to tell. I think one of the reasons this book remains a favorite is because it is a story-lovers story. Who hasn't read a book and wished they could be an actual PART of the story? Who hasn't read something they found so captivating that they wanted to call out to the characters and change the course of events?

Reading, for me, has always been an escape from the normal. Reading is a chance to experience places I would never visit and meet people I would never see in real life. Reading is about falling in love and experiencing loss. It's about high adventure and high stakes. It's about finding your way and making a difference. It's about sacrifice and loss. And, The Neverending Story is all of those things and more.

If you love books, and love STORY, you need to read this one at least once in your life. This edition is pretty awesome, too. The text is in different colors depending on if you're reading Bastian's story, the book he's reading, or the ultimate combination of both.

Be a part of The Neverending Story and read it today!

Final thoughts: Worth owning, but definitely a must-read!

Recap: November 28 - December 2

This week's twitter recommendations were:

THE AMBER SPYGLASS by Philip Pullman

The third installment of the wonderfully successful trilogy from Phillip Pullman will not disappoint. Starting with the return of Lyra, readers know they are in for a great ride. Will's hold on the magical blade that can cut between both worlds is staunch, the introduction of new worlds produces questions and answers, and the war with the Kingdom of Heaven swells forward. iThe Golden Compass/i and iThe Subtle Knife/i offered readers fantastic tales of a mysterious and bizarre word. In this finale, Pullman ties up loose ends and also provides nail-biting revelations, as Dr. Mary Malone and Mrs. Coulter look to a future no one could have predicted. And the secret of Dust will astonish many readers. Prepare to be blown away with the conclusion to this modern classic.

Review:  Epic ending.

I highly recommend THE AMBER SPYGLASS by Philip Pullman to everyone. 


THE NIGHT CIRCUS by Erin Morgenstern

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night. 

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands. 

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per­formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead. 

Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart.

Review:  As mesmerizing and alluring as the circus it describes. 

I highly recommend THE NIGHT CIRCUS by Erin Morgenstern to everyone, whether you read YA or not.


SHADOW KISS by Richelle Mead

Is Rose's fate to kill the person she loves most? It's springtime at St. Vladimir's Academy, and Rose Hathaway is this close to graduation. Since Mason's death, Rose hasn't been feeling quite right. She has dark flashbacks in the middle of practice, can't concentrate in class, and has terrifying dreams about Lissa. But Rose has an even bigger secret .... She's in love with Dimitri. And this time, it's way more than a crush. Then Strigoi target the academy in the deadliest attack in Moroi history, and Dimitri is taken. Rose must protect Lissa at all costs, but keeping her best friend safe could mean losing Dimitri forever...

Review:  OMG! ... omg omg omg!

I highly recommend SHADOW KISS by Richelle Mead to fans of vampires, fantasy, and/or great stories. 


UNEARTHLY by Cynthia Hand

In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees . . . .

Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has apurpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy.

Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place—and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.

As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make—between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?

Unearthly is a moving tale of love and fate, and the struggle between following the rules and following your heart.

Review:  Intriguing from the first page to the last.

I recommend UNEARTHLY by Cynthia Hand to fans of fantasy, angels, and/or romance.


DANCERGIRL by Carol M. Tanzman

The videos went viral...

EVER FEEL LIKE SOMEONE’S WATCHING YOU?

ME TOO.

BUT LATELY IT’S BEEN HAPPENING IN MY ROOM.

WHEN I’M ALONE.

A friend posted a video of me dancing online, and now I’m no longer Alicia Ruffino. I’m dancergirl. And suddenly it’s like me against the world—everyone’s got opinions.

My admirers want more, the haters hate, my best friend Jacy—even he’s acting weird. And some stalker isn’t content to just watch anymore.

Ali. dancergirl. Whatever you know me as, however you’ve seen me online, I’ve trained my whole life to be the best dancer I can be. But if someone watching has their way, I could lose way more than just my love of dancing. I could lose my life.

Review:  High intensity plot that kept me flipping page after page.

I recommend DANCERGIRL by Carol M. Tanzman to anyone who thinks they'd like a thriller (and those who know they will).


*Summaries provided by GoodReads