Archive | July 2013

Book Review: Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick

Please note: This is the third book in the Hush, Hush series and does contain spoilers.

Check out my review for Hush, Hush (1) and Crescendo (2).

All summer Nora Grey has been missing. When she appears out of nowhere in the middle of the cemetery, she discovers she can’t remember the past five months of her life. It also turns out her mother has been dating the father of her biggest enemy Marcie Millar. Talk about living an nightmare.

Traumatized and feeling alone Nora tries to piece her life back together. Her friends say one thing and other people from her past say another. Nora knows her mother is keeping something from her, but as she muddles through her memories each road comes up empty.

Try as she can to figure things out there are other forces drawing Nora into danger. Each time she lands in perils way, a handsome unknown stranger swoops in to save her. Like a guardian angel. If only Nora could just remember what really happened…

Sigh. It’s been a slow deterioration for this series. Granted, again, Fitzpatrick has made me eager to know what happened to Nora. However the plot is beginning to thin. I found this book to be ‘too easy’. There were many sections where I thought ‘That seriously wouldn’t happen’ to ‘The world doesn’t operate that way’.

Now I understand this is a YA book and sometimes you come across ones that don’t make sense and it’s supposed to be ok. However, the best YA can weave a tale where even if things don’t make sense it’s still believable. This is not one of those series.

My disappointment is growing, but there is only one book left so I feel I’ve invested this much and need to finish. My hopes are not high though.

Book Review: Happy Birthday to Me by Brian Rowe

Jul27

It all started as a practical joke. Cameron Martin is one of the most popular kids in school. At seventeen he’s the star of the basketball team and dating one of the hottest girls at his high school. Life is perfect, his body is perfect and what could make it better? A free piece of birthday cake is always the cherry on top.

But something is wrong is Cameron. Perhaps it was stress of the game or finals of senior year. Everyday he feels…a bit different. Older.

When a visit to the doctor confirms the worst, that Cameron is aging an entire year everyday, it makes one think, how would you spend living the rest of your life?

I LOVED THIS. Seriously. What a fun quick read! Why do male lead characters get all the fun in YA fiction? It’s light-hearted, easy and full of wonder. I mean, could you imagine? Aging a year in an entire DAY? The plot was pretty easy to figure out but that didn’t deter from my enjoyment. I loved Cameron. What a total teenager that bloke is.

It’s a fun story, and I’m so happy to learn it’s an already completed trilogy. The book also helps puts things in perspective. It was a joy to see the progression of Cameron’s character from prick jerkface to an adult male. He makes a lot of mistakes and boy there are some hilarious mishaps that happen. Yet in the end Cameron is still a teenager and Rowe is dead on with his tone of voice.

If you want an easy read that makes you laugh out loud at moment please give this first in a serious a shot. It’s well worth the time and a totally great read!

This book was provided by the publisher, Patchwork Press, in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to Brian Rowe for such a delightful read and to Patchwork Press for taking a chance on a read self published piece of work!

Take Part: Seattle Book Summit, Timberland Library Tour and Kat Richardson book signing

Jul25

A couple of events happening around Washington State this week and the next coming weeks!

This week:

Marissa Meyer, author the Lunar Chronicles series, is doing a six library book signing tour around Western Washington.

*Covers are from Goodreads

Her schedule is as follows:

July 25, 12:00 p.m.: Ocean Park Timberland Library
July 25, 6:00 p.m.: Aberdeen Timberland Library

July 26, 2:00 p.m.: Winlock Timberland Library
July 26, 7:00 p.m.: Olympia Timberland Library

July 27, 11:00 a.m.: Centralia Timberland Library
July 27, 3:00 p.m.: Shelton Timberland Library

I wish I could go but I’m unable to travel the distance at the moment. I’m hoping to catch Meyer in a couple of months when her third book, Cress, is published.

August 1st:

PR for People is fronting the 3rd annual Seattle Book Summit event at Seattle’s downtown Central Library branch.

*Photo is courtesy of PR for People.

Tickets range from $35-$75 and yours truly will be volunteering at the event!

Lastly, one of my absolutely favorite authors, Kat Richardson will be doing two book signings whilst promoting her latest published work, Possession, the eighth book from her outstanding Greywalker series. Richardson is a local Seattle writer and I personally can’t wait to meet her in person!

*Photo is courtesy of katrichardson.com, cover is from Goodreads

The info:

1st signing:

August 6th at the Seattle location University Bookstore from 7pm. No tickets required, just have a copy of the freshly published Possession, or buy it before the signing.

2nd signing:

Richardson is being an absolute star and popping over to the Seattle Mystery Bookstore for an hour ONLY on August 10th at 12pm to 1pm SHARP. She’ll be at another event beforehand but has graciously offered to sign books during her lunch hour. No tickets required, just have the latest book and she’s happy to sign it for you!

That’s all for now! If there are any events you know of and want me to write about, I’m happy to promote all things literary!

Until next time,

Ashleyisee

Book Review: Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick

Jul23

Please note: This is the second book in the Hush, Hush series and does contain spoilers.

Check out my review for Hush, Hush (1).

A few weeks ago Nora Grey almost died. When her life was in danger, the smoky hot mysterious Patch did the unthinkable and saved her life. If she died Patch could have taken her life and become human, but instead he saved her and became her guardian angel.

Yet the angels above are keeping an eye on Patch, Making his relationship with Nora…complicated. When an old childhood friend of Nora’s comes back to town, suddenly there are questions involving her father’s death. In this small town of Maine there are a lot more secrets than Nora could ever imagine. If Patch isn’t by her side to sort them out, will she be able to handle the truth?

I can’t say that this sequel was as good as the first. The habits that Nora had established in the first book were completely absent and she reverted to an unimaginative one-dimensional character obsessed with her love interest.

However, I kept going because the plot was intriguing. What lacked in character development/progression can be slightly overlooked due to the thrilling mystery the story created. Fitzpatrick did a brilliant job of giving the reader just enough hints of information to keep me turning the pages.

Plus, the ending is even more explosive than the first book. I’m going to keep reading the series but I was disappointed that the second seemed to forget everything good it had established in the first.