Book Review: Assassin's Heart by Sarah Ahiers

Title: Assassin's Heart
Author: Sarah Ahiers
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publishing Date: February 2nd 2016
Length: 400 pages
Keywords: YA, fantasy, romance, murder, family
Source: Publisher

In the kingdom of Lovero, nine rival Families of assassins lawfully kill people for a price. As a highly skilled member of one of these powerful clans, seventeen-year-old Lea Saldana has always trusted in the strength of her Family. Until she awakens to find them murdered and her home in flames. The Da Vias, the Saldanas’ biggest enemy, must be responsible—and Lea should have seen it coming. But her secret relationship with the Da Vias’ son, Val, has clouded her otherwise killer instinct—and given the Da Vias more reason than ever to take her Family down.

Racked with guilt and shattered over Val’s probable betrayal, Lea sets out to even the score, with her heart set on retaliation and only one thought clear in her mind: make the Da Vias pay. (Goodreads)

Set in the kingdom of Lovero, ASSASSIN'S HEART introduces us to a world where killing means honor and death resurrection. Lea Saldana is a Clipper, an assassin from one of the nine Families who rule Lovero. She is well trained and clever. So how come love blinded all her assassin senses and got her entire Family killed? 

Her love to Val, a boy from the rival Family of the Da Vias, could be the thing that destroyed her family. What a dramatic plot! I was intrigued when I first heard about ASSASSIN'S HEART, especially about the emotional world of our protagonist Lea that would be sent into turmoil after the alleged betrayal by Val. That part of the story was a very interesting mind game, too. Like Lea, the reader doesn't know for a long time if Val's betrayal was real or if someone played a game with the young lovers' hearts. The revelation of this mystery and the direction in which the story was headed was promising at first, sadly losing its appeal in between and recapturing my attention towards the end. And the ending wasn't one I could've foreseen. Sure Sarah Ahiers gets plus points for writing surprising story turns, still I would've wished for a more romantic ending for Lea and Val. 

Sarah Ahier's debut novel isn't directly a Romeo & Juliet re-telling, but it features some of the key elements of the original story. Of course there are star-crossed lovers Lea and Val and the feuding families. There is also a priest that helps Lea find her way. Then there's still so much more to the story. A big part of ASSASSIN'S HEART, Lovero and its history are built on strong religious beliefs. In Lovero assassins kill people to honor their Goddess Safraella and the entire story is filled with mentions of this cult and its practices and what happens when someone disobeys the great Goddess. Religion is what lends Lea's existence and her actions its true meaning. 

   Lea's story is an emotional rollercoaster. She feels betrayed and seeks revenge. At the same time she's in love with someone she should want to kill. Sarah Ahiers did a good job portraying all these inner conflicts in Lea and expressing them in her actions and moves. 

In addition the story has a paranormal touch. And it's a scary one. There are ghosts roaming the plains outside the main cities in Lovero. If they spot or come near you, you are as good as dead. Strangely, Lea has a special gift that allows her to feel something different than fear around these ghosts. More about that and Lea's journey through Lovero you better find out yourself.

We learn a bit about Lea's family (biological) and her Family (her clan, defined by their solidarity) and Val's Family story as well. There would've been some room for one or two subplots exploring the relations between the other seven Families, too, while some parts of the story as it was felt redundant and kind of repetitive. 

   When I read ASSASSIN'S HEART I was expecting to read a standalone. Lea's story has an ending but it's part open, too. So I'm curious if there will be a sequel. I'd definitely give it a try because I liked the overall feel of Sarah Ahiers debut and its premise.

 

3,5/5 ***/* ASSASSIN'S HEART - An explosive debut about murder, heart-break and vengeance with ghostly fantasy elements!

Sarah Ahier's debut is a sure recommendation for YA fantasy readers! Her writing is engaging as is her world building. The conflict of the star-crossed lovers just sucks you into the story. A story that promises a mix of extraordinary religious beliefs, paranormal activity and action-packed duels between rival Clipper Families. And don't forget the most important part of the story: Lea's heart which is torn between revenge and love. Will she have it both in the end and triumph or perish as the last of the Saldana Family? Grab a copy of ASSASSIN'S HEART to find out!

 "Yes, my mother had tried to kill me again tonight. But she'd done it to make me a better clipper. In her own, twisted way she was protecting me by making me stronger. If Val's Family ever tried to kill him, they'd make sure he wouldn't have an antidote." – p. 16

ASSASSIN'S HEART by Sarah Ahiers you might enjoy RUINED by Amy Tintera, REIGN OF SHADOWS by Sophie Jordan or THE MURDER COMPLEX by Lindsay Cummings about a quest for revenge, star-crossed lovers and a murderous society.

* Click here to read an excerpt of ASSASSIN'S HEART.

* For more information about Sarah and her books visit www.falenformulatesfiction.blogspot.com.

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Book Review: A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray

Title: A Thousand Pieces of You (Firebird #1)
Author: Claudia Gray
Publisher: Harper Teen
Publishing Date: November 4th 2014
Length: 368 pages
Keywords: YA, thriller, sci-fi, romance, dimension travel
Source: Edelweiss

Every Day meets Cloud Atlas in this heart-racing, space- and time-bending, epic new trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray.

Marguerite Caine’s physicist parents are known for their radical scientific achievements. Their most astonishing invention: the Firebird, which allows users to jump into parallel universes, some vastly altered from our own. But when Marguerite’s father is murdered, the killer—her parent’s handsome and enigmatic assistant Paul—escapes into another dimension before the law can touch him.

Marguerite can’t let the man who destroyed her family go free, and she races after Paul through different universes, where their lives entangle in increasingly familiar ways. With each encounter she begins to question Paul’s guilt—and her own heart. Soon she discovers the truth behind her father’s death is more sinister than she ever could have imagined.

A Thousand Pieces of You explores a reality where we witness the countless other lives we might lead in an amazingly intricate multiverse, and ask whether, amid infinite possibilities, one love can endure.

Summary by Goodreads

The very best books are those that surprise you! A few years ago I read Claudia Gray's EVERNIGHT series and wasn't that impressed by her writing. Therefore my initial scepticism. But I decided to give A THOUSAND PIECES OF YOU a chance. It sounded so good and in the end it was exactly up my alley. I am beyond thrilled that there will be two more books in the FIREBIRD series. Right now after the first book, I can honestly say that I can't get enough of Claudia Gray's new story universe.

The author sends her protagonist Marguerite after the killer of her father. For truth and revenge this girl is willing to risk everything. She even crosses dimensions to other parallel universes. The Firebird is a precious invention. It is the device that allows her to travel and the reason why her father was murdered in the first place. 
   With Marguerite crossing dimensions she has to be in strong shape, mentally and physically. She is constantly confronted with alternate lives that could have confusing effects on her emotions.  

Marguerite's family and the relationships to her father, mother and sister make up a very big part of A THOUSAND PIECES OF YOU. The reason she is doing all this dimension hopping is because she lost her father and has a big hole in her chest. Going to another dimension could mean her father would still be alive there, or an entirely different person. Meeting a version of her father that was still alive could be devastating for her. 
   The different constellations and how they change and fit back together in every dimension really fascinated me. Claudia Gray did a fabulous job letting us be part of Marguerite's emotional world.

Marguerite, Theo, Paul. They are friends. Or at least they had been, until Paul supposedly murdered Marguerite's father. Now Theo helps her go after Paul.

   Their relationships are all connected by the fact that Paul and Theo are students of Marguerite's father and she has deeper feelings for the two men, too. Marguerite's feelings don't just show up out of nowhere. The three of them have history together and she has liked the boys for quite some time now. Both for different reasons. 
   Bonus, the fact that they were already attending college and them being so smart, gifted and on such a high level of intelligence, gave the story a more grown-up feel.

Pretty interesting is the dichotomy between physics and arts displayed in A THOUSAND PIECES OF YOU. Physics, engineering and rational thinking have an enormous influence on Marguerite's family. Both her parents are professors. 
   But Marguerite's interest lies in painting. She is an artist, an aesthete. And in every dimension she is going to, art has an impact on her life. It's her creative and versatile way to look at things the way they are and the way they could be, that defines her. I loved that side of hers!

Marguerite travelling to other dimensions should not be confused with her travelling through time. Meaning that she isn't able to influence her past. In other dimensions her life, her family, the world itself could be quite different from Marguerite's own dimension. Things being different in another dimension would depend on how advanced the other dimension is or how life-changing decisions vary from the version Marguerite is living now. 
   Claudia Gray created a very complex web of plot events and possibilities here. I just love the intricacy she put behind her story. Everything in A THOUSAND PIECES OF YOU appeared profoundly and extensively researched and well thought-out.

So Marguerite's journey takes us to California, London, Russia, even to an oceanographic station.  
   Her adventure in Russia was gorgeous! It was by far my favourite part of the story and I was mesmerized by how it influenced Marguerite's story as a whole, but could also create its own story in the story. I wish we could get an entire book with that magical and sophisticated Russian winter wonderland the author fabricated. 
   Claudia Gray's writing in A THOUSAND PIECES OF YOU has a great imaginary and visionary power in itself. I never wanted the story to end!

5/5 ***** A THOUSAND PIECES OF YOU - My favourite read of 2014! I loved every minute of this book!

With her new book, A THOUSAND PIECES OF YOU, Claudia Gray outdid herself. Marguerite's story is filled with dimensional travel extravaganza, tech concern conspiracies on a very big scale and one of the most emotional family stories YA had to offer for me in 2014. A THOUSAND PIECES OF YOU has a stunning cover. It is artsy. It is dashing. And it is complex. Just how I love my books! 

"Fingers trembling, I unscrew it and scrawl on a tattered poster on the wall of the alley. This is the message I must pass on, the one goal I have to remember after everything else I am is gone.

KILL PAUL MARKOV.

Then I can only wait to die."  ― p.1-2

A THOUSAND PIECES OF YOU you might enjoy ALL OUR YESTERDAYS by Cristin Terrill, PIVOT POINT by Kasie West or UNRAVELING by Elizabeth Norris. ALL OUR YESTERDAYS and UNRAVELING are just as fast-paced as Claudia Gray's A THOUSAND PIECES OF YOU. PIVOT POINT explores the concept of two alternate futures.

* Have a look at the gorgeous cover for the second FIREBIRD book!

* Read an excerpt of A THOUSAND PIECES OF YOU.

* Click here for a Q&A with Claudia Gray on the cover of A THOUSAND PIECES OF YOU.

* For more information about Claudia and her books visit www.claudiagray.com.

* Thanks to Harper Teen for providing me with a review copy via Edelweiss.
 

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Mini Reviews #27

Today I have three mini reviews of HarperTeen titles with heartfelt covers for you. LOVE AND OTHER THEORIES by Alexis Bass and NO PLACE TO FALL by Jaye Robin Brown were released in December 2014. And SOLITAIRE by Alice Oseman is coming out in late March 2015. 

No Place to Fall by Jaye Robin Brown

NO PLACE TO FALL is set in a small town, where Amber lives with her perfect family. Or at least it is supposed to look that way. The truth is, her mother is smothering Amber, her father is never there and her sister and her husband are dealing drugs, living in a trailer in their backyard. Her familiar background and the relationships to her parents and sister are a big part of her story.

No wonder Amber yearns to just leave with the backpackers coming through her little town every summer. All she wants is a shot at freedom and happiness. Her story is one of longing and wanting to find her own place in life.

   I was totally into the music dream Amber had and I really believed in her to make her dream come true.

   Amber and Will, her best friend's big brother, are both great musical talents. Will helps Amber practice for her big audition at a music school. They are also singing sweet country songs to each other, singing duets and totally getting each other. Their love story doesn't begin the conventional way and there are some things making their romance very difficult at first. When they are practicing together you really can see the chemistry between them. Theirs is a great love story to warm many readers hearts.

4/5 **** NO PLACE TO FALL - This read is like your favourite country song! A small town, big dreams and a sweet love story!

 
Amber's story is about growing-up and moving on. About being honest and making every effort to make your dreams come true. NO PLACE TO FALL is a very darling YA contemporary read for everyone with love for music in their hearts!

Publisher: HarperTeen
Publishing Date: December 9th 2014
Length: 368 pages
Keywords: YA, contemporary, romance, music
Source: Edelweiss
Goodreads Summary  
No Place to Fall Excerpt  
Author's Homepage



Solitaire by Alice Oseman

When you read the summary for Alice Oseman's debut novel, you won't get much information about the story itself. Just vague information and statements. And that's the way it continues in the book. In my opinion SOLITAIRE is no match for John Green and Rainbow Rowell books like it says in the summary!

   Tori is a loser. Her life in high school is unfulfilling and without real meaning for her. Michael Holden is her rescuer. One day Tori discovers a post-it note, leading to another, and another...until she finds the link to a mysterious site called Solitaire. Solitaire suddenly gains many supporters and has a big social impact on school and private life of Tori and other students. It speaks directly to Tori, involving her in this new game. Everything gets out of hand and until the end I couldn't really think of Tori as a friend, but more a person who seriously needed help. It was the same with Michael Holden. He was a person I couldn't see through. Because he was so untransparent, it was hard to engage in his obsessive interest in Tori. Nevertheless, I have to admit that their romance has its own nice moments. 

   Things with Solitaire turn violent and dangerous and pretty insane towards the end. I just wanted to get through the story and be done with it. 

2/5 ** SOLITAIRE - YA rating status - it's complicated.

Our protagonist Tori is drawn into a flow of dares, protest actions and dangerous movements invoked by unknown delinquents. Teens are really getting out of control here. SOLITAIRE is a book for readers interested in unraveling confusing plots supporting an obscure story. A story that was just too much for me.

Publisher: HarperTeen

Publishing Date: March 30^th 2015
Length: 368 pages
Keywords: YA, thriller,romance, friendship,

Source: Edelweiss

Goodreads Summary 

Solitaire Excerpt  

Author's Homepage

Love and Other Theories by Alexis Bass

Aubrey and her best friends are the guys in a relationship. They decided to play it cool when things get serious in a relationship and never attach themselves emotionally to their dates in order to avoid heartbreak. 
This logic just smells like relationship drama. And I hate when it is the drama that dominates a story. Unsurprisingly, despite the girls' plan to avoid any trouble and fights, there are in fact a lot of those. I hated the promiscuity and that the girls thought a boy wouldn't like them if things got too serious and honest. This book communicates an important message young teenage girls shouldn't even have to learn. Self-respect yourself and your feelings and never pretend to be someone you aren't in order to make someone like you.
   The story begins when Aubrey meets the new guy in town and starts dating him. Nathan and Aubrey's love story seemed sincere and like it would be their love that would prove Aubrey's best friend Shelby wrong, but in the end it was just another casualty to the incinserity between the friends. But there's another boy waiting for Aubrey to realize her feelings for him, too.
   Once he came into the love triangle things started to look up for me liking LOVE AND OTHER THEORIES much better. That other guy was funny and put Aubrey's comfort and her feelings before anything else. I wasn't entirely convinced with the ending to Aubrey's story though. There's still the chance for a sequel.

3/5 *** LOVE AND OTHER THEORIES - A true high school drama with complicated friendships and surprising romances.

I liked LOVE AND OTHER THEORIES in general. The story had a few touches to it that I found irritating, connected to the girls' theories about love that are central the Aubrey's story. But between all the carlessness and aloofness there might even be honest feelings for friends and boys buried that would have deserved to find greater notice.

Publisher: HarperTeen

Publishing Date: December 31^st 2014
Length: 384 pages
Keywords: YA, contemporary, romance, friendship

Source: Edelweiss

Goodreads Summary 

Love and Other Theories Excerpt  

Author's Homepage

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Book Review: The Jewel by Amy Ewing

Title: The Jewel (The Lone City #1)
Author: Amy Ewing
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publishing Date: September 2nd 2014
Length: 358 pages
Keywords: YA, dystopian, romance, friendship, intrigue
Source: Publisher

The Jewel means wealth. The Jewel means beauty. The Jewel means royalty. But for girls like Violet, the Jewel means servitude. Not just any kind of servitude. Violet, born and raised in the Marsh, has been trained as a surrogate for the royalty—because in the Jewel the only thing more important than opulence is offspring.

Purchased at the surrogacy auction by the Duchess of the Lake and greeted with a slap to the face, Violet (now known only as #197) quickly learns of the brutal truths that lie beneath the Jewel’s glittering facade: the cruelty, backstabbing, and hidden violence that have become the royal way of life.

Violet must accept the ugly realities of her existence... and try to stay alive. But then a forbidden romance erupts between Violet and a handsome gentleman hired as a companion to the Duchess’s petulant niece. Though his presence makes life in the Jewel a bit brighter, the consequences of their illicit relationship will cost them both more than they bargained for.

Summary by Goodreads

THE JEWEL starts with the auction of two hundred girls who are sold as surrogates to wealthy women. Our protagonist, Violet, is one of these surrogates.

   It was a strategically clever idea to kick off the story with such a big auction that would decide over the fates of so many girls. Who wouldn't want to know how that would go and where Violet would end up? In the end Violet is purchased by the Duchess of the Lake, a mean woman who expects Violet to gift her with a baby that is more powerful and successful than the babies of her so-called friends as soon as possible. 

Amy Ewing takes her time to explain why things are the way they are in THE JEWEL. Readers learn about the history of the Lone City. And that it is divided into five parts that are separated by walls from each other. There is the Marsh, the Farm, the Smoke, the Bank and the Jewel, the richest of them all. Violet comes from the Marsh, the poorest part of the city. So we get to experience life in the Marsh and the Jewel. With that Amy Ewing shows us two very contrary parts of society and makes it pretty easy for readers to pick their sides.

The fact that the Jewel depends on the poorest people of the city to secure their succession is kind of ironic. The way Amy Ewing describes the girls' fates and lets Violet see how some of the surrogates suffer made me feel an immediate compassion and concern for our heroine so deep, that I couldn't put the book down until I knew that everything would be turning out bearable for her. I could've easily done without reading all about the various medical procedures and ordeals Violet has to go through though.

In addition Amy Ewing gave the story an interesting spin by supplying her characters, the young girls from the Marsh, with magical powers they have to train before they are sold. It is often very painful to trigger their powers. Constant demonstrations of the so-called auguries show how cruel the rules of this society are. I would've loved to find out more about the auguries without the girls hurting so much, chosen theory over practice.

The rivalry between the rich ladies intricately illustrated by intrigues, cat fights and even murder, and the pressure on Violet to conceive a child she doesn't even want, supplied the story with a psychologically thrilling and cruel reading motivator. You'll never believe what these sweet, well-behaved girls and women are capable of.

So we've got the rivalry, but a deep friendship between Violet and Raven, one of her surrogate friends, too. Violet can't loose Raven, she needs to cling to her friend and know that she's fine in order to stay sane in her new foreign environment. There's also a forbidden romance that was surprisingly authentic. I enjoyed the direction it went despite expecting our heroine to fall for someone else entirely. In the end the story really gains from Violet's friendship and love story both and I'm very curious to find out more about them in the next book.

4/5 **** THE JEWEL - This is a book fans of THE SELECTION series should be pining for!

THE JEWEL was one of the books of 2014 that really surprised me. In so far as that I liked it very much. I wasn't sure what kind of world building to expect and was afraid that it would be too similar to other popular YA dystopian worlds. On the contrary; it was unique and to see how young girls are treated in the world of the Jewel left a very strong impression on me.

"Anxiety thrums inside me as the sun rises slowly over the Great Wall off in the distance, the one that encircles the entire Lone City. The wall that protects us from the violent ocean outside. That keeps us safe. I love sunrises, even more than sunsets. There's something so exciting about the world coming to life in a thousand colors. It's hopeful. I'm glad I get to see this one, ribbons of pink and lavender shot through with streams of red and gold. I wonder if I'll get to see any sunrises when I start my new life in the Jewel. Sometimes, I wish I hadn't been born a surrogate." ― p. 2

THE JEWEL you might enjoy THE SELECTION by Kiera Cass, EVE by Anna Carey and WITHER by Lauren DeStefano. Kiera Cass, Anna Carey and Lauren DeStefano all wrote thrilling dystopian debuts.

* Find out more about THE WISHING WELL, a THE JEWEL short story.

* Click here to read an excerpt of THE JEWEL.

* Watch the book trailer here.

* For more information about Amy and her books visit www.amyewingbooks.com.

*  Thanks to Harper Collins International for sending me a review copy of THE JEWEL!

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Book Review: On the Fence by Kasie West

Title: On the Fence
Author: Kasie West
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publishing Date: July 1st 2014
Length: 304 pages
Keywords: YA, contemporary, romance, friendship, tomboy
Source: Publisher

She's a tomboy. He's the boy next door…

Charlie Reynolds can outrun, outscore, and outwit every boy she knows. But when it comes to being a girl, Charlie doesn't know the first thing about anything. So when she starts working at a chichi boutique to pay off a speeding ticket, she finds herself in a strange new world. To cope with the stress of her new reality, Charlie takes to spending nights chatting with her neighbor Braden through the fence between their yards. As she grows to depend on their nightly Fence Chats, she realizes she's got a bigger problem than speeding tickets-she's falling for Braden. She knows what it means to go for the win, but if spilling her secret means losing him for good, the stakes just got too high.

 Summary by Goodreads

Charlie lives with her three brothers and her dad. Her life is dominated by sports and all-male topics, so no wonder she's grown up being a tomboy. The five of them were such a great team and always supported each other that I couldn't but want to be a part of their family. Charlie and her brothers can be goofy, dare each other to do the most hilarious, disgusting or reckless things, but they can be serious, too, when necessary. Charlie lost her mother when she was very young and her feelings about that and how it has always influenced the direction her life has taken, are an important part of who she is and who she can still grow up to be.

This summer is about the person Charlie wants to be and the person she needs others to see. Missing a mother, Charlie has never been into makeup or shopping like other girls her age. When she decides to get a job in a hip boutique, her constantly being confronted with girly clothes and makeup and the possiblity of actual girlfriends, finally give her the confidence to discover a more feminine side of herself. Besides that she's running a lot and is very good at sports, too, so every reader should find something to like about this story or find a piece he or she can identify with. It was fun to see Charlie's transformation and I wish I could've been there for her along the way, holding her hand and telling her that a little lipstick wouldn't ruin the boys' respect for her. 

Charlie and Braden have been friends for quite some time now. He's been kind of like a brother to her. So you can imagine the emotional distress any romantic feelings for him would cause Charlie. Things are shifting between Braden and Charlie, feelings changing over time. And of course it takes her more than a few chapters to realize what the change in their relationship is all about. 

A relationship starting off as a new or even deeper friendship always has a different dynamic to the whole way the story gets under way. So the realization of Charlie and Braden's romance is kind of slow and, surprisingly, I was fine with that. The advertised Fence Chats tough weren't everything I had imagined them to be. They could've been even more emotional, intimate and frequent, so that they would've been a more significant determinator of how the entire story would develop and so I could remember them as more of a highlight to the story.

Braden is Charlie's neighbour, too. So this is the story of the girl who falls for her neighbour/friend/quasi family member/substitute brother. There's a lot factoring into the building of their relationship. I'm a fan of those kind of relationships that grow out of familiarity, knowing another person and his or her flaws and best qualities before developing stronger feelings. Charlie and Braden were just too cute to be true.

Kasie West made sure fans of her YA contemporary debut were reunited with some of their beloved THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US characters. I'm really hoping Kasie continues to connect her YA contemporary books with each other so that we'll never lose contact with our ON THE FENCE characters either. Would be so happy to catch up with Braden, Charlie and her brothers sometime, for they have become characters who are very dear to me.

4,5/5 ****/* ON THE FENCE - Friendship is the new romance! And this is your #1 feel-good summer read in 2014!

THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US didn't really work for me but ON THE FENCE threw me off my feet. It revived the Kasie West fangirl feelings I felt when I read her fantasy novel PIVOT POINT in 2013. Kasie West's star on her way to one of the most popular YA contemporary authors is rising fast.

'I laughed.

Braden let out a large yawn. "Okay. I better get to bed or you're going to school me in soccer tomorrow."

I smiled. Considering how crappy I felt when I came outside, I was surprised at how my insides seemed to soar. "Make sure you wear the right shoes."

"Always."' ― p.73

ON THE FENCE you might enjoy MY LIFE NEXT DOOR by Huntley Fitzpatrick, LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR by Stephanie Perkins and CATCHING JORDAN by Miranda Kenneally. Three stories that are about falling for the boy next door and/or your best friend, with CATCHING JORDAN also exploring how a girl can also be football star.

* THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US is Kasie West's YA contemporary debut novel. You should read it if you liked ON THE FENCE.

* Kasie's next book, THE FILL-IN BOYFRIEND, comes out May 2015.
 
* Click here for an excerpt of ON THE FENCE.

* Want to meet Kasie West? Check out her summer tour dates.

* For more information about Kasie and her books visit www.kasiewest.com. 

* Thanks to Harper Collins International for the review copy of ON THE FENCE! 
 

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Mini Reviews #25

After an extended blogging break I'm finally back with a new mini reviews post. 17 FIRST KISSES by Rachael Allen, THE THINGS YOU KISS GOODBYE by Leslie Connor and THROUGH TO YOU by Lauren Barnholdt  are June and July 2014 releases and all make for great summer reads.

17 First Kisses by Rachael Allen

Claire and Megan are best friends and they are completely boy-crazy. When a new boy moves to town Claire is determined he could finally be her one true love but she has to risk her friendship with Megan in order to test her theory.

Claire and Megan's friendship was always presented like it couldn't coexist with their dating life. Her list of kisses, which Claire often talks about like trophies or inanities, is long. And so I couldn't help thinking that her emotional world felt very limited. Or maybe I just  couldn't see any sense in the fight she has with her supposedly best friend Megan over the new boy Luke. 

Luke and Claire's love story could've been something to enjoy if he really were the one boy who she truly cared about. But with all the fighting going on between the two girls, their romance gets petty and complicated fast and wasn't that romantic and dreamy in the end.

3/5 *** 17 FIRST KISSES - A mostly kissable YA contemporary debut 2014. But better be prepared for all the boy drama!

One potentially great love story for Claire is not nearly enough to make up for all the juvenile fighting between Claire and Megan we have to endure. But Rachael Allen also tells a bunch of funny, awkward and cute stories of first kisses that make her debut novel a YA contemporary you might want to check out.

Publisher: HarperTeen

Publishing Date: June 17^th 2014
Length: 319 pages
Keywords: YA, contemporary, romance, friendship

Source: Edelweiss

Goodreads Summary 

17 First Kisses Excerpt  

Author's Homepage

The Things You Kiss Goodbye by Leslie Connor

Bettina lives a very controlled life somewhat removed from friends, dating or fun activities other people her age would take for granted. She lives on a farm with her parents and two little brothers and has to abide by the strict rules her Greek father enforces on her. I often felt sorry for her since her father seemed to observe her every move and keep her outings to a very limited number. And where the family story didn't really work for me, Bettina's love life was looking kind of complicated, too. It wasn't always easy to feel a connection to Bettina. 
She also lives in an abusive relationship until she meets someone new. A different boy, an older boy. Two love stories and not one of them really convinced me. Then there's a great tragedy, too, which changes everything. You see, Bettina's story is anything but easy. Hopefully, many readers will appreciate the time Leslie Connor gave her protagonist in order to come out of all the unfortunate things she had to deal with, changed and a better and stronger person.

3/5 *** THE THINGS YOU KISS GOODBYE - A very special love story with Greek temper and a tragedy that changes everything! 

Bettina's story was pretty decent. She was a character I liked one chapter, then had a few issues with in the next. So in general, I feel very ambivalent about this story when I look at the balance of its bright and very dark moments. One thing I have to give Leslie Connor, she definitely surprised me at one point in the story, so much so that the story got a different quality to it. Totally unexpected!

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Publishing Date: June 24^th 2014
Length: 368 pages
Keywords: YA, contemporary, romance, family, friendship, abuse, Greek culture

Source: Publisher

Goodreads Summary 

The Things You Kiss Goodbye Excerpt  

Author's Homepage

Through To You by Lauren Barnholdt

Harper and Penn's story is one that tells how opposites attract each other. Lauren Barnholdt's newest book is told from his and her perspective. Chapters read fast and easily, which I liked just fine.

When I hear about a new novel by Lauren Barnholdt I'm always excited about the story and can't wait to read it, but in the end it's just not enough. With its cute premise THROUGH TO YOU sounded like the kind of story fans of Simone Elkeles or Katie McGarry could be interested in. But as always with Lauren's books, the characters didn't feel as forthcoming, well-rounded or with enough emotional depth as they could've been. But don't get me wrong, Harper and Penn's love story is cute and I guess theirs is the one that I liked best out of Lauren's stories.

3/5 *** THROUGH TO YOU - Penn and Harper are Lauren Barnholdt's cutest couple so far!

I  like that Lauren Barnholdt's books always make for a fast and light read with a little morale lesson or emotional or personal conflict solved. I will keep reading her books even though I fear I won't ever be completely satisfied by them. Maybe if I just accept that, I can hopefully enjoy them more in the future.

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Publishing Date: July 8^th 2014
Length: 256 pages
Keywords: YA, contemporary, romance, high school

Source: Edelweiss

Goodreads Summary 

Through To You Excerpt  

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Book Review: Say What You Will by Cammie McGovern

Title: Say What You Will
Author: Cammie McGovern
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publishing Date: June 3rd 2014
Length: 352 pages
Keywords: YA, contemporary, friendship, love, cerebral palsy, OCD
Source: Publisher

Born with cerebral palsy, Amy can't walk without a walker, talk without a voice box, or even fully control her facial expressions. Plagued by obsessive-compulsive disorder, Matthew is consumed with repeated thoughts, neurotic rituals, and crippling fear. Both in desperate need of someone to help them reach out to the world, Amy and Matthew are more alike than either ever realized.

When Amy decides to hire student aides to help her in her senior year at Coral Hills High School, these two teens are thrust into each other's lives. As they begin to spend time with each other, what started as a blossoming friendship eventually grows into something neither expected.

Summary by Goodreads

Amy and Matthew both have their issues to deal with. Amy was born with cerebral palsy and Matthew's days are defined by his obsessive-compulsive disorder. They both tell you about their school and home lives, and their blossoming relationship from their own perspectives. These alternating chapters were definitely important to the story because what shapes their relationship and determines their actions and feelings is made up of very complex processes. You learn what it means to have OCD or cerebral palsy, the varying levels of them, how they can develop and ways of therapy.

Matthew comes into Amy's life in form of a student aide. I wasn't even familiar with that concept before I read SAY WHAT YOU WILL. I learned a lot reading Amy and Matthew's story and it sure helped me to think myself in the position of students who are affected by anything like our two main characters.

SAY WHAT YOU WILL kicked off with a very strong first half in which I was absolutely invested in Amy and Matthew's stories. Then something happened that threw me and the characters completely off course and after that I didn't really get into the original mood of the story again. I can't say anything about the events that led to a turn in the story and practically put a buffer on all my cheering for Amy and Matthew's love story. Not sure how other readers dealt with the last part of the book, but I'm sure not everyone sees what's happening as critical to the story as I do.

Cammie McGovern's first YA novel is set in high school. It's Amy and Matthew's senior year. And SAY WHAT YOU WILL is about all the usual stuff that is high school, but it's also about the things that are different for our two characters and why. There are even chapters on Amy and Matthew's lives after high school. In general I really like when the end of high school isn't the end of the story.

Amy and Matthew. Friendship and love. Their lives are made up of clear boundaries. Things people think they can't do or even things their illness keeps them from doing. And now when it comes to two of the most important emotional investments in life, the boundaries that have been ever-present in their lives before are blurring. Considering Cammie's writing technique and her easing the reader slowly, first into Amy and Matthew's friendship, and then into their possible love scenario, SAY WHAT YOU WILL is an amazing read.

3/5 *** SAY WHAT YOU WILL - Messy, enabling and very beautiful in parts!

This could be one of the most real and inspiring stories you are ever going to read. Amy and Matthew's love story is unpredictable in many ways, some you'll like, others may be somewhat infuriating. One thing is clear though, this story is one very challenged love story in many aspects. It will draw out your emotions and may as well steal your heart.

"Everything changed for Amy after that conversation with Matthew.

For most of her school life, Amy had felt a little like Rapunzel, locked in the tower her walker created when she walked down hallways. In eleven years, no one had ever called up to her window or asked for her hair. No one had ever tried to be her friend.

Impossible, you might say. Everyone has some friends.

No, Amy would have to say. Not everyone." ― p. 21

SAY WHAT YOU WILL you might enjoy WONDER by R.J. Palacio. You'll love this Middle Grade story about brave Auggie who was born with a facial deformity. FIVE FLAVORS OF DUMB by Antony John tells the story of deaf Piper who has to manage a rock band. And GIRL, STOLEN by April Henry is about the kidnapping of the blind Cheyenne. These books have protagonists who are challenged in some way, and I'm sure you'll enjoy all of them.

* How do you like the UK cover for Amy & Matthew's story?

* Want to meet Cammie McGovern? Check out her event schedule.

* For more information about Cammie and her books visit www.cammiemcgovern.com.

* Thanks to Harper Collins International for the ARC of SAY WHAT YOU WILL!

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