Reading The Riot Act

Wednesday 11 February 2015

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

Warning: Spoilers! (duh.)

Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?

Imagine if she hadn’t forgotten the book. Or if there hadn’t been traffic on the expressway. Or if she hadn’t fumbled the coins for the toll. What if she’d run just that little bit faster and caught the flight she was supposed to be on. Would it have been something else - the weather over the Atlantic or a fault with the plane?

Hadley isn’t sure if she believes in destiny or fate but, on what is potentially the worst day of each of their lives, it’s the quirks of timing and chance events that mean Hadley meets Oliver...

Set over a 24-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver’s story will make you believe that true love finds you when you’re least expecting it.

Having previously published two young adults novels in the US (The Comeback Season and You Are Here) as well as working as an editor in New York City, it is without a doubt that Smith has the credentials to be an excellent YA author. Her latest novel The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight is a heartwarming and charming story that's title does not do it justice.

Seventeen year old protagonist Hadley misses her flight with four minutes to spare and is then thrust into an adorably meet-cute that does not stop being cute throughout the novel. For this story the title is perfect, sweet and romantic but with any excellent rating worthy YA novel there are underlying plots and issues that give this book a beautiful new dimension. Hadley is travelling to her estranged Father's wedding to the women he left her mother for (that was a mouthful) and Oliver is on the way to his semi- abusive Father's funeral.

This is what makes this story so captivating, watching a closed off couple lost and scared fill a six hour flight with banter and laughter and joy and find comfort in one another. Both characters learn the importance of love and seeing Hadley make her peace with her Father's choices is far more beautiful and important to me than if she ends up with the boy. This book is about opening up, in the most innocent, enchanting way of opening to another person even after you've been hurt and realising that the hurt isn't worth holding onto.

As I said, the title does not do this book justice.

Happy Reading.

Tuesday 3 February 2015

review

Frozen by Melissa De La Cruz & Michael Johnston

Louise Wilkes 12:15:00 0

Warning: Spoilers! (duh.)

A major new fantasy series from the New York Times bestselling author of Blue Bloods and The Witches of East End.

Welcome to New Vegas, a city once covered in bling, now blanketed in ice. Like much of the destroyed planet, the place knows only one temperature - freezing. But some things never change. The diamond in the ice desert is still a 24-hour hedonistic playground and nothing keeps the crowds away from the casino floors, never mind the rumors about sinister sorcery in its shadows.

At the heart of this city is Natasha Kestal, a young blackjack dealer looking for a way out. Like many, she's heard of a mythical land simply called "the Blue." They say it's a paradise, where the sun still shines and the waters are turquoise. More importantly, it's a place where Nat won't be persecuted, even if her darkest secret comes to light.

But passage to the Blue is treacherous, if not impossible, and her only shot is to bet on a ragtag crew of mercenaries led by a cocky runner named Ryan Wesson there. Danger and deceit await on every corner, even as Nat and Wes find themselves inexorably drawn to each other. But can true love survive the lies?

Fiery hearts collide in this fantastic tale of the evil men do and the awesome power within us all. This is a remarkable first book in a spellbinding new series about the dawn of a new kind of magic.

NYT bestselling author Melissa De La Cruz (Witches of East End) teams up with Michael Johnston for this dystopian and magical realism mash up novel. Published in October 2014 the sequel Stolen is already available on ebook and I definitely recommend this book to any Divergent/Hunger Games fans.

This book is generic, in that comforting when you come home for the first time in a while way. It's that frayed jumper or blackened bed socks. I might be being rather harsh here, the plot has a beautiful progression between event and event. It rises and falls at the times when it'supposed to and all in all I felt I enjoyed it. It was the perfect book to battle readers block, samey enough that I felt comfortable within the genre but also with twists that pulled my mind back when it started to wander. And it did wander.

The novel is an eclectic mix of dystopian science fiction and fantasy magical realism. It is set up nicely with a post-apocalypse, the next ice age world. Like most dystopians there is a totalitarian government to overthrow at some point but a more immediate smaller task that pulls our heroine into the battle. It's all very basic dystopian until the rise of powers and drakon (I assume dragons). It was an interesting twist and I found it all pretty believable until they starting having what was basically leprechauns from the television show Charmed (Midgets casting spells for luck! Really?) Once the magic spell-casting element was introduced, it had gone too far, like with Suzanne Collins and those random lizard men mutts. Too far.

The issue isn't any of this for me however. I have an issue with the characters. At first they were simple to understand and that can really pull a reader in with the ease but I did start to get bored of them.
STARRING:
'The bad boy who's misunderstood and is actually really a good guy!'
'The tough by scared girl with a secret to hide and trust issues.'
'The comic relief'
'The gorgeous girl our protagonist will inevitably become jealous of.'
It's all about character, simple character helps me jump straight into the narrative, but there needs to be development there. They were entertaining and typical and I cared, I felt excited when they succeeded and disheartened when things when wrong but there is just something...something that Divergent, The Hunger Games, The 5th Wave all have that this doesn't. That complexity of character, trying to figure them out because that's half the fun.
The romance was amusing and I ship them hard but I want more conflict, I want the fight, the struggle, the journey of them falling in love. Not a love at first sight doohickey. Attraction at first sight sure, but the 'we met once long ago...destiny brings us together.' The plot was progressive and interesting and full of potential but it needs the character complexity to back it up.

Overall I did thoroughly enjoy this book. It isn't a trainwreck. The dual authorial tones blend together beautifully to the point I can't tell who wrote what. Though I do disagree with Beautiful Creatures Author Kami Garcia. This is not a futuristic Game of Thrones. This is Disney's Frozen meets The Darkest Minds meets Harry Potter. And with a few delicious edits and some new scenes, the book could be top notch.

Happy Reading.

Word Nerding

Title Reveal! Queen of Shadows by Sarah J Maas.

Louise Wilkes 04:15:00 0

The new title for TOG4 dropped last week and I personally...LOVE IT!

It fits so well and I can't believe I didn't guess it would be this. Of course like most book lovers I immediately start plotting what could happen, what the title could be suggesting.
And I have nothing.
I know I want Arobynn. I want her to confront him asap and considering this book is supposed to be longer than the last, so there is time for it. I also have always had this sneaky suspicion that Sam wasn't really dead or that Ansel will show up, otherwise why would they have the publish The Assassin's Blade so quickly? And more than that we also have a blurb!

Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. But she's at last returned to the empire—for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past . . .

She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die just to see her again. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen's triumphant return.

Celaena’s epic journey has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions across the globe. This fourth volume will hold readers rapt as Celaena’s story builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter her world.

You would like more? I can give you more.
You can now get the first four chapters of Maas' new series A Court of Thorns and Roses for free on ebook here.

Big week or so for Sarah J Maas and my obsession with her books is feeling looked after. Good old Bloosbury, they never let us down.

What about you, what reveals are you excited about?
Let me know in the comments and lets start discussing.

Happy Reading.

wrap up

January Wrap Up and February TBR

Louise Wilkes 03:56:00 0

Warning: Spoilers! (duh.)

Can you say dismal? The readers block demon has struck again but thankfully all is right in the reading world right now. This February I have already started and finished Frozen by Melissa De La Cruz and Michael Johnston. Naturally this is in my February TBR but first, on with the wrap up.

In January the only book I read was Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater. My review is up and maybe I should have edited and drafted it, but it's not my style. Check out my review and lets see what we have to expect this month.

As I mentioned this month I have started and finished Frozen by Melissa De La Cruz and Michael Johnston.

Welcome to New Vegas, a city once covered in bling, now blanketed in ice. Like much of the destroyed planet, the place knows only one temperature - freezing. But some things never change. The diamond in the ice desert is still a 24-hour hedonistic playground and nothing keeps the crowds away from the casino floors, never mind the rumors about sinister sorcery in its shadows.

At the heart of this city is Natasha Kestal, a young blackjack dealer looking for a way out. Like many, she's heard of a mythical land simply called "the Blue." They say it's a paradise, where the sun still shines and the waters are turquoise. More importantly, it's a place where Nat won't be persecuted, even if her darkest secret comes to light.

But passage to the Blue is treacherous, if not impossible, and her only shot is to bet on a ragtag crew of mercenaries led by a cocky runner named Ryan Wesson there. Danger and deceit await on every corner, even as Nat and Wes find themselves inexorably drawn to each other. But can true love survive the lies?

Fiery hearts collide in this fantastic tale of the evil men do and the awesome power within us all. This is a remarkable first book in a spellbinding new series about the dawn of a new kind of magic.

I can't fully explain why I picked this book up, part of me was attracted to the name (because who didn't love Disney's Frozen?!) and another part thought the cover was just so beautiful and I had to have it on my shelf. Having already read it I won't tell you I'm excited about reading it but I am so pumped to the write the review. I haven't been this enthralled with a book for a while. It truly fixed my New Year Reader's Block.

Next I will be reading the books I was supposed to read in January. The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon will make an appearance as will The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E Smith. If I get all of that done I will finally get down to finishing series I've been putting off. I love closure by my god I hate when series end, the mourning takes a lot of time *tear*.

I will be finishing off the Darkest Minds Trilogy by Alexandra Bracken. In the Afterlight is the final book and have been putting it off terribly, but no more. I will find out what happens with Ruby and I will accept it with dignity and grace - once I've stopped the uncontrollable weeping.

Ruby can't look back. Fractured by an unbearable loss, she and the kids who survived the government's attack on Los Angeles travel north to regroup. With them is a prisoner: Clancy Gray, son of the president, and one of the few people Ruby has encountered with abilities like hers. Only Ruby has any power over him, and just one slip could lead to Clancy wreaking havoc on their minds.

They are armed only with a volatile secret: proof of a government conspiracy to cover up the real cause of IAAN, the disease that has killed most of America's children and left Ruby and others like her with powers the government will kill to keep contained. But internal strife may destroy their only chance to free the "rehabilitation camps" housing thousands of other Psi kids.

Meanwhile, reunited with Liam, the boy she would-and did-sacrifice everything for to keep alive, Ruby must face the painful repercussions of having tampered with his memories of her. She turns to Cole, his older brother, to provide the intense training she knows she will need to take down Gray and the government. But Cole has demons of his own, and one fatal mistake may be the spark that sets the world on fire.

Well that is this month, hopefully we will hold the readers block at bay, find a reading balance and maybe even have a few surprises and hauls along the way.

Happy Reading.