Showcase Sunday #12

Showcase Sunday is hosted by the lovely Vicky over at Books, Biscuits, and Tea! It's a great way to share what you have received for the past week and to also gush over the wonderful books to other bloggers have added to their bookshelves!

Jen's New Books:

I had like the best week. EVER. EVVARRR.

Borrowed:

Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Touch by Jus Accardo

Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

Legend by Marie Lu

Bought:

The Edge of Never by J.A. Redmerski

For Review:

Witch's Brew by Heidi R. Kling

Criminal by Terra Elan McVoy

For Review (continued):

Nobody But Us by Kristin Halbrook

Prophecy by Ellen Oh

The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd

Revolution 19 by Gregg Rosenblum

SQUEE. I *nearly* ran around the house screaming my head off in happiness (actually, I kind of did do that). Thank you so, so much Coliloquy, Simon & Schuster, HARPERTEEN <3, and Edelweiss!

Note from Beverley:  HI GUYS!!!  So I'm taking a little blogging break and aim to be back on the 23rd of December.  I have bloggy things to organise - like my blogoversary and also something coming up in February next year - so I need some time off to get things sorted.  Just wanted to let you know so you realise I haven't abandoned you! I am simply taking a blogging break so I'll still be reading and writing reviews.  Until then, goodbye for now :)

Happy reading,
Beverley and Jen xx

REVIEW: Possession by Elana Johnson

Name: Possession

Author: Elana Johnson

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Release Date: June 7th 2011

Pages: 416, Kindle

Source: Author/Blog tour

Rating: 2.5 stars

Vi knows the Rule: Girls don’t walk with boys, and they never even think about kissing them. But no one makes Vi want to break the Rules more than Zenn…and since the Thinkers have chosen him as Vi’s future match, how much trouble can one kiss cause? The Thinkers may have brainwashed the rest of the population, but Vi is determined to think for herself.
But the Thinkers are unusually persuasive, and they’re set on convincing Vi to become one of them….starting by brainwashed Zenn. Vi can’t leave Zenn in the Thinkers’ hands, but she’s wary of joining the rebellion, especially since that means teaming up with Jag. Jag is egotistical, charismatic, and dangerous: everything Zenn’s not. Vi can’t quite trust Jag and can’t quite resist him, but she also can’t give up on Zenn.
This is a game of control or be controlled. And Vi has no choice but to play.

[summary taken from Goodreads]

Beverley's Review

Unfortunately, I didn't particularly enjoy Possession.  While the synopsis and concept really held me, there were aspects of it which just didn't work for me.  It was an intriguing read but not one while is likely to be memorable.

Let's start with the world-building.  While the whole idea of having a divide between the 'Goodies' and 'Baddies' was fascinating, I felt the author tried to cram in too much and I was a little overwhelmed by it all - the different gadgets, their lifestyle, the system of Directors and Thinkers.  It just all felt too overdone as if the author was trying to impress me with her dystopian world and persistently dangling it directly in front of my face.

To tie in with this, the storyline was sometimes fast, sometimes slow.  It was just a little too inconsistent for my liking.  At first, I was totally unsure of where the book was heading but it does pick up the pace if you stick at it - although sometimes I couldn't completely understand what was going on, leaving me in my own confused bubble and trying to figure out what had just happened.  While I like books that keep me on my toes, I'd rather not spend too much time trying to navigate my way round a plot.

Okay, so the world-building and plot didn't quite work so well... The characters, I hear you ask.  If everything else doesn't tick my boxes, captivating characters might just pull the rating up a little.  However, the characters didn't really stand out either.  I hoped Vi would be a really kick-ass character, fighting off the villains one by one in her tech-obsessed society.  While she was a strong heroine, I didn't really connect with her which is something that annoyed me.  And the love triangle. OH NO.  I usually quite like love triangles.  This one just wasn't happening for me. It was all, 'Zenn's so sweet and lovely' but I was constantly told this and never shown.  Also, the connection between Vi and Jag was a bit too 'insta-love' for me.  I wasn't at all convinced my their supposed love for each other.  In this way, I finished the book feeling no preference at all for either boy.

Overall, I found Possession to be quite a disappointing read.  It had potential to be a really captivating read but for me, too many aspects fell below the standard I was expecting.  Although I didn't love it, I would still encourage you to give it a go if it sounds like you cup of tea.  Just because it wasn't mine, doesn't mean you won't enjoy it.

2.5 Teacups for Possession

Waiting on Wednesday #12

Waiting on Wednesday is a fabulous meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine!  It's a wonderful chance to share the books we're eagerly anticipating and to find out what our fellow bloggers are looking forward to reading!

Bev's eagerly anticipating

The Art of Wishing 

Lindsay Ribar

March 21st 2013, Dial Books

Margo McKenna has a plan of attack for everything, from landing the lead in her high school musical to dealing with her increasingly absent parents. But when she finds herself in possession of a genie's ring and the opportunity to make three wishes, she doesn't know what to do. Especially since Oliver--not blue-skinned, not bottle-dwelling, but a genie nonetheless--can see more than what she's willing to show him. With one peek into her mind, he can see the wishes that even Margo herself doesn't know she wants. But Oliver comes with more than just mind-reading abilities, a flair for magic, and the prettiest eyes Margo's ever seen. Someone from his past is hunting him--someone bent on killing him, along with all the other genies in the world, for the sake of honor. And as Margo soon discovers, it will take more than three wishes to save him. A whole lot more.

I adore the whole concept of 'wishes'! And lookie ^^^ there's a frikkin' GENIE in the book!!!  Yes!!! I mean, have you ever read a YA book about a (hot) genie?  Imagine that... a hot guy granting you your wishes :O I can't wait to pick this up and devour it whole!

Jen's eagerly anticipating...

Invisibility

Andrea Cremer & David Levithan

May 7, 2013 by Philomel/Penguin

Stephen has been invisible for practically his whole life — because of a curse his grandfather, a powerful cursecaster, bestowed on Stephen’s mother before Stephen was born. So when Elizabeth moves to Stephen’s NYC apartment building from Minnesota, no one is more surprised than he is that she can see him. A budding romance ensues, and when Stephen confides in Elizabeth about his predicament, the two of them decide to dive headfirst into the secret world of cursecasters and spellseekers to figure out a way to break the curse. But things don’t go as planned, especially when Stephen’s grandfather arrives in town, taking his anger out on everyone he sees. In the end, Elizabeth and Stephen must decide how big of a sacrifice they’re willing to make for Stephen to become visible — because the answer could mean the difference between life and death. At least for Elizabeth.

Um, heck yeah! I absolutely loved Levithan's Every Day, with it's unique concept. This one definitely sounds like another one with a totally original idea that no one else has really written about. I'm sad that I haven't read anything by Cremer yet, but hopefully this one will remedy that problem! May is WAY too far away...

What are you anticipating today? Link us up!

Happy reading,
Beverley and Jen xxx

REVIEW: I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga

Name: I Hunt Killers

Author: Barry Lyga

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Release Date: April 3, 2012 (US)

Pages: 361, Hardcover

Source: Online Audiobook Library

Rating: 5 Teacups

What if the world's worst serial killer...was your dad?
Jasper "Jazz" Dent is a likable teenager. A charmer, one might say.
But he's also the son of the world's most infamous serial killer, and for Dear Old Dad, Take Your Son to Work Day was year-round. Jazz has witnessed crime scenes the way cops wish they could—from the criminal's point of view.
And now bodies are piling up in Lobo's Nod.
In an effort to clear his name, Jazz joins the police in a hunt for a new serial killer. But Jazz has a secret—could he be more like his father than anyone knows?

[summary taken from Goodreads]

Jen's Review

In anticipation for Halloween, I decided to pick up I Hunt Killers. I've had my eye on it for awhile now, but I've always been hesitant to pick it up, because it's WAY out of my comfort zone! I'm a weenie and I can never handle anything too scary. Luckily, it had JUST enough creep factor to keep me excited and reading, instead of pushing me away from it. I Hunt Killers was a fantastic, bone-chilling murder mystery that I thoroughly enjoyed!

One of the many things I loved in I Hunt Killers were the characters, especially Jazz. Jazz, the son of the world-famous serial killer. Jazz was not bad-ass. He was not the bravest person, but he proved to be a strong character. Even though his thoughts wavered from time to time, he was able to overcome the bad thoughts and stay as a good person (not kill anyone). I also freaking loved Jazz's best friend, Howie. Howie was hilarious and kind of stupid, in a way, but also adorable. He definitely lightened up the story when it was dark and scary. And we can't forget Connie, Jazz's girlfriend! Connie was extremely supportive, and unbelievably brave! Being the girlfriend of a serial killer's son? Talk about courage. The characters were fantastic and very well done!

The next-best-thing was the PLOT. Ahh, Barry Lyga, you are incredibly awesome! The plot for I Hunt Killers was so intense, captivating, and gripping! I couldn't stop reading until I knew who the new killer in Lobo's Nod was! I loved the suspicion, plot twists, and the creepy scenes. It's suspenseful for sure, and awesome. I had no problems with it whatsoever!

Pretty much what I'm trying to say is: GO READ THIS BOOK. If you're a fan of Pretty Little Liars (without the romance-y part), creepy and spine-tingling emotions, this is THE book for you! Even if you don't like that area of YA, I'd still give it a shot! This one surprise me, to say in the least. Outstanding!

Audiobook Review: SO GOOD. I so so so recommend the audio! Of course, it's narrated by a male and it's just perfect for the voice of Jazz! It definitely adds to the story, and it's flawless. 5 teacups for the audio as well!

5 Teacups for I Hunt Killers!

REVIEW: Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready

Name: Shade

Author: Jeri Smith Ready

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Release Date: May 4, 2010 (US)

Pages: 320, Hardcover

Source: Online Audiobook Library

Rating: 3.5 Teacups

Love ties them together. Death can't tear them apart. Best. Birthday. Ever. At least, it was supposed to be. With Logan's band playing a critical gig and Aura's plans for an intimate after-party, Aura knows it will be the most memorable night of her boyfriend's life. She never thought it would be his last.
Logan's sudden death leaves Aura devastated. He's gone.
Well, sort of.
Like everyone born after the Shift, Aura can see and hear ghosts. This mysterious ability has always been annoying, and Aura had wanted nothing more than to figure out why the Shift happened so she can undo it. But not with Logan’s violet-hued spirit still hanging around. Because dead Logan is almost as real as ever. Almost.
It doesn't help that Aura’s new friend Zachary is so understanding—and so very alive. His support means more to Aura than she cares to admit.
As Aura's relationships with the dead and the living grow ever complicated, so do her feelings for Logan and Zachary. Each holds a piece of Aura's heart…and clues to the secret of the Shift.

[summary taken from Goodreads]

Jen's Review

Prior to starting Shade, the only thing that I had heard about it was "Amazing", or "one of a kind"--things along that line. What could I do? Of course I had to pick it up! I'm always up for a good ghost story, especially with romance involved. I am pleased to say that I enjoyed it, but there was definitely a lot of things I could complain about, such as the love triangle and the characters themselves. However, I loved the plot and creativity of Shade. My conflicting thoughts for Shade equal out for it to be an overall good read.

As I mentioned before, there were definitely things I thoroughly liked in Shade; that is, the creative paranormal aspect, and the plot. Jeri Smith Ready takes the ghost creatures onto a whole new level. In Shade, only people born after the Shift can see the ghosts, and they can turn into Shades: bad ghosts. I thought that was totally original of Jeri and I really appreciated her for trying something new. Likewise, the plot was really fun to read about. I constantly wanted to know more and it keeps the reader entertained and captivated.

On the other hand, there were things that I think could have been better, like the romantic relationships and the characters. Throughout the entire novel, I never understood for a second WHY Aura was so in love with Logan, and vice-versa. There relationship together didn't work very well. It was very quarrelsome and I just did not like it. Moreover, the characters in general didn't stand out. They definitely weren't terrible, but they were just very mediocre. The only exception to that was Zachary, the third person in the love triangle; he was so patient and a gentleman, and he was very lovely.

As a result, Shade was an okay book: very entertaining, but had it's character flaws that derailed it's potential for an awesome ghost story. Still, if you're looking for an exciting, fresh ghost story, Shade would be a great pick!

Audiobook Review: The audio was pretty good for this one! It's acceptable; the only problem I had with the narrator was that she made the male characters (Logan) sound like a 5 year old. If you don't mind your 17 year old male protagonists sounding like a kindergartner, definitely check out the audio!

3.5 Teacups for Shade!

Possession Blog Tour: Interview + Giveaways!

Today I'm delighted to welcome Elana Johnson to A Reading Daydreamer for the joint Possession and Surrender blog tour!  She is stopping by for a short interview which you should definitely read! And don't forget to enter the awesome giveaways she has kindly put together.

Possession is a pretty complex book, what was the hardest part of writing it?

The timeline, for sure. When everything happens, when that person goes missing, when this and when that. It was really challenging – and I’m still dealing with it, as I try to make the third book in the series (ABANDON, coming on June 4, 2013) match up with everything that’s already in black and white.

So definitely the timeline of events. There’s just so much of the past in us, you know? And I think characters should base their decisions on who they are. And they become who they based on where they’ve been, and what they’ve experienced. So the past events are important.

All dystopians need to have original 'worlds', how did you come up with the idea of the 'Goodgrounds' and the 'Badlands'?

There’s a lot of tongue-in-cheek stuff in Possession, including the “Good”ground and the “Bad”lands. I wanted to have two places that were direct opposites, and have Vi explore what truly made someone or something good. It was an exploration of labels.

Do you have any memorable moments of when you were putting all your thoughts and ideas on paper?

I remember needing a name for my male lead, and not having one. So I used “Jag” as a placeholder. By the end of the book, I loved it, and didn’t end up changing his name.

What's your favourite scene from the Possession?

There’s one I almost cut, but decided to keep, and it’s when Vi makes herself the birthday cake as she and Jag cross the desert. I don’t know why I like that scene so much, but I do. Maybe I just love birthdays!

Were any of the characters inspired by the people in your life, or even yourself?

Sort of. Mostly, Vi gets to say and do things I wish I could say and do. I’m so non-confrontational, that I don’t say anything to anyone about anything. I want everyone to be happy, and I want to treat others kindly. That usually means that you don’t get to speak your mind, you know? And Vi gets to do that. So I sort of live vicariously through her.

If you lived in Vi's world, would you rather be a Goodie or a Baddie?

Oh, I’d rather be a Baddie. I’d rather get to go out with my friends and wear whatever I choose.

Can you give us a sneak peek of Surrender?

Everyone can read the first 96 pages of Surrender on my Facebook fanpage! https://www.facebook.com/possessionthebook/app_128953167177144

Author Bio:  Elana Johnson’s work, including Possession, Surrender, and Regret, published by Simon Pulse (Simon & Schuster), is available now everywhere books are sold. Her popular ebook, From the Query to the Call, is also available for download, as well as a Possession short story, Resist. School teacher by day, Query Ninja by night, you can find her online at her personal blog or Twitter. She also co-founded the Query Tracker blog, and contributes to the League of Extraordinary Writers. Blog: http://elanajohnson.blogspot.com FB: http://facebook.com/possessionthebook Twitter: http://twitter.com/ElanaJ

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REVIEW: Matched by Ally Condie

Name: Matched

Author: Ally Condie

Publisher: Dutton Juvenile // Speak

Release Date: November 30, 2010 (US)

Pages: 369, Paperback

Source: Bought

Rating: 2.5 Teacups

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate... until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.
The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

[summary taken from Goodreads]

Jen's Review

When I bought this book nearly 2 years ago, it sounded to me to like it was going to be an awesome dystopian story that I would enjoy a lot. That was back when paranormal romances were "the thing", and I wasn't even an avid reader yet. Today, though, I know Matched as a mixed-review dystopian. Sadly, I have to agree with the mixed-review part. Matched was a dystopian heavily set around romance, and didn't stand out to me among all of the other dystopians I've read so far.

Matched started off with a bang: the main character Cassia is being Matched with the person she is meant to be with for the rest of her life. I was instantly captivated and I wanted to know more, more, more. But pretty much after that, Matched lost my interest. The rest of the plot was a steady road and didn't have any more exciting moments or fast-paced scenes. It was boring, and stale. It became a bit tedious to get through the entire book.

The world-building was one of the weakest points in Matched. There were no reasons behind their world of the Society at all. Condie threw in concepts that weren't thoroughly explained, leaving me confused and frustrated. Sadly though, I kind of just brushed it off because I couldn't really care less, and I just went along with it. If I were to read the rest of the trilogy (which I probably won't be doing..), I would love to see more concepts explained clearly.

Next are the characters and the romance. Cassia was a strong-willed and rebellious girl in the Society, yes, but there was nothing that made her stand out. I'm sure I'm going to forget her quickly after a month or so. Her relationship with Ky seemed special in the book, but in hindsight, their romance didn't make much sense at all, either. I never really knew their reasoning behind their love, it seemed like she only started to like him because the Society organized it that way. Xander, Cassia's best friend, seemed like a much better choice, and I don't know why Cassia strayed away from him.

The only thing that pretty much kept me going was Condie's writing. It was quite delightful, actually. Condie has beautiful prose and is a master at describing things. Also, the way she incorporated the poetry that Cassia uses to get through her time in the Society was great.

All things considered, Matched was a mainstream dystopian that will get lost in the batch of new ones that are much more unique and memorable. The romance didn't make sense and the world was not very well explained. The only thing that was worth reading was Condie's prose. If you're a fan of dystopians and will read any and every dystopian, check this one out. But if not, I'd say it's okay to pass this one up.

2.5 Teacups for Matched!