Every Day by David Levithan

 Title: Every Day

 Author: David Levithan

 Series: Everyday #1

 Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

 Date Published: August 28, 2012

 Genre: Contemporary, Fantasy?

 Pages: 338 (Hardcover)

Age Range: 12+




                                                                     Summary:

     Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl.
     There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.

     It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day.

                                                                       Review:

     From the flap, I was really interested in reading this book. That personal hype started around two years ago, and since then, it hasn't abated much. So, I read this book, aware of all the hype surrounding it, expecting (for once) to fall in love with this bit of hype, and get some amazing message to walk away with, and cherish in my heart forever. Instead, I was left with a bit of a sour taste, and a ton of lovey-dovey fluff that I didn't want anywhere near this story. I know the flap practically screams I'm a Romeo and Juliet kind of scenario but I was praying for something a bit more unique. What did I get? A Romeo and Juliet scenario.

     A's predicament was fascinating. Sure, it was never fully explained, it was kind of half thought out, and it had a plethora of rules that were just too convenient, but I liked it. I thought it was kind of original, and I wasn't that bothered by how convenient the rules were- well, I wasn't bothered at first. Then, I realized that we were never going to get a full background of this... traveling thing. And since I couldn't have that, I wanted everything to stop being so darned easy for A. Like, just because he finally meets someone he wants after about four hours of instalove does not mean that he can suddenly start screwing with rules that were set in stone before, just so he can stay near the object of his desires. All of that said, I did like A, and- dare I say it?- I actually felt pretty bad for him.

     Rhiannon, on the other hand... not so much. I'm just going to come straight out and say that I didn't feel as if she's good enough for A. A is actually a really good guy stuck in an unfavorable set of Life's Cards, and Rhiannon is a girl who sticks around her crummy boyfriend because she can. Honestly, we don't get a lot of character development for this girl, and what we do, is pretty negative. Her boyfriend isn't the best, but he also doesn't hurt her or anything, and sometimes he can actually be really great, and she's kind of an outcast because of her gloominess. Maybe I missed something with her, but I just din't feel like she was good enough for A.

     The plot was something that could have been shortened drastically, and had something of major relevance happen. Besides a weird outside threat, and a "will they, or won't they" kind of drama, nothing really happens besides some super cool body changing from A. I think something else that made this book drag its little feet is the writing. I actually thought the writing was very pretty, but a little too flowery in many parts. I feel like a bit more an action-packed writing style would've worked better.

    I don't even know what book two is about, so I don't know if I want to read it. I think I do, but if it's from Rhiannon's POV, or mainly about her, I'm passing. I want a lot more A in book two, and I want more background from his childhood.

                                                 

A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray

Title: A Thousand Pieces of You

Author: Claudia Gray

Series: Firebird #1

Publisher: HarperTeen

Date Published: November 14th, 2014

Genre: Sci-Fi? Dystopian?

Pages: 368

Age Range: 13+





                                                                      Summary:

     Marguerite Caine's physicist parents are known for their groundbreaking achievements. Their most astonishing invention, called the Firebird, allows users to jump into multiple universes—and promises to revolutionize science forever. But then Marguerite's father is murdered, and the killer—her parent's handsome, enigmatic assistant Paul— escapes into another dimension before the law can touch him.

    Marguerite refuses to let the man who destroyed her family go free. So she races after Paul through different universes, always leaping into another version of herself. But she also meets alternate versions of the people she knows—including Paul, whose life entangles with hers in increasingly familiar ways. Before long she begins to question Paul's guilt—as well as her own heart. And soon she discovers the truth behind her father's death is far more sinister than she expected.

                                                                        Review:

     A Thousand Pieces of You just sounds like one of those cheap romance novels with the swooning girl on the cover in the arms of some handsome hunk with rippling muscles. Aaaand that's not far from the truth. This book was advertised as some amazing book about time travel, and kick buttery, but it fell way short of the mark. Instead of being focused on time traveling, the author forces a romance on the readers that I just wasn't feeling. Usually, if I like a romance, I don't mind it having a SLIGHTLY more prominent role than usual, but this book was a romance with a time traveling aspect (think Passion by Lauren Kate. Literally). This book is SO cliched, but it doesn't do anything to stand out, which was really aggravating because it was nothing special.
     Marguerite was insufferable. Every internal thought and action of hers had me gritting my teeth in frustration. She was whiny, weak, aggravating, and just stupid. I thought her reactions were either far too tame or far too lame, and there was no happy medium for me. Besides the protagonist being unbearable, her main love interest was too. I say main love interest, because, of course, there were two. Of the two, Paul was my least favorite. I didn't get to spend enough time with him to truly hate him, but I was able to develop a thorough dislike of him. My dislike is so hard to describe because half of the book was Paul being empty- headed, but I just hated that he was so stupid, and yet he was out biggest hope for the future, Ugh. All of that being said, I actually kinda liked Theo. First off, his name is stellar. I have thing for Theos (Theo James, anyone?). His character had some more depth than the others and he made me laugh.
     As for the plot, the time traveling was kind of weird, thrown in there to accent the romance. Honestly, the story didn't exactly benefit from the traveling aspect and, in my opinion, it could've survived without and maybe have been better. MAYBE. Marguerite traveled around, made out with Paul, made out with Theo, got separated, and got it on in Russia because... priorities!!! For a girl who lost her father, the girl sure got over it quickly. Any "twists" that were supposed to be in the book were obvious from miles away, and the pacing was off- really fast in some places, and dragging in others.
     There is a second book, but I can't see myself ever picking it up. Yet another disappointing hype machine book.


                                              

Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray

 Title: Lair of Dreams

 Series: The Diviners (#2)

 Author: Libba Bray

 Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

 Date Published: August 25th, 2015

 Genre: Paranormal

 Pages: 624 (Hardcover)

 Age Range: 14+






                                                                        Summary:

     After a supernatural showdown with a serial killer, Evie O'Neill has outed herself as a Diviner. With her uncanny ability to read people's secrets, she's become a media darling, and earned the title "America's Sweetheart Seer." Everyone's in love with the city's newest It Girl...everyone except the other Diviners.

Piano-playing Henry Dubois and Chinatown resident Ling Chan are two Diviners struggling to keep their powers a secret--for they can walk in dreams. And while Evie is living the high life, victims of a mysterious sleeping sickness are turning up across New York City.

As Henry searches for a lost love and Ling strives to succeed in a world that shuns her, a malevolent force infects their dreams. And at the edges of it all lurks a man in a stovepipe hat who has plans that extend farther than anyone can guess....As the sickness spreads, can the Diviners descend into the dreamworld to save the city?

                                                                          Review:

     YESSSSS!!!! I finally got my hands on this book, and I freaked out! I'm incredibly pleased to report that Libba Bray can do no wrong. In this book, we meet some new people, and run into a whole slew of messy drama. This book does a stellar job of moving along the overarching theme while focusing on the singular plot of this book.

     This book was a lot less focused on Evie, and more focused on Henry and Ling's journey and development. Which was not necessarily a bad thing because I was angry with Evie for a lot of this book.  I know, I know, angry with the character who I loved so much in the last book? Yes. While Evie really ticked me off for a majority of this book, that didn't stop me from waiting on the edge of my seat for her next chapter.
     In this book, we focus a lot on the dream world, something that, I felt, was a great place to go. Last book, we had some exorcism ghost type thing goin' on, and in this book, we have some weird dream/ reality thing goin' on. It's super hard to explain, but it was really cool. I am loving the direction that we are heading. The whole twist with Mei was something that I didn't see coming, but it was terrifyingly perfect.
      I really like the new characters that we met in this installment, and I liked the characters that we got to learn more about. Henry is so perfect, but I saw the plot twist about his love life coming up. Ling got on my nerves, but I am excited to add her to our Avengers lineup. Evie needs to get her act together in the next book, or else. And I wanted more Jericho! I felt like this book was a little Sam heavy although I LOVE him. Honestly, I'm not a fan of love triangles, but this one just works for me.
     I cannot wait for the next installment! I just hope that it's another eighteen years before book 3.

                                              

Seeker by Arwen Elys Dayton

 Title: Seeker

 Series: Seeker #1

 Author: Arwen Elys Dayton

 Publisher: Delacorte Press

 Date Published: February 10th, 2014

 Genre: Fantasy, Dystopian

 Pages: 448 (Hardcover)

 Age Range: 14+





                                                                         Summary:

     The night Quin Kincaid takes her Oath, she will become what she has trained to be her entire life. She will become a Seeker. This is her legacy, and it is an honor.
     As a Seeker, Quin will fight beside her two closest companions, Shinobu and John, to protect the weak and the wronged. Together they will stand for light in a shadowy world.
     And she'll be with the boy she loves--who's also her best friend.
     But the night Quin takes her Oath, everything changes.
     Being a Seeker is not what she thought. Her family is not what she thought. Even the boy she loves is not who she thought.
     And now it's too late to walk away.

                                                                          Review:

     Honestly, this book felt like it was going through second book syndrome, even though this is book one. Some things felt rushed, other felt too drawn out, some things left me scratching my head asking for some semblance of a explanation. This wasn't a bad book necessarily, but it was so all over the place that I'm wavering between giving it two stars, or one. That is not good.
     As usual, we'll start with the characters. Quin was just okay in the beginning. I didn't find her to be the kick-butt assassin type that I was expecting, but she also wasn't much of anything else. She didn't fit into any character mold that I've read of, but that's not a good thing in this story. Quin felt like a bad actor- someone just going through the motions. After stuff hit the fan, and Quin was... indisposed, I liked her a lot more. I actually liked watching her struggle to find herself. After that disgustingly long word vomit, we come to John. I never liked John, and, personally, I find him to be a lazy villain. He just spends time trying to convince people to follow his "evilness". John just got on my nerves. Shinobu was probably my favorite character. I actually really liked reading from his POV, and I found his story fascinating. All of the other characters bled into each other, I hated all of the Dreads, didn't give a single thought towards Fiona, and couldn't care any less about Briac of Shinobu's father.
     The plot was super jumpy, and I feel that this story would have benefited from chapter headings. I understood so little about the athame, and powers (are there even powers?), and, perhaps the worst thing, the ambiguous time frame of this book. There are buses and trains and planes, but people live off of the land like crazy people just for kicks. nothing really shocked me, but the plot was something that I enjoyed over-all. Nothing was wildly original, but I have hopes that book two will pick up.
      Now, we have to address the love shape in this book. I dislike love triangles- I just do. However, if a triangle is tastefully done, I can definitely get into it. This triangle, though, was pretty sloppy. John starts off being The One for Quin (not a spoiler, this established in the first chapter or so). Later, John gets a little flippy floppy, and Quin is just so, so lost without him. *facepalm* Shinobu is related to Quin (again, addressed in the first chapter or there abouts) very very very distantly, but this is mentioned so many times that I wanted to scream. If they're barely related, he's a love interest, and they may as well not be related for how much blood they share, then why did Arwen make them related? I UNDERSTAND NOTHING. I feel like this is gonna become a get-it-on-with-your-cousin thing-or-be-a-functional-person internal battle, OR that something magical happens to them because of their bond. More powers maybe??
     All told, this book is a 2.9, may as well be a three. I just don't even know anymore... Book two? Eh, may as well. I must be a glutton for self-punishment. *facepalm*

                                          

The New "The Mortal Instruments" & "The Infernal Devices" Covers!

   How is everyone this week? I hope the answer is somewhere along the lines of, "Good."

 A new month has started and not just any month; it's September. Everyone should be starting back at Hogwarts by now, right? Well, I--like many--still haven't gotten my Hogwarts acceptance letter so I'm just sitting here at my computer like any ol' boring Muggle.

 But, I'm a boring Muggle that is here to share some news with you. I'm writing a blog post about my book-nerdiness today, instead of blogging about writing, mostly because I don't have time to sit down and write about writing when I should be editing. So let's get to it so I can get to work :)

 So a few new books got released today, but the only ones I cared about were the beauties in the photos below. I've been waiting months to get my hands on the new The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices (by Cassandra Clare) covers, and they have finally arrived!

These are photos I took today as soon as I opened the box:

 Look at how gorgeous these covers are. Look! These covers are every author's dream. I love the covers so much that I don't even have a favorite! That's very unlike me. The art is amazing and the characters on the covers look how I imagined them, and every single person on The Mortal Instruments covers look bad-ass! I'm just loving these new and improved covers!

   The Mortal Instruments covers BEFORE:

 
   The Mortal Instruments covers AFTER:

  
   The Infernal Devices covers BEFORE:

   The Infernal Devices covers AFTER:

 I am just amazed. I didn't think this series could get any better, and then Cassandra Clare releases new covers for the series that are just breathtaking.

 Cassandra Clare (as well as many others) has been an inspiration to me for years. She crafted this amazing story that just sucks you in every time you sit down to read one of her books, and has lovable and funny characters to take you along for the ride. I can't wait to read more of her work!

POST FROM: www.ashleyearleybooks.blogspot.com  as Happy Semtember 1st (Back to Hogwarts)

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Uninvited and Unleashed by Sophie Jordan

 Title: Uninvited

 Author: Sophie Jordan

 Series: Uninvited Series #1

 Publisher: HarperTeen

 Date Published: January 28, 2014

 Genre: Dystopian, Romance

 Pages: 384 (Hardcover)

 Age Range: 14+






                                                                    Summary:

     Davy had everything—a terrific boyfriend, the homecoming crown, a bright future at Julliard—but when her genetic tests come back positive for Homicidal Tendency Syndrome, she loses it all. Uninvited from her prestigious school, avoided by her friends and family, she is placed in a special class with other "carriers" who are treated like the murderers they someday might become.

     Only Sean, a fellow HTS carrier, can relate to her new life and tells her that she alone controls her actions—not the code embedded into her DNA. But even if she can learn to trust him, can Davy trust herself?

                                                                      Review:

     Sophie Jordan is coming to my town, so I just had to read a book by her before I get a book signed. I had some pretty average expectations for this book. I was expecting a pretty interesting plot, some meh characters, and a killer cliffhanger that would make me want to kill someone to have the next book. I waltzed into this story only having read the flap, and that is the best way to go into this book- knowing nothing. Now is where I say that this book went beyond what I had imagined. It was surprisingly good, and it left me thinking. That being said, the book fell flat at the same time.

     One way that the book fell short in my opinion was that things moved very erratically. At first things start chugging along, and then things slow down drastically before they pick up again. Besides the erratic pace, I didn't like some of the characters. Tori felt like a completely random, unnecessary character just used as a plot device. Zac, I just despised- I never really liked him; his affection always seemed stilted. I disliked the ending of this book too. This book did NOT need to be a duology! This book could have easily been a slightly longer standalone. In fact, I would've liked the book better if everything had been resolved in this installment.

     Besides those rather small issues, I really did like this book. I LOVED Sean. Oh my, goodness gracious. Yes, he was cliche, and yes, there was instalove. HOWEVER, he was so sweet, and a bad-boy which I love. I also really liked Davy herself. She wasn't anything super special, but she fit perfectly into the story. I REALLY, REALLY wanted to read more about Mitchell. He was so funny, sarcastic, and I really wanted to wanted to see some more depth on his part. Honestly, I just wanted a lot more of Mitchell. I enjoyed meeting Sabine and Gil, but I hoped that they would get together.
     The near-ending was... interesting. For awhile, it looked like we would have a promising, open-ended ending. Instead, we had... the ending that we did. I really was praying that this book would end in one book, but of course it couldn't! Goodness gracious.





Title: Unleashed

Author: Sophie Jordan

Series: Uninvited Series #2

Publisher: HarperTeen

Date Published: February 24, 2015

Genre: Dystopian

Pages: 368 (Hardcover)

Age Range: 14+




                                                                       Summary:

     Davy has spent the last few months trying to come to terms with the fact that she tested positive for the kill gene HTS (also known as Homicidal Tendency Syndrome). She swore she would not let it change her, and that her DNA did not define her . . . but then she killed a man.

     Now on the run, Davy must decide whether she'll be ruled by the kill gene, or if she'll follow her heart and fight for her right to live free. But with her own potential for violence laying right beneath the surface, Davy doesn't even know if she can trust herself.

                                                                         Review:

     Honestly, this book was not necessary. At all. Now that I have read it, I can definitely say that this book adds very little to the story. I am very upset that this book is so bad, especially since I loved the first one so much.

     This book totally ruined what we built in the first one. Whatever we built with Sean became a problem after it wasn't a problem in the first book. And then, Sophie Jordan cruelly throws this new guy in here.. that I also love. WHY YOU DO THIS TO ME?!?! This book is both more boring, and more action-y than the first one. At times, I wanted to blow something up to make something- anything- happen. And other times, I was panting.

     Davy didn't change very much in this installment. She became a bit tougher, and she became more brutal, but- if anything- she made some steps backwards. We meet some new characters, and not a whole lot of them stick out to me. I did love Junie, even what ended up happening to her. Besides her, the only other character that I can really remember is Tabatha. And I felt very... meh towards her. Then, my favorite character is Caden. He was wonderful, and I was severely torn about this whole Sean vs. Caden thing.

     The plot thing with Sabine and Sean was... wow. Just wow. I was really angry because we never got to see what ended up playing out with Sean and Sabine and Gil while Davy was gone. The letter that Gil sent Davy at the end had me tearing up a little because, letters man. They always kill me.

     Overall, I would give this series four stars. The first book was so much better than the second, but they were both pretty decent.