Monday, September 30, 2013

The Wells Bequest, by Polly Shulman (The Grimm Legacy #2)

Leo gets the shock of his life when a miniature version of himself arrives in his room on a time machine with a gorgeous girl. Future Leo instructs present Leo to read H. G. Wells' The Time Machine. After reading the book, Leo searches for how and why future him appeared, and he finds his answer at the New York Circulatory Materials Repository (or something like that). There are a few special collections in the Repository, The Grimm Collection (or something like that), which was the subject of The Grimm Legacy, as well as several others including The Wells Bequest. The Wells Bequest contains objects from science fiction tales of the past (not new cyborgy type stuff-that's a different collection), including the time machine from The Time Machine. In the Repository, Leo meets Jaya (Anjali's little sister from The Grimm Legacy), and when an angry boy with a crush on Jaya threatens to use a nuclear weapon and destroy New York, the pair must set out on a trip through time to stop him.

This was a fantastic book, and in my opinion was even better than The Grimm Legacy, which is quite impressive coming for me because I'm a sucker for fairy tales and would usually choose them over science fiction. This was what I consider a semi-sequel because it takes place in the same universe after the events of the previous book and has several overlapping characters but is still able to stand on it's own. Of course it's better appreciated if you remember Jaya and all her adorableness from The Grimm Legacy, but even if you don't you can still enjoy this book and not feel too confused.

As soon as I found out about the other two special collections, I started salivating for semi-sequels involving them as well. I don't know if it's a bit too much to ask for, but I think that if Polly Shulman does write them, the four books together would make an awesome series collectively. I do feel like there's hope for it because I think that she mentioned them to hint at the possibility.

This book, compared to the Grimm Legacy, had a lot more action and a lot less sitting around and talking, which definitely added to the excitement. However, this difference can be explained by considering the personalities of the different narrators. Elizabeth was a lot more wary and was seen as the voice of reason by her friends, while Leo is a bit more impulsive and relies on his gut a lot more than Elizabeth did.

Every novel involving time travel has to deal with all the paradoxical elements involved with it, and this one did so with aplomb by not doing it. Shulman explained that each time machine had rules applying to the novel it came from and since H. G. Wells did not give any rules to his time machine, the characters could do anything with no explanation necessary. Usually I spend ages trying to determine what the rules of a book's universe are but the explanation here managed to explain it by not explaining it and strangely enough it was satisfying.


5 stars

The Wells Bequest (The Grimm Legacy, #2) 
Leo never imagined that time travel might really be possible, or that the objects in H. G. Wells’ science fiction novels might actually exist. And when a miniature time machine appears in Leo’s bedroom, he has no idea who the tiny, beautiful girl is riding it. But in the few moments before it vanishes, returning to wherever—and whenever—it came from, he recognizes the other tiny rider: himself!

His search for the time machine, the girl, and his fate leads him to the New-York Circulating Material Repository, a magical library that lends out objects instead of books. Hidden away in the Repository basement is the Wells Bequest, a secret collection of powerful objects straight out of classic science fiction novels: robots, rockets, submarines, a shrink ray—and one very famous time machine. And when Leo’s adventure of a lifetime suddenly turns deadly, he must attempt a journey to 1895 to warn real-life scientist Nikola Tesla about a dangerous invention. A race for time is on!

In this grand time-travel adventure full of paradoxes and humor, Polly Shulman gives readers a taste of how fascinating science can be, deftly blending classic science fiction elements with the contemporary fantasy world readers fell in love with in The Grimm Legacy.

Sunday, September 22, 2013

The Fall of Five, by Pittacus Lore (Lorien Legacies #4)

My reviews of the previous books:
 
I wasn't going to write a review for this book, but I was so upset after finishing it that it didn't leave me much choice. I was convinced that this was the final book in the series and was crazy excited to read it because of that. Don't be mistaken-this series is no where near to being my favorite, just the plot was so interesting that it piqued my curiosity. When I got to the last page, I didn't believe it. Why didn't I believe it? Because there were around 80 PAGES LEFT! The publishers played a nasty trick where they stuck an entire freakin' novella after the end of the book that convinced me there was a ton left to the story when in reality it just had a bad ending.

Even ignoring my anger and disappointment about the non-ending, this book was still disappointing because of its lack of action. Most of the book was spent with the characters waiting around, bonding and learning how to fight. That probably should have been a clue that this book wasn't the last one, but because there were so many pages left I figured the author still had plenty of time to pick up the story. Sadly, no.


2.7 stars 

The Fall of Five (Lorien Legacies, #4)
The Garde are finally reunited, but do they have what it takes to win the war against the Mogadorians?

John Smith—Number Four—thought that things would change once the Garde found each other. They would stop running. They would fight the Mogadorians. And they would win.

But he was wrong. After facing off with the Mogadorian ruler and almost being annihilated, the Garde know they are drastically unprepared and hopelessly outgunned. Now they’re hiding out in Nine’s Chicago penthouse, trying to figure out their next move.

The six of them are powerful, but they’re not strong enough yet to take on an entire army—even with the return of an old ally. To defeat their enemy, the Garde must master their Legacies and learn to work together as a team. More importantly, they’ll have to discover the truth about the Elders and their plan for the Loric survivors.

And when the Garde receive a sign from Number Five—a crop circle in the shape of a Loric symbol—they know they are so close to being reunited. But could it be a trap? Time is running out, and the only thing they know for certain is that they have to get to Five before it’s too late.

The Garde may have lost battles, but they will not lose this war.

Lorien will rise again.

Messy, by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan (Spoiled #2)

Brooke and Max were the best parts of Spoiled, and now they're the stars of their very own book. Brooke decides that to take her fame to the next level she needs a blog about her life, but since she doesn't have the time, patience, or wit for one, she hires Max to do it for her. This looks like a recipe for disaster and it is one as two totally different girls suffer a bit of an identity crisis and mix up their personalities, dreams, and the boys they like.

This was a great sequel, in that it wasn't much of a sequel and more like a novel taking place in the same world slightly after the events of and featuring the characters of Spoiled. I like my novels to have a beginning and end, and my favorite series and sequels are ones like this one that aren't so sequel-y.

I loved how different Brooke was in this book than in Spoiled. I thought her character had potential in Spoiled but her actions were so despicable that I just hated her and didn't even try not to. However, she became infinitely more likable in this novel and I was able to put the events of the previous one out of my head because it's a different book.

All in all, I liked Messy a lot more than I liked Spoiled for several reasons, including that it was organized a lot better and had more of an actual plot, and Brick was barely in it. Brick is the kind of character who is funny when he's only in a few scenes here and there but when he's a significant character, like in Spoiled, it can be a bit too much. My one major disappointment was the lack of Molly and Teddy love, but the rest of it was so good that I didn't mind.


4.8 stars

Messy (Spoiled, #2)When sixteen-year-old Brooke Berlin catches a taste of fame and her movie-star father's attention, she decides it's time to take her career to the next level--by launching a blog that will position her as a Hollywood "It Girl" who tells it like it is. But between schoolwork, shopping, and spray-tan appointments, she hardly has the time to write it herself...
Enter green-haired outsider Max McCormack, an aspiring author with a terrible after-school job pushing faux meat on the macrobiotic masses. Max loathes the celebrity scene almost as much as she dislikes Brooke, but wooed by an impressive salary, Max reluctantly agrees to play Brooke's ghost-blogger -- and the site takes off. How long will their lie last? Can the girls work together to stay on top, or will the truth come out and ruin everything they've built?
Along with an entourage of fame-hungry starlets, scruffy rocker wannabes, and sushi-scarfing socialites, the case of Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan's dazzling debut, Spoiled, are back for another adventure in Tinseltown.

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

The Time of My Life, by Cecelia Ahern

We get reminders from doctors and dentists about our next appointments, but Lucy got a reminder about not missing her appointment with life. Yes, life. After skipping her appointment several times, Lucy eventually comes face to face with her life in the form a run-down man. As Lucy continues trudging through her days, her life takes over and leads her in directions that she never would have dreamed of.

The concept of this book seems a bit confusing, especially because the man Lucy's Life (as in his name) but rather Lucy's life (as in the noun). When I first saw that life was a man I was convinced there would be a romance between him and Lucy but once I vaguely understood the concept of an appointment with life I realized how implausible that would be. My comprehension of the idea swayed back and forth between a logical explanation of that being Lucy's life was the man's job, but at some point in the novel I was forced to let go of logic and enter Ahern's slightly magical world.

My favorite thing about Cecelia Ahern's books is how though they may seem similar to many other novels, there is often either a mystical element or a unique way of writing that lifts her books above the norm and keeps them from being cliche. She manages to insert humor into topics that aren't the most cheerful and reading her books ignites all different sorts of emotions in the reader.

The reason why I gave this book 4 stars was because of the slow beginning. It took a while for it to really kick off and so when I was really tempted to stop I flipped to the ending and after determining that I liked it I resumed at my boring location near the beginning. My advice is to stick through the dull parts because once it gets good it gets great.


4.3 stars

The Time of My Life Lucy Silchester has an appointment with her life – and she’s going to have to keep it.

Lying on Lucy Silchester’s carpet one day when she returns from work is a gold envelope. Inside is an invitation – to a meeting with Life. Her life. It turns out she's been ignoring itand it needs to meet with her face to face.

It sounds peculiar, but Lucy’s read about this in a magazine. Anyway, she can’t make the date: she’s much too busy despising her job, skipping out on her friends and avoiding her family.

But Lucy’s life isn’t what it seems. Some of the choices she’s made – and stories she’s told – aren’t what they seem either. From the moment she meets the man who introduces himself as her life, her stubborn half-truths are going to be revealed in all their glory – unless Lucy learns to tell the truth about what really matters to her.

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Touch of Power, by Maria V. Snyder

Avry is a healer, which means that she can heal people with just a touch by taking their sicknesses or injuries into her own body. When a plague spreads throughout the land and there are too many sick people for the healers to save, they are blamed and persecuted. Avry has been on the run for two years and after risking her freedom to save a sick child, the child's parents give her in to the authorities who plan a public execution. The night before her planned death, Avry is rescued/kidnapped by a group of rogues who need her to use her talents to save their friend, the very prince who started the uproar against healers.

This book was absolutely incredible, but it did feel a little bit like I was reading Poison Study all over again. This isn't necessarily the worst thing ever though, because that book was really good. The similarities in the plots and characters were a little too much and even though I enjoyed it, I am hoping that the second book is not also a repeat. However, in this novel's defense, the storyline was amazingly intricate and so detailed that I felt like I was being transported to another world. The way everything can be (or will be) explained with either magic or science in this world is absolutely fascinating so despite the similarities to Poison Study, I was still extremely pleased with this book.


4.7 stars

Touch of Power (Healer, #1)Laying hands upon the injured and dying, Avry of Kazan assumes their wounds and diseases into herself. But rather than being honored for her skills, she is hunted. Healers like Avry are accused of spreading the plague that has decimated the Territories, leaving the survivors in a state of chaos.

Stressed and tired from hiding, Avry is abducted by a band of rogues who, shockingly, value her gift above the golden bounty offered for her capture. Their leader, an enigmatic captor-protector with powers of his own, is unequivocal in his demands: Avry must heal a plague-stricken prince—leader of a campaign against her people. As they traverse the daunting Nine Mountains, beset by mercenaries and magical dangers, Avry must decide who is worth healing and what is worth dying for. Because the price of peace may well be her life....

Sunday, September 1, 2013

Spoiled, by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan

On her deathbed, Molly's mom reveals the truth about Molly's father-that he's none other than Brick Berlin, the famous Hollywood actor. Suddenly, Molly is plucked from Indiana obscurity and flown off to live with her dad and sister Brooke in the land of the rich, blonde, and tan. Brooke is not happy with the arrival of the other Berlin girl. The paparazzi is more interested in Molly now than they were in Brooke as far back as she can remember, and Brooke's workaholic dad cares more about making up for lost time with Molly than he ever did for his non-absentee daughter. Brooke wants everything to go back to normal, and is willing to do anything to get it there.

I heard of this book through the authors' fashion blog, Go Fug Yourself (look it up!), and was thrilled to find out there were two entire books of their witty and hilarious writing. Ironically, that was what I disliked most about the book. While short little paragraphs on their blog are smart and funny, it didn't translate well to the book format, where their tendency to ramble got annoying rather than hysterical.

What kept bothering me throughout the novel was Brooke's mistreatment of Molly. It's bad enough that she's acting completely horrible towards her sister, but the fact that Molly's mom just died makes Brooke's actions absolutely deplorable. She couldn't care less about Molly's feelings and made it all about her own emotions, even though she's been feeling those feelings for years and years already while Molly's mother died only about a week before. I understand why Brooke is portrayed this way but her epic levels of meanness earlier in the book prevented me from buying into her repentant act later in the book.

The McCormack siblings were by far my favorite part of the book. Max provided the sarcasm that everyone reading the novel was thinking and did it with the perfect amount of snark. Teddy was, of course, the romantic part of the story and my only disappointment there was the lack of focus on it throughout the story and then an ending for him and Molly that could really go in any direction.


3.9 stars.
Spoiled (Spoiled, #1) 
Sixteen-year-old Molly Dix has just discovered that her biological father is Brick Berlin, world-famous movie star and red-carpet regular. Intrigued (and a little) terrified by her Hollywood lineage, Molly moves to Los Angeles and plunges headfirst into the deep of Beverly Hills celebrity life. Just as Molly thinks her life couldn't get any stranger, she meets Brooke Berlin, her gorgeous, spoiled half sister, who welcomes Molly to la-la land with a smothering dose "sisterly love"...but in this town, nothing is ever what it seems.

Set against a world of Redbull-fuelled stylists, tiny tanned girls, popped-collar guys, and Blackberry-wielding publicists, Spoiled is a sparkling debut from the writers behind the viciously funny celebrity blog GoFugYourself.com.