Levitating Las Vegas

Levitating Las Vegas by Jennifer Echols

Genre: New Adult/Young Adult
Published: May 7, 2013
Publisher: Pocket Star

     Showgirl Holly Starr is sick and tired of assisting her dad, a celebrity magician, in his Las Vegas casino magic show. As soon as he keeps his promise to her and shares the secrets of his tricks, she can break out on her own. But can she really make it? For years Holly has taken medication to stave off crazy hallucinations that she can levitate objects. Just when she thinks she's ready to make a career and a life for herself her medicine-and her luck-run out.

     Elijah Brown suffers from a similar delusion-that he can read minds-and he's out of medicine too. Determined to save himself and his old flame Holly, he kidnaps her and takes her straight to the source, a town high in the Rockies where their medicine is made. What they discover there leads them to suspect their powers are not imaginary after all...and neither is the intense attraction they feel for each other.

    They make a pact to stick together as they return to Vegas to confront the people who kept them in the dark so long. But soon they're pitting their powers against each other in a dangerous world where the nightlife is seductive, domination is addictive, the sex is beyond belief...and falling in love is murder.

     I was so very excited for this book, you guys, seriously. Look at that cover! And that synopsis...oh man. And I bet that you can guess that this is leading to a 'but', so I'm mentally pulling a Bob Barker as in 'ding, ding, ding give them all a prize!' 

     Okay, sorry, sarcasm over. Probably. This book had so many appealing aspects: it takes place in a casino in Las Vegas, our main character is a girl struggling with the idea that she has a mental illness, there's glitz and glamour and cute boys and MAGICIANS for Pete's sake. 

     However, as anybody who has ever tasted my cooking can attest, throwing a bunch of yummy ingredients into a pot does not a delicious meal make. There was a little something something missing from this book for me, a certain cohesion. I know that sounds super vague but the truth is I can't exactly pinpoint what was missing, I only know that something was and it left me wanting. 

     I usually really enjoy Jennifer Echols writing, too. Oh, well. 

     If you're looking for something fun and a little flirty to get you through one of those 'I don't want to think' days, or a lazy beach day where your brain is all sun-soaked I would recommend picking this up. 

Oh hey guess what!! You can totally read the ENTIRE BOOK for FREE (along with a selection of other full-length novels from XOXO After Dark) here : http://xoxoafterdark.com/free-reads/

Golden by Jessi Kirby

Golden by Jessi Kirby
Published: May 14, 2012
Publisher: Simon & Schuster

     Julianna Farnetti had the kind of relationship depicted in romance novels, the kind of love that all teenage girls dream of finding for themselves someday. She and her boyfriend, Shane Cruz, are the golden couple of their small town, their future all mapped out before them. When she and Shane are killed in a car accident their senior year of high school they become almost mythical figures, larger than life.

     Parker Frost is the girl who plays it safe. Ever since her poet father left her business-minded mother, Parker has felt pressured to tramp down that side of herself and succeed, which means good grades, perfect attendance, and extracurriculars galore so that she can get into Stanford. Her best friend (and my new fictional bestie) Kat warns Parker that she's missing out on a lot of things that make life interesting and makes Parker promise to do one unexpected thing before graduation.

     When Parker stumbles upon Julianna's senior year English project, a diary she kept that was meant to capture candidly who she was at 17 and who she aspired to be, and, against her own nature, begins reading it, Parker is launched into the middle of a life very different from  her own, and a 10 year old mystery. Was Julianna Farnetti the golden girl everybody thought she was?

     This book has a perfect blend of romance, mystery, adventure and angst, and Julianna's story is intense and completely engrossing. I had a hard time putting this book down, and got a little mad every time I got interrupted. I loved this book so much, and unraveling this mystery with Parker and watching her (tentatively) step out of her shell and become more confidant in herself was amazing.

     I also loved the incredibly realistic relationship between Parker and Kat. I hate reading a novel where the 'best friend' is just a prop but Kat felt like an actual, three-dimensional person to me, and her encouragement, support, and frustrations made me love her that much more. She urges Parker to try new things, supports her in her college dreams, and nudges her in the direction of the boy Parker's been crushing on since the 7th grade (Trevor Collins....just....sigh....) Kat is fantastic.

     If you are a fan of Sarah Dessen, or if you remember what it was like to be 17 you should definitely check out this book. LOVE.

iBook: Pick or Pass

Hola, fellow Bibliofreak! Are you like me? Broke, with an unrelenting love of books?

     My latest hobby is bopping merrily around the iBook store in search of things that are A. Palatable, B. Hidden gems, or C. Laughably bad. Since we're all friends here, and I wouldn't want you all to waste your time wading through some of the crap that's out there, I thought I would share my findings with you. Because sharing is caring. Thus we have my new (sure to be sporadic) feature, iBook: Pick or Pass.

Leashed by Zoe Dawson
Published: September 29, 2012
Publisher: Blue Moon Creative

     This novella (26K words) is the first in a series, Gone to the Dogs. As you can probably tell, dogs are a pretty big plot point in the world Zoe Dawson writes about.

     Our heroine, Callie Lassiter, is a dog trainer who comes from a family of dog breeders, Great Danes specifically. There was a lot of information about dog breeds, dams and sires (that's probably incorrect terminology, I've already forgotten what they're actually called.) This was knowledge I didn't previously have and would probably have survived another 20 years without caring about, but it adds authenticity to the story, I suppose.

     Our love interest is Owen McKay, Callie's neighbor and...I don't really know what to say about Owen McKay. He is a wealthy club owner/bad boy/notorious womanizer who is wearing leather pants when we first meet him. LEATHER PANTS. I don't know. On the one hand, Owen is essentially a trope. A bad boy with a reputation for bedding hotties who has a heart of gold and a serious soft spot for his Aunt Mildred, but for some reason I actually kinda dug Owen, when he wasn't making with the awkward dialogue (seriously, some of the stuff that came out of these people's mouths was cringe-inducing.)

     Callie's Great Dane, Jack, knocks up Owen's Great Dane, Jill, ensuring that they will have to spend time with one another for the remainder of the book while we wait for Jill to give birth (it's called Whelping. Did you know that? I did not know that.)

     This book is super cutesy, a pretty quick read, and written well enough that it's possible to overlook the trope-y ness of it all. It also serves to introduce Callie's set of dog-loving friends who, I assume, will be the stars of other books in this series. If you're in the mood for something light and fluffy then you could do a lot worse than Leashed.

Verdict: Pick

Honey, Baby, Sweetheart by Deb Caletti (a quick review!)

Title/Author: Honey, Baby, Sweetheart by Deb Caletti
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: August 30, 2005
Buy It: Amazon / Book Depository

     "Right away I got that Something About To Happen feeling. Right away I knew he was bad, and that it didn't matter."

     It is summer in the Northwest town of Nine Mile Falls, and sixteen-year-old Ruby McQueen, ordinarily dubbed The Quiet Girl, finds herself hanging out with gorgeous, rich, thrill-seeking Travis Becker. But Ruby is in over her head, and finds she is risking more and more when she's with him.

     In an effort to keep Ruby occupied, Ruby's mother Ann drags Ruby to the weekly book club she runs. When it is discovered that one of the group's own members is the subject of a tragic love story they are reading, Ann and Ruby spearhead a reunion between the long-ago lovers. But for Ruby, the mission turns out to be more than just a road trip...

     Sometimes you do things even when you know they're bad for you. Sometimes you step outside yourself a little in order to see yourself, and who you are, more clearly. This story about Ruby McQueen, her relationship with the so-wrong-for-her Travis Becker, and an impromptu road trip and kidnapping that is the true love story of the novel is so complex and honest that I would lay odds that any girl will be able to relate to it.

    This book is filled with wisdom, ridiculousness, humor, love, sadness and heartbreak, and the most interesting book club ever. This is my second Deb Caletti novel, and she once again manages to inject poignancy, grace, and beauty into a unique story about a teenage girl trying to find out who she is.

I'll leave you with one of my favorite quotes:

"A man's identity is complete through action, a woman's, when she has  a man. Through him. We fall off our high heels into the narrow crevasse of what it means to be female. Let me tell you. You fall in love and you think you're finding yourself. But too often you're looking inside him for you, and that's a fact. There's only one place you can find yourself." She thumped her chest.

Review of Also Known As by Robin Benway

Title/Author: Also Known As by Robin Benway
Publisher: Bloomsbury Juvenile US
Publication Date: February 26, 2013
Buy It: Amazon / Book Depository

     Being a sixteen-yaer-old safecracker and active-duty daughter of international spies has its moments, good and bad. Pros: Seeing the world one crime-solving adventure at a time. Having parents with super cool jobs. Cons: Never staying in one place long enough to have friends or a boyfriend. But for Maggie Silver, the biggest perk of all has been avoiding high school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations.

     Then Maggie and her parents are sent to New York for her first solo assignment, and all of that changes. She'll need to attend a private school, avoid the temptation to hack the school's security system, and befriend one aggravatingly cute Jesse Oliver to gain the essential information she needs to crack the case...all while trying not to blow her cover.

     Hmmm.... Okay, here we go. This book was absolutely mediocre. Middle-of-the-road. For every thing that I liked about it there's something I strongly didn't. Where should I start?

Robin Benway did a really fantastic job of creating characters that are realistic. The way that they speak to one another and their responses to certain social situations rang true for me. Roux, Jesse, and Maggie behave exactly the way actual teenagers do, which is nice because sometimes I read a novel and all I can think is "Yeah right, because all 17 year olds are this self-aware". Robin Benway's characters screw up, they are shy and nervous, sometimes bold and (hilariously) drunk, and lonely. They're perfect.

On the other hand, being able to write realistic teenagers does not mean that you can thrust them into any old situation and make it seem genuine. I don't know if it's lack of relevant details or being spoiled by very well written caper-type novels (Ally Carters Heist Society, duh) but I just couldn't buy Maggie and her family as spies. Which wouldn't be such a big deal except that it's (obviously) incredibly central to the plot.

Speaking of plot, it was pretty thin and at certain points there were *gasp* holes.

This was a quick read and while I didn't hate it, it didn't exactly leave a mark on me, either. There were a few times where I laughed out loud, and the relationship between Jesse and Maggie is really funny, awkward and lovely (except for the last 1/3 of the book where there are far-too-early in the relationship declarations of love) but overall this book fell flat for me.

I would say that it's worth a read, for sure, but probably pick up a copy at the library before you buy to make sure it's something you'll actually want to bother reading more than once. I know I don't.

**Side note: Robin Benways' Audrey, Wait! was really wonderful, and you should NOT skip that one. : ) **  

Review of The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Title/Author: The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Publication Date: October 18, 2011
Buy It: Amazon / Book Depository

     It happens at the start of every November: The Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die.

     At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.

     Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn't given her much of a chance. So she enters the competition-the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.
     
     I once read a review of Maggie Stiefvater's writing that called it lyrical, and I would have to say that that is the perfect description. She has some kind of magic, weaving together improbably stories and making them seem so real they can break your heart, which to my way of thinking is the mark of a truly talented writer. There is a rhythm and cadence to her writing that invites you to sink down into it's depths and become absorbed by it, and trust me, you will become wonderfully enamored by the world she's created in this gem of a novel.

     This book is moody, atmospheric, and enthralling. It kept me up long into the night and it was 100 percent worth the exhaustion the next day. There is a subtle artistry in the growth of her characters, and the developments in the complicated and realistically depicted relationships between them.

     This story, alternating between Sean and Puck's viewpoints, starts off simply enough and throughout the narratives we get to know Puck and her brothers and follow her as she does the unthinkable: becomes the first girl to enter the Scorpio Races. She is met with opposition, but she is a strong and determined character and I was cheering her on as she faced down her adversaries with a bravery and surety that I wished I possessed.

     Returning champion Sean Kendrick has reasons of his own for wanting to win the Scorpio Races this year, and as the stakes are heightened throughout the novel he stands to lose everything he loves if he doesn't. I absolutely loved everything about Sean. He is steady as a heartbeat, quiet, still, and magnetic. Despite the fact that they are competitors, Sean and Puck are drawn to one another and ultimately end up training together.

     Throughout this novel Sean and Puck are forced to face several truths about themselves and the lives they've lead on the tiny island they both love, navigate the beginnings of a new friendship, deal with opposition and outright hostility from several different factions, and attempt to survive an event that regularly takes the lives of those who compete.

     I loved everything about this book. It made me laugh, made me grunt in frustration, broke my heart, and made me fall in love with Sean Kendrick and cheer for Puck with all my heart. This is what young adult fiction should be, and you NEED to read this book.

Review of The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Title/Author:  The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Publication Date: September 18, 2012
Buy It: Amazon / Book Depository

     "There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Marks Eve," Neeve said. "Either you're his true love...or you killed him."

     It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

     Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be-dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them-not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

     His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

     But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can't entirely explain. He has it all-family money, good looks, devoted friends- but he's looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

     For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she's not so sure anymore.

     This book captured me completely. I cracked it open to read a chapter or two before bed and subsequently buried my face for the next two days. I was a little skeptical of this book at first, to be honest, but for the life of me now I can't remember why.

     This novel is peppered with characters that are so three-dimensional you'll have a hard time remembering that they're fictional. I fell in love with all of them, from brave and genuine Blue and her eccentric household of psychics (a motley assembly of amazing women with their own secrets and bonds) to Gansey, the leader of the Raven Boys, who holds everyone together with his contagious convictions regarding a mystical quest.

     You know from the moment that Blue sees Gansey on the Corpse Road that their fates will intertwine, but it's the way that they intertwine that is so wonderfully surprising. The friendships between Adam, Ronan, Gansey, Noah and (after a fashion) Blue are imperfect; there are misunderstandings, tension, anger,and social and financial disparity but at the heart of it all are a group of people who you know will always have each other's backs. They are all flawed, they encourage one another to rise above their flaws, and they accept one another regardless. This is the type of friendship we all aspire to and are envious of.

     As far as the plot goes, there's something for everyone: danger, premonitions, action, a little romance, quips, interesting family dynamics, and a quest that Indiana Jones would have been jealous of.
 
     I was expecting, perhaps, more run of the mill tropes recycled in a hundred other YA novels but I have to say that this one definitely stands above the rest and declares itself King of the Mountain (or Queen. I'm not sexist). The way that Stiefvater weaves these stories together, while at the same time maintaining the integrity and personalities of each of the individual characters involved is masterful. These people reach beyond the pages of the book until you are certain they are all hidden away in some mystical little town somewhere, whispering their tales in Stiefvater's ear.

     I loved, loved, LOVED this book and if you haven't read it I would definitely suggest moving it to the top of your to do list. Ten billion stars!!! (not that I actually use a rating system)

Review of Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan

Title/Author: Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan
Publisher: Random House
Publication Date: September 11, 2012
Buy It: Amazon / Book Depository

     Kami Glass loves someone she's never met...a boy she's talked to in her head ever since she was born. She wasn't silent about her imaginary friend during her childhood, and is thus a bit of an outsider in her sleepy English town of Sorry-on-the-Vale. Still, Kami hasn't suffered too much from not fitting in. She has a best friend, runs the school newspaper, and is only occasionally caught talking to herself. Her life is in order, just the way she likes it, despite the voice in her head.

     But that all changes when the Lynburns return.

     The Lynburn family has owned the spectacular and sinister manor that overlooks Sorry-in-the-Vale for centuries. The mysterious twin sisters who abandoned their ancestral home a generation ago are back, along with their teenage sons, Jared and Ash, one of whom is eerily familiar to Kami. Kami is not one to shy away from the unknown-in fact, she's determined to find answers for all the questions Sorry-in-the-Vale is suddenly posing. Who is responsible for the bloody deeds in the depths of the woods? What is her own mother hiding? And now that her imaginary friend has become a real boy, does she still love him? Does she hate him? Can she trust him?

     Oh man, you guys. This book is INTENSE. Every time I start a Sarah Rees Brennan book I know I'm in for characters who are so real they slip into your affections easily and refuse to leave once you shut the book, and Unspoken was not an exception. Kami Glass is an intelligent, sarcastic, and intrepid girl report who manages to be all of those things without coming off as false at all. She is an incredibly genuine girl who I would totally want to be best friends with if she was, you know, not fictional.

     Kami stands up for herself and her friends, who are also very realistically drawn. These are not people thrown in simply to advance the plot; Kami is close with her friends, trusts them and, in a twist on the usual (read: annoying) friendships in recent YA actually confides in her friends when things start getting weird. Or, weirder, really.

     The relationship between Kami and her not-so-imaginary friend Jared is a complex and beautiful thing. They have shared their lives with one another from the time that they were born, neither truly believing the other exists outside the bonds of their own mind. Their reactions to finding out their imaginary friends are real, and all of the stumbling and feeling out of boundaries that ensues afterward was at times hilarious and heartbreaking (damn you, Sarah Rees Brennan!) but always genuine.

  Throw in a centuries old mystery surrounding this quiet little English town, a ritual sacrifice, incredibly funny dialogue between characters you will fall hard for, a murder, and sleuthing that would make Veronica Mars proud and you've got one hell of a book. You wont be able to put it down, and the sequel is shooting to the top of my TBR list. Seriously. SO MUCH LOVE.

     If for some crazy reason you haven't read anything else by Sarah Rees Brennan I would suggest that you get your fix of wonderfully flawed characters and supernatural creepiness by picking up her series The Demons Lexicon.

Review of Mind Games by Kiersten White

Title/Author: Mind Games by Kiersten White
Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication Date: February 19, 2013
Age Group: Teen/Young Adult
Buy It:  Amazon / Book Depository

     Fia was born with flawless instincts. Her first impulse, her gut feeling, is always exactly right. Her sister, Annie, is blind to the world around her-except when her mind is gripped by strange visions of the future.

     Trapped in a school that uses girls with extraordinary powers as tools for corporate espionage, Annie and Fia are forced to choose over and over between using their abilities in twisted, unthinkable ways...or risking each other's lives by refusing to obey.

     In a stunning departure from her New York Times bestselling Paranormalcy trilogy, Kiersten White delivers a slick, edgy, heartstoppingly intense psychological thriller about two sisters determined to protect each other-no matter the cost.

     This book is, indeed, a stunning departure from Kiersten White's previous writing. We are introduced to sisters Sofia (Fia) and Annabelle (Annie) when they are young, at the funeral of their parents. We get to know them, and the strong and tumultuous bond that they share, through chapters that alternate between not only each of their points-of-view but time as well.

     Each of the girls has a very distinctive voice and each of the them is carrying their own burdens and guilt relating to their bittersweet history with one another and the school they attend, The Keane school, run by the elusive and enigmatic Mr. Keane. Neither of them wants to be there but until they can both escape together, safely, they are trapped, pawns in a game neither of them can understand fully.

     We get to see the intricately woven threads of the bond holding the girls together in their flashbacks, along with the ever-shifting dynamics of their relationship. In the present, Fia grapples with the person she has had become in order to keep her sister safe and tries to keep her feelings for her 'manager', Mr. Keane's son James, in check because she knows that he has motives of his own.

     James was one of my favorite characters. He is a very well-developed character with a painful past and an ambiguous agenda and I couldn't help but root for him even as he was breaking Fia's heart (and his own). I loved James because he felt so very three dimensional, struggling to break free of his own personal demons and hindered by his (in my opinion) very real feelings for Fia (who can be a bit of hellion, it must be said).

     Annie, Fia, and James are all intrinsically tied together, and I loved the story, the writing, and the beautifully drawn and fully fleshed out characters. I can't wait for the second installment of this series. I would definitely recommend that you pick this book up! Familial obligations, heartache, romance, dancing, psychics, and plenty of action. Win!

Want a quote? Sure you do!!

"I lost her the minute I brought her here with me. And if he can salvage something of who she used to be, no matter what his game is, I have to let him. I wont waste this time. I'm going to figure out what, exactly, is going on here. Because if I understand the what, I can understand the why, and if I understand those I can figure out the way to get us both free to a better future."

Review of Angelfall by Susan Ee

Title/Author: Angelfall by Susan Ee
Publisher: Feral Dream
Publication Date: May 21, 2011
Age Group: Young Adult
Buy It: Amazon 

It’s been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back.

Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel.
Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl.

Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. Together, they journey toward the angels’ stronghold in San Francisco where she’ll risk everything to rescue her sister and he’ll put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again.

     Whew! We are dropped right into the action with this book as Penryn tries to help her mother (who is not exactly 'with it' since Penryn's dad left them) and her wheelchair bound sister Paige flee their apartment before it's overrun by gangs in a world Angels of the Apocalypse have wrecked havoc, death, and destruction upon.

     See? Whew! But Ee's beautiful writing keeps this onslaught of information from being overwhelming. In the first chapter alone I got a wonderful sense of Penryn, our narrator, a girl forced to stop up in hard times who is also completely devoted to her younger sister.

     Wonderful pacing, a unique plot, and beautifully developed characters make this book absolutely riveting. I devoured it, and am impatiently and anxiously awaiting the next book in what could potentially be my new favorite series. It's got a badass heroine with a strong will and a strong heart, lots of conflict, an intense and realistically paced love story, and freaking mutant angels. YES!

Buy this book immediately!  (No, seriously. Do it!)

Review of Nobody by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Title/ Author: Nobody by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Expected Publication: January 22nd, 2013
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: Goodreads First Reads ARC
Buy It: Amazon


There are people in this world who are Nobody. No one sees them. No one notices them. They live their lives under the radar, forgotten as soon as you turn away. 

That’s why they make the perfect assassins.

The Institute finds these people when they’re young and takes them away for training. But an untrained Nobody is a threat to their organization. And threats must be eliminated.

Sixteen-year-old Claire has been invisible her whole life, missed by the Institute’s monitoring. But now they've ID’ed her and send seventeen-year-old Nix to remove her. Yet the moment he lays eyes on her, he can’t make the hit. It’s as if Claire and Nix are the only people in the world for each other. And they are—because no one else ever notices them.

     Hmmm...The premise of this book really roped me in. I mean, assassins who are basically invisible? Was I the only one thinking ninja? I have to be honest, though, as the book progressed I had a hard time getting through it, and from the other reviews I've read I know I'm not the only one. 

     Now, don't get me wrong. The plot line was interesting enough (although it definitely got a little convoluted as it progressed), and there were certain scenes where I was just held captive by the writing, but all in all this book is not going to be making my favorites list any time soon.

     If you're looking for something gripping (with invisible ninjas) you may want to look elsewhere. Based on the writing here I would absolutely pick up another book by Ms. Barnes, though, because she's obviously talented.  She created some really interesting characters but at the end of the day, I honestly just couldn't bring myself to care what happened to them.