Afterworlds Review

Title: Afterworlds
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Genre:Paranormal, Contemporary

Blurb: (from goodreads)  Darcy Patel has put college and everything else on hold to publish her teen novel, Afterworlds. Arriving in New York with no apartment or friends she wonders whether she's made the right decision until she falls in with a crowd of other seasoned and fledgling writers who take her under their wings… 

Told in alternating chapters is Darcy's novel, a suspenseful thriller about Lizzie, a teen who slips into the 'Afterworld' to survive a terrorist attack. But the Afterworld is a place between the living and the dead and as Lizzie drifts between our world and that of the Afterworld, she discovers that many unsolved - and terrifying - stories need to be reconciled. And when a new threat resurfaces, Lizzie learns her special gifts may not be enough to protect those she loves and cares about most.

Me: This 599 page wonder is a fresh look on publishing and tells two really interesting stories while somehow weaving them together.

The Ups: I absolutely adored Darcy's story. I agree that it is very difficult for a person to get published so well at that age, and that it is very rare, but I think that was kind of the fun of it. To see a rare occurrence try and blend in with everybody else. Darcy as a character was really nice, and I think that my mind was trying to comprehend that this was a book about an author, and that made me even more interested in it. I actually met Scott Westerfeld and he said that the bizarre things in the book that you would be like "Wait what that actually happened?" were probably based on things in his own life., and I think that added to the reality of the book .

Imogen was one of my favorite characters. I think that her struggle with trying to bury her past and put on a fresh face and a good reputation was a very big part of her character, and that it added a sense of sympathy yet a sense of curiosity for me as a reader. She was very confident with herself and always seemed to have Darcy's back, but under that, I think was a weak person who was trying to build up new walls.
After every single chapter, I had to catch myself because I would get confused because every other chapter told Lizzie's story. I think that it was really cool to have two stories weaved together. While other people might have found the constant back-and-forth annoying, I think that Scott Westerfeld stopped the chapters at the exact right moments and I rather enjoyed what Westerfeld himself called "the author's feeling of living half in the real world and half in the book." 

The Downs: I didn't enjoy Lizzie's story very much. I mean, it wasn't horrible or anything, I just didn't find it absolutely amazing, and at some points in Lizzie's story I found myself getting kind of bored. I also found the story a bit repetitive and the ending, (which ironically took Darcy lots of attempts to get down), wasn't very good. 

Overall: A great story, that I sped through and loved the author part of it. 

Rating: 4 kisses!

Hush, Hush Review

Title: Hush, Hush
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance

Blurb: (from goodreads) A SACRED OATH
A FALLEN ANGEL
A FORBIDDEN LOVE

Romance was not part of Nora Grey's plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how hard her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch comes along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Patch draws Nora to him against her better judgment.

But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is and seems to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.

For she is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost Nora her life.

Me: First of all, I went on goodreads and was absolutely appalled by the amount of controversy this book has gotten. Literally, the ratings were either 1 star or 5 stars. And I have quite some stuff to say about the book.

The Ups: I thought that the book was rather enjoyable during the actual period I was reading it. It was very fast-paced which I enjoyed, because being so incredibly tired and busy these days, it was nice that I could slip in and out of the world of the book very quickly and I thought that it kept me entertained throughout the story. There was a lot of action, suspense, and I got interested in what was happening. 

The concept of fallen angels, and Nephilim was very fresh and interesting, and I think it was cool to think of good gone wrong, and how even the most holiest or "good" creatures would succumb to desire. I've read a crazy amount of books on fairies, vampires, and werewolves, but angels were a new idea. 

The Downs: This book is a romance novel. Right? I mean, that's what it's supposed to be. And I fell for Patch the first time that he popped up. But as the book went on, I found him to be borderline abusive and not attractive or nice at all. And when I don't like the romantic interest in a romance novel, that kind of defeats the whole purpose of the novel. I think that if the novel had expanded more on the entire angel/Nephilim idea it would have been much more interesting than just trying to make the romance work. 
I also think that the actual action happened too late in the book. I understand that it was building up to a certain climax and that there was a lot of romantic building and information that we needed, but I wish that it would have happened at a bit of a faster pace. I just really think that if the book had been primarily based on the paranormal part of the story and not the romance, it would have been much more enjoyable.
I found the book very predictable. It just seemed like another generic paranormal story for me. I saw a lot of things coming and it just generally didn't excite me very much. 

Overall: Fascinating concept, but wasn't written the way I would've liked it. 

Rating: 2 kisses!

Unbreakable Review

Title: Unbreakable
Author: Kami Garcia
Publisher: Little, Brown
Genre: Paranormal

Blurb: (from goodreads)I never believed in ghosts. Until one tried to kill me.

When Kennedy Waters finds her mother dead, her world begins to unravel. She doesn’t know that paranormal forces in a much darker world are the ones pulling the strings. Not until identical twins Jared and Lukas Lockhart break into Kennedy’s room and destroy a dangerous spirit sent to kill her. The brothers reveal that her mother was part of an ancient secret society responsible for protecting the world from a vengeful demon — a society whose five members were all murdered on the same night.

Now Kennedy has to take her mother’s place in the Legion if she wants to uncover the truth and stay alive. Along with new Legion members Priest and Alara, the teens race to find the only weapon that might be able to destroy the demon — battling the deadly spirits he controls every step of the way.

Suspense, romance, and the paranormal meet in this chilling urban fantasy, the first book in a new series from Kami Garcia, bestselling coauthor of the Beautiful Creatures novels.

Me: A brand-spanking-new series by the co-author of the beloved Beautiful Creatures series? Seems worth an attempt! 

The Ups: I really enjoyed how Kami Garcia elaborated on how they'd defend themselves against the demons, the history of the Legion, etc. Rock salt guns, cold iron, the calculator/metal detector...awesome. I think that really contributed to make the story believable and almost imaginable. 

I have to give Kami Garcia credit. her writing is simple yet amazingly descriptive. The book was like an action movie. I could picture every scene and all of the characters, which isn't something I can often do. (the part at the Hearts of Mercy? Imagery was to die for.)

The other members of the Legion were so lovable-my personal favorite was Priest. Not that their demeanor is in anyway cute and lovable. All of them are tough and badass, but all of them have a sweet side, because yeah, they might be demon hunters, but at the end of the day, they're jsut teenagers.

The Downs: Unfortunately, this book let me down quite a bit on plot and depth and such. I read an excerpt in Dangerous Creatures(review here) and I thought it looked very good but I have very high expectations for those two authors. Not a bad read, but it just wasn't very hooking. I feel like it wasn't a complete waste of time, but just not phenomenal. 

I think Kennedy as the main character just lacked a lot. She was very self-doubting, a bit indecisive, not relatable at all, and a little bit of an annoying brat. One of those characters where you're like, "Why does everyone love her??" There was so relation between me and her, nothing I could sympathize about, and since the main character is such a main part of any novel, I think that's what really pushed this book down. 

Overall: Not bad, but could've used more from this recognized author. 

Rating: 2 kisses!