Review: The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman

Author: Robin Wasserman

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Page Count: 432 pages, Hardcover (I read an ARC)

Date Published: April 10th 2012

Find it on Goodreads: The Book of Blood and Shadow

Source: A copy was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review as a part of the Ambuzzador program on randombuzzers.com.
Rating:  3.5/5
 

Goodreads Blurb:

It was like a nightmare, but there was no waking up. When the night began, Nora had two best friends and an embarrassingly storybook one true love. When it ended, she had nothing but blood on her hands and an echoing scream that stopped only when the tranquilizers pierced her veins and left her in the merciful dark.

But the next morning, it was all still true: Chris was dead. His girlfriend Adriane, Nora’s best friend, was catatonic. And Max, Nora’s sweet, smart, soft-spoken Prince Charming, was gone. He was also—according to the police, according to her parents, according to everyone—a murderer.

Desperate to prove his innocence, Nora follows the trail of blood, no matter where it leads. It ultimately brings her to the ancient streets of Prague, where she is drawn into a dark web of secret societies and shadowy conspirators, all driven by a mad desire to possess something that might not even exist. For buried in a centuries-old manuscript is the secret to ultimate knowledge and communion with the divine; it is said that he who controls the Lumen Dei controls the world. Unbeknownst to her, Nora now holds the crucial key to unlocking its secrets. Her night of blood is just one piece in a puzzle that spans continents and centuries. Solving it may be the only way she can save her own life.

My Thoughts: Cryptic (I think that's maybe my word of the week...) and exciting.

I received this book for review as a part of the RandomBuzzer's Ambuzzador Summer 2012 program. I was so excited about it, because I LOVED Robin Wasserman's Chasing Yesterday books when I was in elementary school! This book sounded so amazing and freaky and really interesting. And it was! But it also took me a long time to get through it, and it had a pretty slow start.

I think most people will agree with me when I say that the book began to pick up its pace around page 100. Before that there was a lot of background to know about the characters and their relationships and how they interacted, as well as their knowledge of the history and origins of things related to the Lumen Dei. We meet Nora, Adriane, Chris and Max, who are all best friends, except Max and Adriane hate each other. Nora, Max and Chris are all studying history with a professor they call the Hoff, and are all extremely intelligent. But then the Hoff gets attacked, the offices are all ransacked and Chris is killed, and the story takes off. We then meet Eli, who is Chris's cousin. He wants to find out who murdered Chris and follows Nora and Adriane to Prague on a whirlwind adventure filled with mysterious men in cloaks, old churches and dark graveyards, as well as tons of mysterious letters from a girl who lived 400 years ago. And possibly knows the answer to all their troubles. The group is also trying to prove Max's innocence  and figure out who really killed Chris. And Nora might just unknowingly hold the key to the mysterious Lumen Dei, a machine that might not even exist, but there are secret societies who will do anything to make it work.

There have been quite a few claims saying this is like a teen version of the Da Vinci Code, and those claims  hold truth. This book is filled with so many similar things, like religion, cryptic messages, murder, etc. I really enjoyed the book, but it was so complicated and mind blowing that it took me a while to finish it. There were so many things going on at the same time and it was all in a pretty short timeline after they reach Prague. But the long letters and translations, no matter how important they were to the story, began to seem excessive. At one point I just started to skim through Elizabeth's letters, because I didn't feel the need to know exactly what was happening with her. Nora would explain it all on the next page anyways! I think Wasserman is a very talented author when it comes to the technical side, but she's also very long-winded and draws things out, at least in this book. I'm kind of at a crossroads with my feelings for this book, because on one hand, I really struggled to finish it, what with the long sentences and drawn out translations, etc. But on the other hand, it was filled with mystery and suspense and had a way of making you think one thing was going to happen and then the COMPLETE OPPOSITE DOES!!!

I have conflicting emotions about all of the characters as well. I liked Nora enough, but I thought she was a little bland at times. But then I was also really impressed with her intelligence and her way of being able to think rationally and clearly even in a time of panic. Then there was Adriane who I found very interesting. She was a super smart girl, but hated showing that side of herself. She was catatonic after Chris died and when she suddenly got better, it was as if she was herself again. But there was a lot of emotion and confusion within her, and she really wanted someone she could trust and someone who would make her feel better. Then there was Max. At first I really liked him, but then he just became terrible. But that was all a part of the plot which I won't give away so I won't talk about Max. I'll talk about Eli. I really liked Eli. He was funny and sarcastic, as well as protective and smart. He was probably my favorite character. There was a bit of romance in this book, but it couldn't compete with anything else in the story. It never overshadowed the rest of what was happening, and that was a really nice change. There was also a bit of humour in the story. My favorite part of the entire book was probably when Nora and Eli pretended to be an engaged couple to get into some old, private papers. The only other thing I will mention that didn't impress me too much was Wasserman's portrayal of Prague. I've wanted to go there my entire life and have studied it a lot. That's one of the reason's I was so excited to read this book. But I felt like the author could have done a better job in making the city sound as incredible as it really is. The city has modernized and combines both old and new culture. We get a lot of its history from this book but I think her impression of it was a bit outdated to say the least.

When I look back at reading this book, I think the story and adventure won me over and so I ended up liking the book a lot more than I thought I would while reading it. There was a lot of character development and that was really strong. I loved how crazy everything was and how the author could fling stuff at us and it would come as a total shock. But I wish it hadn't taken so long to get to the real story. If you're looking for something that you'd like to invest some time into reading, this book would be a great choice. It is something that is filled with detail and mystery.

Oh and by the way, I did add a rating to this book. I think I'm going to figure out a rating system again, so I'll just be testing it out in the next few reviews, see what I like! Please disregard any random little changes you see to them!

Happy reading!
~Kristy

Review: Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting

Author: Kimberly Derting

Publisher: HarperTeen

Page Count: 384 pages, Paperback

Date Published:  April 17th 2012  (first published February 15th 2011)

Goodreads Blurb:

Violet can sense the echoes of those who've been murdered—and the matching imprint that clings to their killers. Only those closest to her know what she is capable of, but when she discovers the body of a young boy she also draws the attention of the FBI, threatening her entire way of life.

As Violet works to keep her morbid ability a secret, she unwittingly becomes the object of a dangerous obsession. Normally she'd turn to her best friend, Jay, except now that they are officially a couple, the rules of their relationship seem to have changed. And with Jay spending more and more time with his new friend Mike, Violet is left with too much time on her hands as she wonders where things went wrong. But when she fills the void by digging into Mike's tragic family history, she stumbles upon a dark truth that could put everyone in danger.

  
My Thoughts: Very impressive second novel. Just as good as the first.

Though this is the second book in The Body Finder series, it's a different story. Meaning, the plot and everything in the book is a lot different from The Body Finder.The FBI are after Violet for some information and there's someone leaving her morbid messages and dead animals. There was no serial killer, but it was still a murder mystery. Jay and Violet were still in love, but there were some things that weren't quite right.

Considering I read the  three books in two days, I can't really say it took me longer to get through this one, but it seemed like it. There was no real gripping mystery. No "Who dunnit?" questions floating around everywhere. It was clear who the provoker was in the beginning and that made me reluctant to continue. But I did, and oh I am glad. The twists and turns at the end made my feelings for this book go from 'mehh' to 'WOW'. It was still a little predictable, but either way, fantastic. There were a lot more supporting characters in this one, especially Chelsea. I loved her character. She's hilarious! Then there's Mike, who though we don't get a lot out of, he was still a great character. 


The two mains? Well they're a different story. I still love Jay. He's still PERFECT and totally in love with Violet. He's very protective of her and still would do anything to keep her safe. Then, we have Violet. I felt that while Jay's character growth went up, Violet's went down. She was insensible and childlike in her decisions, choosing to keep stupid secrets from Jay instead of telling him the truth. I never understood why she wouldn't tell him about the threats. Their relationship was still adorable and romantic, but it hit some rocky edges for sure. Then there's the question of the new guy, Rafe. He works with the FBI agent who is trying to get to Violet and is very mysterious. I couldn't help but silently plead that this doesn't turn into another love-triangle. 

Derting does an excellent job of mixing mystery and paranormal with a beautiful romance. Her books are enthralling and unputdownable. Though I felt that less with this book than the other, the feeling was still there and I was dying to read the next installment. If you haven't already read The Body Finder and like a good  murder-mystery with a paranormal twist and epic romance, this is the series for you!

Have an incredible day/night everyone!
Kristy

Review: A Million Suns by Beth Revis

Author: Beth Revis

Publisher: Razorbill

Page Count: 386 pages, Hardcover

Date Published: January 10th 2012

Goodreads Description:

Godspeed was once fueled by lies. Now it is ruled by chaos. It’s been three months. In that time, Amy has learned to hide who she is. Elder is trying to be the leader he’s always wanted to be. But as the ship gets more and more out of control, only one thing is certain: They have to get off the ship.

 

My Thoughts:  AMAZING.

It is a rare thing, to find a sequel that is better than the first book. With my disappointment in Across the Universe, I was hesitant to continue reading the series. But I read A Million Suns in 4 HOURS, STRAIGHT. The book was incredible. INCREDIBLE. 

Every single thing that bugged me in Across the Universe was resolved in the sequel. The chapters continue to alternate between Amy and Elder's minds and that was, once again, done superbly. OH and their relationship! Thank you Ms. Revis! They actually touched on the fact that the only reason they were attracted to each other was because they were the only two teens on the ship. Amy was hesitant about her feelings towards Elder, because of that fact. But then when she finally realizes there may be some actual true feelings for him... BOOM! I loved their relationship in this book! It was sweet, it was timid and it was everything that had been missing in Across the Universe. Elder is so in love with Amy and apologizes for everything that he thinks might upset her, which is super cute. He really grew in this book, as he is now technically Eldest, the leader of the ship. Without the Phydus controlling everyone, he has to learn how to keep the ship from rebelling. He is so young and disrespected by so many on the ship and I really loved the way he learned through his mistakes. This book has made a spot for Elder on my list of Swoon Worthy Guys. ;)

There was also another mystery in the plot, that involved Orion leaving clues for Amy. Once again, I am so impressed by how much this book improved the series. It was a complete surprise to me at the ending about who was tampering with the clues! I didn't see it coming, at all. Wow. Just.... Wow. The murders, the clues, the riots. Fantastic. There was a huge secret that was discovered and I am so excited to see where that takes the characters in the next book. I can't wait for Shades of Earth... January 10th, COME QUICKLY!

Thank you to everyone who encouraged me to continue with this trilogy. I can't believe I almost didn't. Now, I'm going to go outside and enjoy the sunshine, because where I live, it won't last long!

 Talk to you soon!
-Kristy

Review: Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Author: Beth Revis

Publisher: Razorbill

Page  Count: 398 pages, Paperback

Date Published: January 11th 2011

Goodreads Description:

 Amy is a cryogenically frozen passenger aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed. She expects to awaken on a new planet, 300 years in the future. But fifty years before Godspeed's scheduled landing, Amy's cryo chamber is unplugged, and she is nearly killed.

Now, Amy is caught inside an enclosed world where nothing makes sense. Godspeed's passengers have forfeited all control to Eldest, a tyrannical and frightening leader, and Elder, his rebellious and brilliant teenage heir.

Amy desperately wants to trust Elder. But should she? All she knows is that she must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets before whoever woke her tries to kill again.

 

My Thoughts: Enjoyed it a lot, but something just wasn't right...

Across the Universe is one of the first sci-fi books I've read in a long time. But the thing is, it's also kind of dystopia-ish as well. I don't know really how to describe the genre of this book, other than saying that it's a murder mystery on a space ship and it's kind of really strange.

Don't get me wrong, I really did like this book. The plot was interesting enough, the two main characters, Amy and Elder were loveable and there was enough going on that I never truly got bored, even though it moved slowly. But I also found the writing to be vague and lacking that sense of being able to visualize what was going on. There were some scenes where I had no clue what was happening, but I just kept reading to get on to the next part. There was also the fact that I immediately knew who it was that was unplugging the frozen people. I don't know, maybe it was obvious and everyone is able to figure it out or maybe I have a really good chance in becoming a spy or private investigator in the future. It felt as if the author was trying to convince us that the murderer was one person, when really, there was no solid proof that it was that person. (Sorry for being so vague, but I don't want to give it away to the people who haven't read it!) 

The chapters alternate between Amy and Elder's point of view well. In some sections I wasn't clear on who was where and what was happening and why this person was doing this, but other than that the chapters transitioned nicely. One thing that I found to be really great about the alternating chapters was that they were short. Ten to twelve pages in Elder's POV at the most, and then you're put into Amy's head without having to go back to and reread the last page of her previous chapter. Does that make sense? I hope so! The last thing I'll mention is the relationship between these two. I never truly got it. It felt like they only liked each other because they were the only teens on the ship. Which makes sense, but it still felt a little forced. Hopefully Amy and Elder's relationship will evolve into something greater in the next books!

I can't say much else about this book, other than it was good. I really didn't find anything amazing about it, but then again, it takes a special book for me to say "OMG YOU NEED TO GET THIS RIGHT NOW,  READ IT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" But, for my first sci-fi type book I've read since, I don't know, 5th grade, it was acceptable. I am excited to read A Million Suns, since I've heard that it's so much better than this one!

What did you think of Across the Universe? Yay or Nay? Let me know in the comments, I'd love to hear your opinions!

Happy reading, everyone!

-Kristy