Book Review: Dare You To by Katie McGarry

Oct3

**Although this is a sequel, this second in the Pushing the Limits series doesn’t continue with the same characters, but gives minor characters their own show. Find my review for the first book, Pushing the Limits.

Beth Risk is just as her surname describes. The only one capable of looking after her junkie mother with the abusive boyfriend, Beth risks it all to keep her out of jail. Now she is swept from her home, from Isaiah and Noah to a town filled with Stepford wives. A ward of her uncle, a now famed retired baseball star, Beth is forced to forget herself for her uncle in order to keep her mother’s secrets.

Ryan Stone is the heart throb of the baseball team. A start pitcher, he’s as cocky on the field as he is off, and winning dares is his speciality. Everything is lined up in Ryan’s life – pro ball – a life of athletic fandom, and his parents have worked endlessly to present him with blue collar opportunities. But there’s more to Ryan than just ball. He writes, and writes well, so well that college could be a choice in his future if he dares to take it.

A golden boy and a girl from the wrong side of the street. The two have nothing in common except wanting to be themselves. As they are forced to get to know each other will either dare to deny the chemistry that blooms between them?

I am a huge fan of the first book, and perhaps because I loved the first so much I was left feeling a bit disappointed with the second. Why? Well, in Pushing the Limits I feel that McGarry kind of went and took every extreme for her characters. It’s fantastic but where does that leave this book? Clichéd rich parent expectations and actions.

Beth and Ryan are standout characters. I have no fault with them, McGarry is very talented with writing both male and female teenage voices. My issue is with everyone else around Beth and Ryan that I found lacking.

However, perhaps this needed to be the case to allow for Beth and Ryan to truly shine. Both characters did things I didn’t expect (more or less). I kept reading because Beth has a lot of secrets and I love major jock Ryan being a closeted writing nerd. The chemistry between the two is also really hot, so another major win for this romance publisher. They are talented in finding writers that can tone down adult romance on a teenage level.

I can’t wait to read the third book and Harlequin Teen is proving to me one of the best YA romance publishers out there!

Book Review: Cranwood by J. Bryer

Sep28

Abby Hill and her mother have moved to England to help her grandmother run the inn she owns in Cranwood. However, Abby Hill isn’t a normal sixteen-year-old girl. No, no, no. She hears/sees dead people and tries to save the ones they warn her are in trouble!

For example, David, the cute neighbour in the village. Though she struggles with her visions, Abby is desperate to help everyone she can. When a particular haunting spirit warns her of friend in trouble, Abby will have to figure out who to ask for help or if she can try to do it all on her own.

The harsh reality: Well, I don’t have anything nice to say about this book, it’s terrible and there’s noting Young Adult about it. The book is written in an elementary age range instead of fourteen+. I’m talking, ‘I’m having the best day ever!’ kind of sentences. There is a time and place for juvenile writing, and Young Adult fiction is not it.

For instance: Abby gets ‘mad’ that David hasn’t called her so she walks over to his house to see if he’s home. When he’s not, she pouts and hates her life until he finally calls which then the day suddenly becomes the best ever! I’m sorry, but nothing about that passage makes sense! How can a day be the best ever, when it clearly wasn’t?

Le sigh, the main problem is that the age range is all wrong for this book. If the author tweaked the characters age and made changes to the story that fit the writing range it might have a chance at working, but as is, it’s awful and I’m sorry for stating that. It’s not easy to hear but I grew so frustrated with the clunky language, thin plot and ignorant assumptions on people different from Americans. To top it off, Abby states how she’s been living in England for while, but her mother who must be English (because hello, the grandmother obviously is?), clearly only speaks like an American. It. Just. Doesn’t. Work.

And the cover? Beautiful, but honey there is no way that girl is sixteen. Try twelve and you’ve got yourself a better start. Make like a knitter and rip it up. Start over and either read a lot more R. L. Stine for appropriate age range or start reading constantly current YA fiction to learn how it’s written. The ideas are there, but there needs to be much more practice.

Book Review: Reached by Ally Condie

Sep17

Please note this is the third book in the Matched series and does contain spoilers.

For my review on the first book, Matched.

For my review on the second book, Crossed.

They are all waiting for the Pilot.

The Pilot will be the one to save them.

Xander, Cassia and Ky are tied together, tighter than ever before. When the Rising makes it’s move and the Pilot stands above all else, is this truly what kind of world they are wishing to create?

But when the unsafe need to be saved, the world runs rampant. With no help near and judgement lurking, it’s a race to find a cure.

People start to die and hope dies with them.

When Ky falls ill, will Cassia have the strength to live without him if they don’t find the cure in time? As Xander continues as the bystander, he must make a choice for his future.

Time is running out.

Welcome to the free world.

I’ve been such a fan of this series, but I felt the finale was clichéd and expected. However, the ending didn’t turn out as I expected, which I think is a good thing. I think Condie gave her hardcore fans what they wanted. She stayed true to her characters and the series, but I can’t help but be left wanting more. Not more in the series, but more of an ending. More drama, more explosions, more something. Not a little perfect Tiffany’s wrapped gift.

I’m glad I stuck through until the end. I have seriously loved how paper becomes much more than just an expensive currency. The limited use of words and how the ability to learn how to write being outlawed are bits of the books that people need to be paying attention to now.

They’re the bits that will become our future if we’re not careful. I do love this series, when you stop and think about the small things within the books, there is so much hidden that we need to be aware of for the future. It’s not as far off as we think.

Book Review: Pushing the Limits by Katie McGerry

Sep14

Echo Emerson used to be one of the popular girls. Talented in art, with long gorgeous red hair, the tall girl with the interesting name had the quarterback boyfriend and everything it seemed.

Then there was the night her mother tried to kill her. Echo has no memories of the evening, but the scars that grace her arms will never let her forget. Now an outcast, with an even more over bearing father, due to have a new baby with Echo’s former babysitter – yeah- it’s not as if her life could get any worse.

Noah Hutchins is a product of the foster care system. Dark and foreboding, he’s shed his basketball star rep for drugs and looking every evening for a new one night stand. His only pressure for getting on the straight and narrow are his younger brothers, taken from him after his parent’s tragic death.

Brought together but their pesky guidance counsellor, Echo and Noah try to repel each other until they discover how much they’ve lost. Both have secrets, both are so alone. But together they could find the answers that will help them move on from their haunting past.

This is fantastic romance YA! A round of applause for McGarry and Harlequin! I loved how this book was the perfect blend of teenage angst and toned down traditional adult romance novel. Only disclaimer – lots of foul language, so not for tweens.

This is a romance with heart. This is falling in love that isn’t clichéd, cheesy or unrealistic. There is vulnerability with both of the characters and their back-stories are engagingly brilliant! Ridiculous and fantastic – Pushing the Limits is a true romance book that is so much more than just the love of two lead characters. The love of family is stronger and I can’t recommend this book enough for romance junkies!

The rest of the series follows Noah’s best friends lives in separate books. I love the idea and can’t wait for the last book to be published in the fall!

Book Review: Ink by Amanda Sun

Sep10

Forced to move to Japan to live with her aunt, there is only so much prep American sixteen-year-old Katie Greene can do.

Learning Japanese, adapting to a new school system culturally and making friends is the least of Katie’s worries. Getting over her mother’s sudden death and wondering about why her father left her only adds to turning her world upside down.

Then there’s Tomohiro. With a bad boy reputation over publicly breaking up with his latest girlfriend, Katie is drawn to this tortured soul. His art is his soul and soon he is Katie’s. Alone no longer the two connect across pages of Ink.

But there lurks a danger in the dark pigments. What Tomohiro can draw is hungry for Katie. As the pair tries to hide Tomo’s talents from exploitation, she wonders if their love can conquer his curse.

I loved the premise of Katie’s adventures in Japan. Can you imagine leaving the country of your birth because the only family you had was abroad? Not only that, but having to learn a completely new language and progress in such a short timeframe made the read fantastic. I love how Sun integrated Japanese words with English ones (she also includes a glossary). Even without the romance the book would have been a hit with me.

Now, the romance bit. It’s a bit clichéd for my liking. Too sudden and not entirely believable. The supernatural elements were enjoyable and have left me questions of wanting to know more about some of the other characters. I just wish the romance parts weren’t so expected.

Other than that, Ink is a refreshingly different YA book. For a debut in a series it has a lot going on and will keep readers wondering what exactly is going on. Plus the illustrations that are littered through the pages bring so much character to the piece. It’s beautiful to own as much as it is to read without being overdone.

Book Review: Demonic Dora by Claire Chilton

Sep3

Dora is born to heavily religious parents but is unfortunately stuck with quite the personality. Cursed by her love of black and desire to summon a demon from Hell, Dora’s parents attempt to burn her at the stake outside their house.

For once Dora is saved by a successfully summoned Demon Lord. As he whisks her away from her crazy parents and neighbours, Dora has only one choice to follow the demon back where he came from.

But it can be difficult to survive in a world where a fresh soul like Dora’s is the national currency. There’s treachery afoot. Even her demon lord might not be able to save her. Everything comes down to one final battle in the bowels of Hell between whom else? Dora and her demon lord….

The Good: All the interesting bits were about the citizens and structure of Hell. I really loved how Chilton went for the story and took me as a reader on a hilarious ride. Her writing is funny and it’s refreshing to have a book make me laugh out loud. Pooey is definitely my favorite character and I loved how Dora is a strong willed. And she still loves her parents even they try endlessly to kill her!

The Not So Good: For a story that held a lot of promise I’m a bit disappointed with how…rushed everything was. The characters are fun, the personalities of Hell’s occupants are witty, but everything breezes through where I wished the author had lingered. I also wished that the characteristics of Hell had more differences than the modern world. It’s pretty 50/50, and it bugged me that Hell could be so like current day life. There were plenty of other really creative bits, and using something obvious was a bit of a letdown.

I am curious to see where the series goes. It’s different, short and unusual.

I was provided this book in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the publisher Ragz Books and the author Claire Chilton for allowing me to review the book! Best of luck with the series and I look forward to reading the second book.