Review: Captive by Aimee Carter

Title: Captive
Author: Aimee Carter
Genre: science fiction
Series: Blackcoat Rebellion #2
Pages: 304
Published: Expected November 25, 2014
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Rating: 2.5 out of 5

For the past two months, Kitty Doe's life has been a lie. Forced to impersonate the Prime Minister's niece, her frustration grows as her trust in her fake fiancé cracks, her real boyfriend is forbidden and the Blackcoats keep her in the dark more than ever.


But in the midst of discovering that her role in the Hart family may not be as coincidental as she thought, she's accused of treason and is forced to face her greatest fear: Elsewhere. A prison where no one can escape.


As one shocking revelation leads to the next, Kitty learns the hard way that she can trust no one, not even the people she thought were on her side. With her back against the wall, Kitty wants to believe she'll do whatever it takes to support the rebellion she believes in—but is she prepared to pay the ultimate price?

A summary of Captive:

Everyone: "Kitty, no"

Kitty: "KITTY YES!"


Captive is one of my more frustrating reading experiences. I loved the first book because it felt like a real dystopian, with deadly stakes, and yet in this book, I felt the death toll was meaningless and an excuse for cheap drama.


Part of that is because, <spoiler> Knox, in an effort to endear himself the PM, shoots Benjy, Kitty’s boyfriend from her old life, in front of her and Daxton. It’s brutal and not something that can be faked. Benji shows up alive about 3 chapters later. Knowing this, I’m forced to suppose that a) Knox had Benjy Masked, because why the fuck not at this point? b) Benjy’s a master actor who can suppress involuntary actions like blinking AND Daxton is so dumb he doesn’t know bullet wounds bleed, or c) Knox’s gun released a toxin that caused everyone to mass hallucinate that Benjy was dead. This option is my favorite, being the only possible explanation for why I kept reading after the reveal.</spoiler> And that’s not the only time something similar happens. Deaths fall into two categories: fakeout and fridge.

The book feels directionless. The Blackcoats don’t seem to have a clear mission or plan for the future government. They also don’t seem to have any communication with other members, outside the capital, causing the end of the book to be a shitshow of mammoth proportions. I’m not invested in the “love triangle”, because Kitty has made it perfectly clear that she’s not in love with one of the men. There’s no more tension or drama to wring out of the situation. And then there’s Kitty’s actions.

I’m not kidding, Kitty must promise not to [do the thing], only to immediately turn around and do it, a half dozen times. “Don’t look for this incriminating document.” “I found and hid the incriminating document!” “Don’t look for this second incriminating document.” “I found and hid the incriminating document!” “Don’t run into battle with a broken arm.” “I’m running into battle…!” I have never been more bored with a storytelling device.

There are still kernels of good ideas in Captive. Caste systems are not easy to pull off and I do feel they’re deployed very well here. I actually have a lot of respect for Knox; he’s one of the better leaders in the genre. Daxton without his “mother’s” reigns is appropriately villainous. But, Elsewhere was better in book one. I don’t think the expansion was necessary or half as frightening.

Everyone knows the second book in a trilogy is generally the weakest, so I’ll still pick up Queen, but I’m nowhere near as excited about the series as I was before I read Captive.

Two Minute Review: The Walled City by Ryan Graudin

Title: The Walled City
Author: Ryan Graudin
Genre: young adult, historical, fiction
Series: N/A
Pages: 432
Published: November 4 2014
Source: Book Expo America
Rating: 4/5

730. That's how many days I've been trapped.
18. That's how many days I have left to find a way out.

DAI, trying to escape a haunting past, traffics drugs for the most ruthless kingpin in the Walled City. But in order to find the key to his freedom, he needs help from someone with the power to be invisible....

JIN hides under the radar, afraid the wild street gangs will discover her biggest secret: Jin passes as a boy to stay safe. Still, every chance she gets, she searches for her lost sister....

MEI YEE has been trapped in a brothel for the past two years, dreaming of getting out while watching the girls who try fail one by one. She's about to give up, when one day she sees an unexpected face at her window.....

In this innovative and adrenaline-fueled novel, they all come together in a desperate attempt to escape a lawless labyrinth before the clock runs out. 

(note, I am using the incorrect cover, because I LOVE IT)

Wow. I am so impressed by this! After having had a bad experience with the author's debut in another genre and, in particular, its overabundance of unwieldy purple metaphors, I was leery of trying The Walled City. But Kara from Great Imaginations knew about Kowloon, the factual place that inspired the setting for this novel and her knowledge fed my curiosity. I am glad I listened because outside of a few side-eye worthy descriptions, The Walled City was really, really good and it was really, really fun to read.

It was a story that had action, it had heart, and it also had some interesting and well-rendered characters. But what The Walled City really had going for it was a real sense of history and the enveloping atmosphere that the story and characters evoke for the reader. It was a rich, engaging reading experience. I also loved that this book promoted connections and bonds besides those that are purely romantic in nature -- familial love plays a key role for the two female narrator, though there is a romance between one female narrator and a male character to be had as well.

The Walled City is a good action novel. It's one of those rare standalones that are worthy and deserving of a sequel to either expand on the story here or start a new one in the same place. Hak Nam is a terrifying, dangerous place, but Ryan Graudin makes it so damn fun to read about that I would willingly sign on for any further extension of time/story in this world. 

DNF Round Up

I haven't posted one of these in forever, but here are some books I tried that just weren't quite right for me:

On a Clear Day by Walter Dean Myers

Young heroes decide that they are not too young or too powerless to change their world in this gripping, futuristic young adult novel by the New York Times bestselling author of the Printz Award–winning Monster.

It is 2035. Teens, armed only with their ideals, must wage war on the power elite.

Dahlia is a Low Gater: a sheep in a storm, struggling to survive completely on her own. The Gaters live in closed safe communities, protected from the Sturmers, mercenary thugs. And the C-8, a consortium of giant companies, control global access to finance, media, food, water, and energy resources—and they are only getting bigger and even more cutthroat. Dahlia, a computer whiz, joins forces with an ex-rocker, an ex-con, a chess prodigy, an ex-athlete, and a soldier wannabe. Their goal: to sabotage the C-8. But how will Sayeed, warlord and terrorist, fit into the equation?

DNF'd: I was bored, bored, bored. I read 155 out of 256 pages and that was 155 too many.

Someone Else's Love Story by Joshilyn Jackson

Someone Else's Love Story is beloved and highly acclaimed New York Times bestselling author Joshilyn Jackson's funny, charming, and poignant novel about science and miracles, secrets and truths, faith and forgiveness; about falling in love, and learning that things aren't always what they seem—or what we hope they will be.

Shandi Pierce is juggling finishing college, raising her delightful three-year-old genius son Nathan, aka Natty Bumppo, and keeping the peace between her eternally warring, long-divorced parents. She's got enough complications without getting caught in the middle of a stick-up and falling in love with William Ashe, who willingly steps between the robber and her son.

Shandi doesn't know that her blond god Thor has his own complications. When he looked down the barrel of that gun he believed it was destiny: It's been one year to the day since a tragic act of physics shattered his world. But William doesn't define destiny the way others do. A brilliant geneticist who believes in facts and numbers, destiny to him is about choice. Now, he and Shandi are about to meet their so-called destinies head on, making choices that will reveal unexpected truths about love, life, and the world they think they know.

DNF'd: This book is weird and off-putting and the characters just make NO SENSE, both in how they act and how they think.  Read: 200/320 pages.

Trial by Fire by Josephine Angelini

This world is trying to kill Lily Proctor. Her life-threatening allergies keep her from enjoying experiences that others in her hometown of Salem take for granted, which is why she is determined to enjoy her first high school party with her best friend and longtime crush, Tristan. But after a humiliating incident in front of half her graduating class, Lily wishes she could just disappear.

Suddenly, Lily is in a different Salem—one overrun with horrifying creatures and ruled by powerful women called Crucibles. Strongest and cruelest of them all is Lillian . . . Lily's other self in this alternate universe.

What makes Lily weak at home is what makes her extraordinary in New Salem. In this confusing world, Lily is torn between responsibilities she can't hope to shoulder alone and a love she never expected.

DNF'd: I didn't care about anything. The characters were blah and the romance only annoyed me. Read: 250/374 pages.

Messenger of Fear by Michael Grant

I remembered my name – Mara. But, standing in that ghostly place, faced with the solemn young man in the black coat with silver skulls for buttons, I could recall nothing else about myself.

And then the games began.

The Messenger sees the darkness in young hearts, and the damage it inflicts upon the world. If they go unpunished, he offers the wicked a game. Win, and they can go free. Lose, and they will live out their greatest fear.

But what does any of this have to do with Mara? She is about to find out . . .

DNF'd: because this is a mess. It didn't work for me in so many ways. The writing style, the imagery... no. Nothing happens.... etc. Read: 150/272 pages.

Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick

Sometimes danger is hard to see... until it’s too late.

Britt Pfeiffer has trained to backpack the Teton Range, but she isn't prepared when her ex-boyfriend, who still haunts her every thought, wants to join her. Before Britt can explore her feelings for Calvin, an unexpected blizzard forces her to seek shelter in a remote cabin, accepting the hospitality of its two very handsome occupants—but these men are fugitives, and they take her hostage.

In exchange for her life, Britt agrees to guide the men off the mountain. As they set off, Britt knows she must stay alive long enough for Calvin to find her. The task is made even more complicated when Britt finds chilling evidence of a series of murders that have taken place there... and in uncovering this, she may become the killer’s next target.

But nothing is as it seems in the mountains, and everyone is keeping secrets, including Mason, one of her kidnappers. His kindness is confusing Britt. Is he an enemy? Or an ally?

BLACK ICE is New York Times bestselling author Becca Fitzpatrick’s riveting romantic thriller set against the treacherous backdrop of the mountains of Wyoming. Falling in love should never be this dangerous…

DNF'd: I knew this one was a longshot going in and I gave up before halfway. Read: 185/392 pages.

Bergdorf Blondes by Plum Sykes

Plum Sykes beguiling debut welcomes readers to the glamorous world of Park Avenue Princesses, the girls who careen through Manhattan in search of the perfect Fake Bake (tan acquired from Portofino Tanning Salon), a ride on a PJ (private jet) with the ATM (rich boyfriend), and the ever-elusive fiance.

With invitations to high-profile baby showers and benefits, more Marc Jacobs clothes than is decent, and a department store heiress for a best friend, our heroine known only as Moi is living at the peak of New York society. But what is Moi to do when her engagement falls apart? Can she ever find happiness in a city filled with the distractions of Front Row Girls, dermatologists, premieres, and eyebrow waxes? Is it possible to find love in a town where her friends think that the secret to happiness is getting invited to the Van Cleef and Arpels private sample sale? And how is she going to deal with the endless phone calls from her mother in England demanding that she get married to the Earl next door?

With enormous wit and an insider's eye, Sykes captures the nuances of the rich and spoiled in a heartwarming social satire, featuring a loveable "champagne bubble of a girl" who's just looking for love (and maybe the perfect pair of Chloe jeans).

DNF'd: this was trying to be witty and satirical and all it succeeded at was being extremely grating. Read: 75/320 pages 

Burn For Me by Ilona Andrews 

 Nevada Baylor is faced with the most challenging case of her detective career—a suicide mission to bring in a suspect in a volatile case. Nevada isn’t sure she has the chops. Her quarry is a Prime, the highest rank of magic user, who can set anyone and anything on fire.

Then she’s kidnapped by Connor “Mad” Rogan—a darkly tempting billionaire with equally devastating powers. Torn between wanting to run or surrender to their overwhelming attraction, Nevada must join forces with Rogan to stay alive.

Rogan’s after the same target, so he needs Nevada. But she’s getting under his skin, making him care about someone other than himself for a change. And, as Rogan has learned, love can be as perilous as death, especially in the magic world.

DNF'd: wasn't engaged, romance didn't click for me. Read: 250/382 pages.

Two Minute Review: Zodiac by Romina Russell

Title: Zodiac
Author: Romina Russell
Genre: science fiction, young adult
Series: Zodiac #1
Pages: 336
Published: expected December 9 2014
Source: Book Expo America
Rating: 3/5

At the dawn of time, there were 13 Houses in the Zodiac Galaxy. Now only 12 remain….

Rhoma Grace is a 16-year-old student from House Cancer with an unusual way of reading the stars. While her classmates use measurements to make accurate astrological predictions, Rho can’t solve for ‘x’ to save her life—so instead, she looks up at the night sky and makes up stories.

When a violent blast strikes the moons of Cancer, sending its ocean planet off-kilter and killing thousands of citizens—including its beloved Guardian—Rho is more surprised than anyone when she is named the House’s new leader. But, a true Cancrian who loves her home fiercely and will protect her people no matter what, Rho accepts.

Then, when more Houses fall victim to freak weather catastrophes, Rho starts seeing a pattern in the stars. She suspects Ophiuchus—the exiled 13th Guardian of Zodiac legend—has returned to exact his revenge across the Galaxy. Now Rho—along with Hysan Dax, a young envoy from House Libra, and Mathias, her guide and a member of her Royal Guard—must travel through the Zodiac to warn the other Guardians.

But who will believe anything this young novice says? Whom can Rho trust in a universe defined by differences? And how can she convince twelve worlds to unite as one Zodiac?

There are admittedly some strong elements at play here that almost make the story work, but others (the eyeroll-worthy love triangle, the unnecessary division of society into a Divergent/faction-like set up for astrological signs) just detract from the good that Zodiac has to offer.

I mean, it's okay. It's entertaining for a day's read. It's definitely not bad, but it could be better, more original. The writing is serviceable, Rho is an interesting MC who learns and changes over the course of the novel...but so much of Zodiac rests on its premise.. which is threadbare. The world-building is minimal for each House and the Zodiac galaxy as a whole. Zodiac and its characters spend more time focused on identifying traits of each House and making up vocabularies/technologies with little explanation than in taking time to flesh out the world/galaxies/planets.

Also, if anything, this is scifi lite. Scifi-ish, maybe. And it's even less fantasy than scifi. 

 

Book Tour Review: Past Encounters by Davina Blake

Title: Past Encounters
Author: Davina Blake
Genre: historical fiction
Series: N/A
Pages: 445
Published: June 30 2014
Source: Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours for review
Rating: 3/5

From the moment Rhoda Middleton opens one of her husband’s letters and finds it is from another woman, she is convinced he is having an affair. But when Rhoda tracks her down, she discovers the mysterious woman is not his lover after all, but the wife of his best friend, Archie Foster.

There is only one problem - Rhoda has never even heard of Archie Foster.

Devastated by this betrayal of trust, Rhoda tries to find out how and why her husband, Peter, has kept this friendship hidden for so long. Her search leads her back to 1945, but as she gradually uncovers Peter’s wartime secrets she must wrestle with painful memories of her own. For if they are ever to understand each other, Rhoda too must escape the ghosts of the past. Taking us on a journey from the atmospheric filming of Brief Encounter, to the extraordinary Great March of prisoners of war through snow-bound Germany, this is a novel of friendship, hope, and how in the end, it is the small things that enable love to survive.
Includes discussion points for reading groups.

Past Encounters is a different sort of historical fiction from this author. Under her Deborah Swift name, she published more traditional, medieval type of story such as Shadow on the Highway. This novel here is something different. Ostensibly a story about Rhoda and her husband Peter, Past Encounters is really a tightly-focused and strong narrative that supports and explores varying themes from duty to love and more against the backdrop of WWII in England. 

WWII, and the storyline that takes place earlier (1939-1945) in the chronology was by turns familiar and freshly devastating. Everyone knows of or has heard of things like war brides and "waiting for your man" type stories from WWII, but Blake shows just how hard it is to cling to an idea when physical love is far away. Both Peter and Rhoda (and to a lesser extent Helen) all participate in less than stellar behavior during the novel, (before and after the war) but you want to excuse them, forgive them their transgressions due the international atrocity that subsumes their normal lives.

I liked a lot about this particular story and raced through it in a day, despite its hefty page count. I wanted to rate this higher than a 3, but where Past Encounters succeeds at a lot it attempts to do in just under 450 pages, I just couldn't personally connect with any of the characters. That isn't to say that they aren't well-drawn or fully dimensional, because they (especially Rhoda) are such. They just make decisions that make it hard to engender any sympathy or empathy from my viewpoint. They are interesting, dynamic and I was always curious about the paths the story would take, I just never fully invested to the point of loving the book.

Book Tour Review: Color Song by Victoria Strauss

Title: Color Song
Author: Victoria Strauss 
Genre: young adult, historical fiction
Series: Passion Blue #2
Pages: 334
Published: September 2014
Source: Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours
Rating: 3.5/5

Artistically brilliant, Giulia is blessed - or cursed - with a spirit's gift: she can hear the mysterious singing of the colors as she creates them in the convent workshop of Maestra Humilita. It's here that Giulia, forced into the convent against her will, has found unexpected happiness and rekindled her passion to become a painter - an impossible dream for any woman in 15th century Italy.

But when a dying Humilita bequeaths Giulia her most prized possession - the secret formula for the luminously beautiful paint called Passion blue - Giulia realizes she's in danger from those who have long coveted the famous color. Faced with the prospect of a life in the convent barred from painting as punishment for keeping Humilita's secret, Giulia is struck by a desperate idea: What if she disguises herself as a boy? Could she make her way to Venice and find work as an artist's apprentice?

Along with the truth of who she is, Giulia carries more dangerous secrets: the exquisite voices of her paint colors and the formula for Humilita's Passion blue. And Venice, she discovers, with its gilded palazzos and masked balls, has secrets of its own. Trapped in her false identity in this dream-like place where reality and reflection are easily confused, and where art and ambition, love and deception hover like dense fog, can Giulia find her way?

This compelling novel explores timeless themes of love and illusion, gender and identity as it asks the question: what does it mean to risk everything to pursue your passion?

Victoria Strauss's second novel in the Passion Blue series is a strong follow up and an engaging conclusion to main character and narrator Giulia's ongoing historical story. With minimal but thorough recapping, it's easy to begin this series with Passion Blue itself or by picking up Giulia's story here with the sequel. With some interesting plotlines and well-defined characters, Strauss creates a plausible and entertaining story of this strong-willed female artist living during the late 1400's in Italy.

Breaking away from the established locations of the first book, Color Song sees Giulia on an adventure in Venice after her painting Maestra, dies, thus leaving Giulia's future (and present) with the convent in jeopardy. It's a year and a half past the events of book one, but Giulia's sense of wellbeing and belonging start to fray once the new Maestra begins plying her for the secret to Passion blue. Giulia has always been strong-willed, so her battle of wills with her new mistress is not unexpected, but does add a new layer of struggle to Giulia's story.

Using Giulia and her less-than-well-received goals and dreams for the time, Strauss creates a subtle discussion about gender, identity, and gender roles in her newest novel. Color Song isn't taking a stance on anything or here to lecture, but the point is proved over and over throughout. Giulia is talented and capable and her fight for recognition, for an education, is compelling and frustrating all at the same time. Her vocation for art and expression is undeniable and it's easy to find yourself sympathizing and cheering for this character.

Detailed, rich, evocative, Color Song is a great sequel to what Passion Blue began. Victoria Strauss ably recreates the past, almost as easily as she creates realistic and defined characters. I would easily recommend this to historical fiction readers who like genderbending, going against convention, or just a well-written YA historical. 

Color Song Blog Tour & Book Blast Schedule

Monday, September 16
Book Blast at Passages to the Past
Book Blast at The True Book Addict

Tuesday, September 17
Review at Oh the Books
Book Blast at The Maiden’s Court

Wednesday, September 18
Review at Casual Readers
Review at Leeanna.com (Passion Blue)

Thursday, September 19
Review at Leeanna.com

Monday, September 22
Review at Ageless Pages Reviews
Feature at Oh the Books

Tuesday, September 23
Book Blast at Flashlight Commentary

Wednesday, September 24
Review at History from a Woman’s Perspective
Interview at Bibliophilia, Please
Book Blast at Reading Lark

Thursday, September 25
Book Blast at A Book Geek

Friday, September 26
Review at Reading Room Book Reviews
Book Blast at Just One More Chapter

Monday, September 29
Review at Tribute Books Mama
Interview at Math, Science & Social Studies…Oh My!

Tuesday, September 30
Review at Book Babe
Book Blast at Historical Fiction Connection

Wednesday, October 1
Review & Interview at Bookish
Book Blast at Historical Tapestry

Thursday, October 2
Review at Brooke Blogs
Review at Oh, for the Hook of a Book

Friday, October 3
Review at A Bibliotaph’s Reviews
Book Blast at The Lit Bitch

Saturday, October 4
Book Blast at Susan Heim on Writing

Monday, October 6
Review at WTF Are You Reading?
Book Blast at Let Them Read Books

Tuesday, October 7
Review at A Leisure Moment

Wednesday, October 8
Review at Peeking Between the Pages

Friday, October 10
Review at A Bookish Affair

Review: The Little Christmas Kitchen by Jenny Oliver

Title: The Little Christmas Kitchen

Author: Jenny Oliver 

Genre: Realistic fiction, Women's fiction
Series: None
Pages: N/A
Published: October 20, 2014
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Rating: 3 out of 5

The mince pies are cooling, the lights are twinkling, and just when you think you’re a roasted chestnut away from the perfect Christmas….along comes the new gift-wrapped treat of a book from Jenny Oliver. Enjoy!
Christmas at the Davenports’ house was always about one thing: food. But when sisters Ella and Maddy were split up, Ella to live in London with their Dad, and Maddy staying in Greece with their Mum, mince pies lost their magic.
Now, a cheating husband has thrown Ella a curved snowball…and for the first time in years, all she wants is her mum. So she heads back to Greece, where her family’s taverna holds all the promise of home. Meanwhile, waitress Maddy’s dreams of a white Christmas lead her back to London… and her Dad.

But a big fat festive life-swap isn’t as easy as it sounds! And as the sisters trade one kitchen for another, it suddenly seems that among the cinnamon, cranberries and icing sugar, their recipes for a perfect Christmas might be missing a crucial ingredient: each other.

Ella and Maddy are sisters in their mid-to-late twenties, living opposite lives. Thick as thieves until their parents' divorce fifteen years ago, Ella moved to London with Dad, while Maddy stayed in Greece with their mom. Now Ella is a wealthy ad exec with the perfect trust-fund husband and Maddy is a laid-back mechanic slash waitress at their mother's tavern. That is, until Ella's husband cheats and she runs back to Greece, just in time to find Maddy venturing to London to follow her dreams of singing.

Swapping places for the Christmas season is just what both women need in order to let go of old hurts and move forward with their lives. Of course, that's always easier said than done.

Ella's POV and story comes across as the more important, and the book could have stood just fine on her chapters alone. Maddy's is a little more muddled and she felt a lot younger than 24. It didn't help that Ella had something from the beginning to be overcome, while Maddy's issue doesn't appear until the book is almost over. It could have been better balanced.

In some ways, the book is very fanciful. Ella gets over her husband with nary a second thought. She and her ex are super friendly and there's no drama or issues dividing their huge piles of money. Everyone ends up right where they need to be, there are no coincidences, and famous but disillusioned authors arrive at Christmas with signed first editions of their books. Yet when it comes to confronting the girls’ parents, it's very realistic and hard to read. People holding onto decades old grudges, even after talking them out over cookies and tea, because of fear that letting go means all that time was wasted. People blaming children for bad decisions and adults for not being mind readers. It's at odds with the rest of the book, where a childhood friend flies across the continent to express his true love and you can walk away from your life to cook baklava in paradise.

I did still like The Little Christmas Kitchen. I wish Ella had ever told her mother, the one person most likely to understand, that she was getting a divorce. I kept waiting for the conversation that never came. Likewise, I wish Maddy’s confrontation with her dad was set up a lot sooner. But, as in Ms. Oliver’s first novel, the book works best in the kitchen. Both girls get a stand out scene where they make Christmas dinner, and the description and love of the food creates a great connection between the characters and the reader. In the end, that love carries some overly serious parts into a fun and light Christmas story.