REVIEW: The Vincent Boys by Abbi Glines

Name: The Vincent Boys (The Vincent Boys #1)

Author: Abbi Glines

Publisher: Hot Key Books

Date published: 3rd January 2013

Pages: 257, Paperback 

Source: For review (from publisher)

Rating: 2.5 teacups

Beau Vincent is rude, bad, and dangerous to know. So, why can’t good girl Ashton Gray keep away from him? She already has the perfect boyfriend – her town’s local Prince Charming, Sawyer Vincent. But Sawyer is away for the summer, and in the meantime Ashton is bored, and the head between her and Beau is undeniable – as well as irresistible. Ashton is about to unleash her bad girl – but what will she do when Sawyer comes home? And how will Sawyer react when he returns to find his girlfriend in the arms of his best friend – and cousin?

[summary taken from Goodreads]

My Review

The Vincent Boys proved to be a fitting summer read - a light, mindless break from the world.  But that was all it was.  It was a little disappointing yet strangely addictive...

Firstly, look at that cover.  I was sent the Australian version and I much prefer it to the UK and US ones.  It's promises drama and sunshine and hot boys and instantly catches the eye.

Unfortunately, everything just felt too cliche for me.  The whole good girl falls for the bad boy against everyone's approval.  I don't mind the idea but I prefer it when authors put their own twist on it.  Despite this, the major problem I had with The Vincent Boys was Ashton's betrayal of her boyfriend when he was away.  I just hated the fact that Ashton was cheating on Sawyer with his cousin.  His cousin.

Which leads me on to this 'bad' boy who was supposed to make me gasp and swoon and buckle at the knees.  I'm sad to say that was not the response Beau drew from me.  There was nothing about him that attracted me to him.  He was always complaining about how Ash should be his, how they were meant to be.  But all I could see was possessiveness and a purely sexual attraction.  I was constantly told how sexy she was, how important she was, how he loved her... but was never shown.  Or maybe the sex scenes were supposed to be an indicator of their 'love' for each other... I'm not so sure it's great for true love to be portrayed in that way to us teens.

On top of this, I just had no empathy for Ashton.  I found her unlikable and annoying and there were moments where I wanted to slap her in the face.  I understood that she wanted to live on the edge for once and embrace her wild side but the way she moaned about having to pretend with Sawyer irked me.  Cheating on him wasn't going to solve things!  And afterwards, the way she was all, 'I don't want to hurt them... I don't want to put a wedge between them' made me want to pull my hair out.  I also felt so sorry for Sawyer and I fell for him instead of Beau.

Thinking about it now, I think my problem with it must have been that it was purely centred around a love triangle.  And for me, love triangles either work or they don't.  It didn't in this case, if you haven't already figured it out.  Even so, I found myself eager to find out what was going to happen and I am curious to read the next book, The Vincent Brothers.

Overall The Vincent Boys is a steamy read for the summer, ideal for lazy days by the beach when you just want light entertainment to pass the time.

2.5 Teacups for The Vincent Boys!

*Thank you to Hot Key Books for the review copy and apologies for the late review*

REVIEW: Dented Cans by Heather Walsh

Name: Dented Cans

Author: Heather Walsh

Publisher: Self

Release Date: Novemeber 2nd 2012

Pages: 148, Paperback

Source: For review (from author)
Rating: 2.5 Teacups

Sixteen-year-old Hannah Sampson knows her family is not what you would call normal. Her father compulsively buys dented cans and has a particular fondness for cans without labels, which are extremely discounted because their contents are a mystery. Her mother takes countless pictures of her family and then glues them down into the pages of her scrapbooks, but does not allow anyone to look at them. Ryan, Hannah’s mischievous fourteen-year-old brother, is headed straight for the remedial track at the local community college, if he’s lucky. Ben, her eight-year-old brother, is a walking sound effects machine, who prefers to communicate with noises rather than words. While Hannah is focused on escaping her working-class Connecticut suburb, she also finds herself being tugged back home as she worries about her brother Ben.
Hannah’s parents inflict one last family vacation on the Sampson children, a trip that goes comically wrong almost from the get-go. Hannah is forced to confront her family’s past in Disney World, of all places, when an emotional argument prompts her parents to disclose a secret they have been keeping from the children for sixteen years. Ultimately, she must decide whether to leave her hometown and not look back, or to focus on helping her family

[summary taken from Goodreads]

Beverley's Review

I feel rather conflicted, in that during reading and after finishing Dented Cans I wasn't entirely sure how I felt about this book and its characters and its plot.  On one hand, I did seem to like it.  On the other hand, when I think about it, everything just seemed a bit.. flimsy.

We are introduced to Hannah who is desperate to break free from her strange family and make her own way in the world.  She is a snarky, sarcastic character and her voice highlighted the author's writing potential and I am curious to see what Walsh will come up with next.  However, her complaining got to a point where it became rather annoying and I just didn't like her attitude towards her family.  Yes, they seemed a little out of it with her mother's hoarding addiction and her father's fetish for collecting dented cans.  As a teenager myself, I can understand the whole 'getting away from parents' thing but in the end they are the ones who are always there for you.

What attracted me to this books in the first place is that it is about family and it's set in Disney World.  Not things that are common in YA fiction so obviously I had high hopes. Unfortunately, both were not really stretched to their potential which is a real shame.  I liked the Disney World setting but it was hard to appreciate it when all Hannah and her brother, Ryan, did was ungratefully moan about how they didn't want to be there and how awful spending time as a family was for them. I realise the author wanted to create a dysfunctional family but it all just seemed a bit sloppy, to be honest.

In the blurb, I got the impression that the 'secret' would perhaps be important in terms of character development.  I was thoroughly disappointed when the secret was revealed near the very end of the book.  I had a sort of, 'Is that it?' reaction.  It just kind of deflated from there and I felt that it was all very rushed and I didn't get the character growth I was hoping for.  The family secret was just too sudden as if it was just randomly placed in a convenient position - it didn't really tie up loose ends.

Despite being just short of 150 pages, I felt the book was almost too long.  There were moments when it just seemed to drag on and on with more complaining, more moaning, more ungratefulness and I was left wondering where on earth the book was heading.  But I still kept on reading and I must admit that Walsh has great writing potential and I liked her style.

Overall, Dented Cans by Heather Walsh was a quick, light read and did have lots of potential.  If you're looking for a snarky protagonist, look no further.  Even though it wasn't really my cup of tea, there are readers out there who would enjoy it more than me.

2.5 Teacups for Dented Cans

*Thanks to the author for the review copy*

Happy reading,
Beverley xxx

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

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!

REVIEW: Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Name: Paranormalcy

Author: Kiersten White

Publisher: HarperTeen

Release Date: August 31, 2010 (US)

Pages: 335, Hardcover

Source: Audiobook Library

Rating: 2.5 Teacups

Evie's always thought of herself as a normal teenager, even though she works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she's falling for a shape-shifter, and she's the only person who can see through paranormals' glamours.
But Evie's about to realize that she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.
So much for normal.

[summary taken from Goodreads]

Jen's Review

It's ridiculous how long I've wanted to read Paranormalcy. I've had my eye on it before I even knew about blogging! The cover always intrigued me and I was a sucker for paranormal YA novels at the time. 4,381,470 years later, I have finally picked it up. However, I'm sad to say that it wasn't my cup of tea.

To start off, one of the things I didn't like was the fact that the paranormal creature setup was all over the place. I understand that Kiersten White made this novel unique by having all different types of paranormal creatures, but for me, it didn't work out very well. It felt crowded and hectic. Perhaps I'm just used to reading about one or two paranormal creatures in a book, but the amount that is presented in Paranormalcy was overwhelming and disorganized.

Second of all, the characters weren't real to me, and boring. I couldn't care less what the main character Evie did with her job at the IPCA. Evie was annoying and whiny. Her relationship with Lend wasn't bad, but it was awkwardly developed, which made it unbelievable. The romance wasn't anything special. I didn't feel for any of the characters, actually. In a nutshell, the characters of Paranormalcy fell extremely flat for me.

Not only were the characters unentertaining, so was the plot itself. Areas where the plot was fast-paced, I found myself not needing to know what happened next. I was constantly thinking, "Oh. Intense part coming. It's done? Okay, moving on then." It just kind of went along and there wasn't much to it. I know, sadness.

All in all, Paranormalcy just wasn't for me. It's hard for me to say that I'll continue with the series. However, I do still recommend it because I know many readers who enjoyed Evie's spunky, light-hearted personality. If you're a big fan of paranormal YA novels that has different supernatural creatures involved, I do still recommend giving Paranormalcy a try, even if I didn't enjoy it as much as I'd hoped.

Audiobook review: Let's just say I'd give the audio of this 1.5 stars. Reading this novel in print is highly recommended. The narrator has an extremely nasal-y  voice, I'm surprised I got through the entire audio!

2.5 Teacups for Paranormalcy!

REVIEW: Snake Beach by Lisa Glass

Name: Snake Beach

Author: Lisa Glass

Publisher: Self

Release Date: unknown

Pages: 200

Source: For review (from author)

Rating: 2.5 stars

Life is good for Jenny Grand, living in a beachside chalet on the Cornish coast, chilling out and body-boarding, until one day her ex-boyfriend Han returns to her home town of Hayle. Shortly afterwards, the town is invaded by TV modelling talent show Britain's Next Catwalk Queen, and everything begins to go wrong.
Part romance, part mystery, and part coming-of-age story, Snake Beach is a gripping novel for young adults.

[summary taken from Goodreads]

Beverley's Review

I'm struggling to write this review because I really, really wanted to love this but I was left disappointed.  I was hoping for a thoroughly gripping mystery which would have me hooked from beginning to end and maybe a thrilling romance, as suggested in the blurb.

One of the main factors which must be done well in order for me to enjoy a book is the characters.  None of the characters really stood out.  I felt Jenny was a little flat and she lacked an individual personality.  She was also a little immature and occasionally outwardly rude which irked me. The love interest, Han, wasn't really special either.  To me, he was too two-dimensional and I felt he could have been developed more.  I wasn't swept off my feet by him and I didn't understand why Jenny was so smitten with him.

Talking of Han, I felt a little misled by the blurb.  Snake Beach is supposed to be 'part romance' but the romance felt quite secondary.  It wasn't exactly insta-love but what I gathered was: Jenny and Han had a 'thing' in the past, Han leaves Cornwall, comes back... BOOM! - they're 'in love' again.  There was no build up to the rekindling of their past relationship and there was no explanation as to why Jenny liked him so much.  It was all quite sudden and unexpected.

The 'part mystery' I was promised also didn't really deliver.  The build up wasn't explored deep enough and the 'truths' were revealed a little too hastily at the end.  I found myself not really caring for the plot.  In places, it just felt unrealistic and impossible which meant I wasn't hooked by the whole mystery.

My dismissal of the plot was perhaps due to the writing.  It was mediocre and not very sophisticated, unable to draw me into the book.  Perhaps, Glass was trying to develop some sort of quirky style for our Cornish protagonist, Jenny.  But it just didn't work for me and detracted from my enjoyment of the story overall.  However, I cannot deny that the ideas were both original and unique.  I don't think anyone's ever written something like it and I do wonder how Glass managed to mix everything together.

Despite the flaws, what I like most about it and what led me to accept the book for review in the first place was the setting.  It's set in Cornwall - a place which I adore - and hardly any books are set in such a quiet place so I was eager to see how Glass would throw in a mixture of misfortunes and scandal.  The coastal, beach location brought back many childhood memories and made me a little nostalgic which I was grateful for.

Overall, I had high hopes for Snake Beach and unfortunately it fell short.  It had an original focus but the characters and writing style were too mediocre to create an enticing read.  I feel that if I had read this during my pre/early teen years, I would have maybe given this 4 stars so despite being marketed as a young adult book, I believe younger teens would enjoy this far more.

2.5 Teacups for Snake Beach

*Thanks to the author for the review copy*