Book Review: "Autumn" by Sierra Dean

Title: Autumn (Dog Days, #1)
Author: Sierra Dean
Publisher: Indie Published
Publication Date: June 12 2013
The Cover:

One Sentence Review: “Autumn” is a highly-enjoyable read, with solid writing and a unique take on shape-shifter lore. 

Spoiler-Free Summary: When Eloise “Lou” Whittaker moves to a small town in Texas, she knows it’ll be different from her old home in California. But she doesn’t realize how drastic the differences will be until she meets Cooper Reynolds—a boy who might be cursed, might be dangerous, and has definitely stolen Lou’s heart. 

The Good: There are a lot of good aspects of this book, and it’s hard to pick just a few for this review. I absolutely adored Lou; she’s snarky, witty, and rebellious. And Cooper was just too sweet! I’m very glad this book is written in dual POVs, because I really got a feel for both of these awesome characters. 

The plot took me by surprise—I was expecting a typical shape-shifter story, and instead got a book about magic and curses. I really liked this twist on shape-shifter lore, and was happy to read a unique take on the subject. 

As for the writing, it was very solid and enjoyable. I noticed a couple typos, but overall, this book is extremely well-edited for an indie novel. 

The Bad: Cliffhanger alert! I usually love cliffhangers, but this ending just felt a little bit too rushed. I wish there had been a longer resolution after the climax. Other than this, there was little I have to complain about. 

The Verdict: 4 out of 5 stars. I look forward to reading the sequel, “Winter” which comes out this November. 

**Thank you to the author and Netgalley for providing a copy of “Autumn” for a fair, unbiased review.**

Waiting on Wednesday (1): Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea (Between #1)

by April Genevieve Tucholke

About the Book: 

You stop fearing the devil when you’re holding his hand…

Nothing much exciting rolls through Violet White’s sleepy, seaside town…until River West comes along. River rents the guesthouse behind Violet’s crumbling estate, and as eerie, grim things start to happen, Violet begins to wonder about the boy living in her backyard. Is River just a crooked-smiling liar with pretty eyes and a mysterious past? Or could he be something more? Violet’s grandmother always warned her about the Devil, but she never said he could be a dark-haired boy who takes naps in the sun, who likes coffee, who kisses you in a cemetery...who makes you want to kiss back. Violet’s already so knee-deep in love, she can’t see straight. And that’s just how River likes it.

Blending faded decadence and the thrilling dread of gothic horror, April Genevieve Tucholke weaves a dreamy, twisting contemporary romance, as gorgeously told as it is terrifying—a debut to watch.(less)

Release Date: August 15th 

My Thoughts: 

Oh my gosh, this book looks AMAZING! And it's only one day away from being published. *bounces bounces* I'm a sucker for Paranormal Romance, and this book looks like my cup of tea. And that cover... *swoon* I can't stop looking at it, it's so gorgeous! 

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Books with Forest Settings

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Make sure to visit this blog to find links to other Top Ten Tuesday posts! 

This week's topic: List your top ten favorite books in a certain setting of your choice. 

My top ten (fantasy) books with a forest setting, in no particular order: 

1. Redwall by Brian Jacques (MG)

My all-time favorite book. I was given this book when I was about seven, and was hopelessly addicted to the Fantasy genre afterwards. It’s the book that sparked my love of reading; without it, my life may have ended up completely different than it is now.

2. Ranger’s Apprentice: The Book of Gorlan by John Flanagan (MG)

I spent most of sixth grade holed away in my room reading this series. It’s fantastic; action, adventure, fantasy, and a touch of romance. What more could you ask from an MG series?

3. Warriors: Into the Wild by Erin Hunter (MG)

Okay, so I spent sixth grade reading Flanagan AND Hunter. I just love the Warriors series; it’s so cute! And it’s about cats, so how could I not love it?

4. The Marked Son by Shea Berkley (YA)

I recently finished this book, and I adored it. The main character is so wonderfully snarky and loveable, and the fantasy aspects blew me away. Such a unique world!

5. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa (YA)

How could anyone not love this book? The main character is totally kick-ass, the world-building is breathtaking, and the love interests are totally swoon-worthy. Definitely one of my favorite books out there!

6. Destiny Binds by Tammy Blackwell (YA)

When people are just starting to venture into indie novels, I always recommend this one. It’s such a sweet and heartbreaking story, and the writing is of very high quality.

7. Light of the Moon by David James (YA)

This is another indie novel I recently finished, and I must say, it took me by surprise. I adored the magic-system, and the main character was just so loveable. As a side note, I’m convinced the main character is gay, and I’m rooting for him to get together with his best friend. What is he doing chasing after a girl?!

8. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater (YA)

It’s about werewolves. And it’s by Stiefvater. Must I further explain its awesomeness to you?

9. Moon Spell by Samantha Young (YA)

This was the first book I read by Samantha Young, and I love it! And it’s also about werewolves, so hooray!

10. The Mayfair Moon by J. A. Redmerski (YA)

Okay, this one is about werewolves, too. Can you see a trend in my reading pattern? I can’t help it, I swear! But this is one of my favorite werewolf books; the characters are awesome, and the cover is gorgeous!

Book Review: "4 to 16 Characters"

Title: 4 to 16 Characters 
Author: Kelly Hourihan
Publisher: Lemon Sherbet Press (Indie Author)
Publication Date: November 7th 2013
The Cover: 

One Line Review: A unique approach to current teen issues, which ultimately fell flat. 

The Plot: Fifteen-year-old Jane is an internet addict, who escapes from “real life” issues by using various internet personas. 

The Good: The blurb is really interesting, and the format of the book is very unique. Instead of using conventional dialogue and prose, the book is composed of internet communication, such as emails and blog posts. That, right there, earns this book some kudos—I have to applaud the author for being brave enough to try this unique approach. Hourihan has also taken on some tough subjects, such as depression and alcoholism, and I’m happy to see a book broaching these touchy subjects. 

The Bad: Unfortunately, the book ultimately fell flat for me; I stopped reading at the 20% mark. What the blurb doesn’t tell you is that this book is about fan-fiction. Personally, this wasn’t a subject I wanted to spend 314 pages reading about, especially since the fan-fiction revolved around a non-existent fandom. 

Also, the author seems to use the first-person tense as an excuse for poor writing and character development. For example, the MC will talk for two pages about something that could be summed up in three sentences. Then the MC will say something similar to, “I know I’m talking way too much, but I just need to get it out.” I was fine with this the first few times, but by the tenth time the MC was making excuses for the writing, I started getting frustrated. 

However, my biggest issue with this book is the portrayal of the minor characters. Not everyone in Special-Ed programs are druggies, bullies, or violent. And, fictional or not, no one should be labeled as such, merely because they have autism or dyslexia or any other kind of learning disability.

The Verdict: Did Not Finish

A copy of this novel was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: "Will Grayson, Will Grayson"

Title: Will Grayson, Will Grayson

Authors: John Green and David Levithan

Publisher: Dutton Juvenile

Publication Date: April 2010

The Cover:

The Plot: The plot is actually quite simple, but wonderfully unique. It’s about two boys named Will Grayson who randomly meet in rather unusual circumstances. One Will has major self-esteem issues; the other has Major Depressive Disorder. The book shows the growth of the two boys after their lives collide, and how they end up impacting each other in rather surprising ways.

The Good: There’s so much I love about this book! For one, it’s LGBT, which automatically qualifies it as awesome—there simply aren’t enough books in this genre. Secondly, it’s written by two fantastic authors with two fantastic voices. This is the first time I’ve read John Green’s writing, and I keep wondering why I haven’t read him before. He’s phenomenal.

Although, I have to admit, David Levithan’s sections were my favorite. His Will Grayson had so much voice and character; I kept bursting out laughing at his dark sense of humor, and I could totally hear his distinct Bite-Me-I-Dare-You tone as I read along. Levithan has definitely made it onto my Favorite Author list.

The Bad: There were a couple of characters—namely Tiny and Jane—who I found seriously annoying. This was a bit of a bummer, considering they’re the main love interests. So the romance wasn’t my favorite aspect, but the rest of the book made up for it.

Also, I should probably warn you that this isn’t a very cheery story. Personally, I love the dark quality of the book, but some readers might find it off-putting.

The Verdict: 4 Stars

Teenaged Authors vs. Real Authors

Lately, I’ve been noticing a very irritating trend in indie publishing: Teenaged Authors. Usually, you can recognize their books right away, because they:

a) Have truly terrible covers

b) Are nearly illegible

c) Mention their age on every possible section of their Amazon page

I’m not going to call out any specific authors in this post; I don’t want to humiliate any kids. I just want to point out a very important factor that most of these Teenaged Authors forget:

THE BOOK.

In all honesty, that’s all I care about, and I think that’s all that should matter. I care about the book; the writing, the story, the characters. These are the things I will fall in love with.

I will NOT fall in love with something totally irrelevant, like the author’s age.  

Unfortunately, a lot of teens don’t seem to realize this. They use their age as a marketing gimmick. And when this gimmick backfires, they use their age as an excuse for everything from bad reviews to bad behavior.  

So what’s the difference between a Teenaged Author and a Real Author? I'd define it like this: Teenaged Authors are teens who can't get over their age. Real Authors are people of any age who approach publishing professionally. 

Personally, it all comes down to presentation and behavior. I honestly believe teens can become Real Authors—if they take their book seriously, put out a quality product, behave appropriately, and quit the age-obsession.

Yes, it takes a ton of work to do all these things properly; I’m sure it’s very tempting to turn to marketing gimmicks. But, in the end, I’m convinced teens will get more readers if they focus on the most important thing about publishing: The book. Not their age, but just the book.

So the summary of this rant is: I don’t care if you’re 15 or 50. Give me a good book, and I’ll give you my love.  

--Laura 

Book Cover Love (#1)

I love book covers. Were it legal, I would probably be in a polygamous relationship with a harem of forty different book covers. (Because that’s not awkward at all. *cough cough*) Anyway, every Sunday, I’ll be posting my favorite covers of books releasing this month. If you’re interested in any of the books, click the image to be taken to its Goodreads.com page. So, without further ado, my favorite book covers of the week!

5. “Into the Deep” by Samantha Young (August 20^th)

Thoughts: This new book has a fantastic blurb, and I love the cover. I really want to know who designed it; Young usually uses PhatPuppy Art for her indie covers, but this doesn’t look like that designer’s style. (If anyone knows who designed this cover, please tell me!) Usually, I dislike covers this plain, but there’s something special about this one. It’s just screams “Contemporary Romance”, which is a definite plus for me; I love it when I can tell a genre by the cover. Also, the girl’s expression is almost Mona Lisa-ish. I can’t quite tell what emotion she’s displaying, but I know it’s not a happy one, and that makes me intrigued.

4. “Elegy” by Amanda Hocking (August 6^th)

Thoughts: Amanda Hocking isn’t my favorite author, but she sure gets great covers. She started with PhatPuppy Art (who is my favorite indie cover designer), and now that she’s signed traditionally, her publishers continue to put out books with truly fantastic covers. This one is just so intriguing: Is the model sinking or floating? Are the feathers just red, or do they have blood on them? I have so many questions about this cover, and I just have to read the book to get them answered!

3.  “Crown of Midnight” by Sarah J. Maas. (August 27^th)

Thoughts: Sarah J. Maas is such an inspiring young author, to readers and writers alike. I adore her and her writing, and I love this cover just as much! It’s beautiful and frightening at the same time, and the fonts fit it perfectly. I love how the theme is opposite of the first book: “Throne of Glass” was blue ice, and “Crown of Midnight” is red fire. Perfect!

2. “The Bitter Kingdom” by Rae Carson (August 27^th)

Thoughts: Speaking of blue ice… Here’s some more! I love this cover; at first it seems so simple, but the closer you look, the more you realize how complex it is. The red font looks beautiful against the blue background, and the dead tree branches give it a doomed feeling. I can’t wait to pick this one up!

1.  “Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea” by April Genevieve Tucholke (August 15^th)

Thoughts: This cover takes my breath away. I usually don’t like large fonts, but this is definitely an exception. It’s terribly gloomy, but at the same time, it’s absolutely gorgeous. The color gradient on the font is perfect, and the people on the cliff immediately caught my attention. I can’t quite tell what they’re doing up there, and that just makes it more interesting. The clouded sky is gorgeous, and I love how it flows into the water almost seamlessly. This is by far one of my favorite covers of the year!

--Laura