ARC Review: Stitching Snow by R.C. Lewis

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: October 14, 2014
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
338 Pages

Princess Snow is missing.

Her home planet is filled with violence and corruption at the hands of King Matthias and his wife as they attempt to punish her captors. The king will stop at nothing to get his beloved daughter back—but that’s assuming she wants to return at all.

Essie has grown used to being cold. Temperatures on the planet Thanda are always sub-zero, and she fills her days with coding and repairs for the seven loyal drones that run the local mines.

When a mysterious young man named Dane crash-lands near her home, Essie agrees to help the pilot repair his ship. But soon she realizes that Dane’s arrival was far from accidental, and she’s pulled into the heart of a war she’s risked everything to avoid. With the galaxy’s future—and her own—in jeopardy, Essie must choose who to trust in a fiery fight for survival.

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I will start out by saying that at first it was hard for me to separate this book from Marissa Meyer’s fairy tale series. Both take place in a very sci-fi heavy dystopian world. Both are based loosely on fairy tales we all know and love. Both involve royalty. However, as I read more into it, I was able to see the differences and come to appreciate Stitching Snow on its own.

Essie (not really a fan of the name) is on the run from her home planet and has found refuge on a small mining planet called Thanda. Here she builds drones that help the local miners. She flies under the radar mostly and that’s how she likes it. Until the day a ship crashes bringing treasure seeker Dane into her life. Against her will, Essie befriends Dane and helps him rebuild his ship. It isn’t until he’s about to leave that she realizes he was there for her the whole time.

Snow White is not one of my favorite fairy tales in all honesty. But we all know the story: evil stepmother is jealous of her stepdaughter and does everything in her power to get rid of her. So right away I knew not to trust the King’s wife, but it was the King that I was unsure about. Did he know what his wife had done (and was still doing), or was he just blissfully ignorant?

Then there’s Dane, the love interest. He was an interesting one – brooding, quiet, not quite honest. It was obvious from the start that he would be the one our heroine fell for, it just became a mystery of how considering her all but kidnapped her. I’ve read other reviews where people have said he was forgettable or just okay and I can see it. There wasn’t really anything amazing about it and I didn’t get feels when reading about him, but I liked that he was a solid character who changed and grew over the course of the book. A lot was thrown at him, most of it contradicting what he thought he already knew, and yet he still managed to handle everything.

But the character (or characters) that stole the book for me were the drones. All 7 of them (I’m sure you can figure out who they were supposed to be). I found this to be a very original way to portray the dwarves and I loved them. Cusser and Dimwit were standouts. Dimwit reminded me of Wall-E so much. Not going to lie – I want one. 

It’s not often that we have standalone books anymore, especially with fantasy novels. This was one where I wouldn’t mind having another book to just to wrap up everything and to see how Princess Snow unites the kingdom. 

I received an e-copy of this novel from the publisher via Netgalley in return for an honest review.

ARC Review: Welcome to the Dark House (Dark House #1) by Laurie Faria Stolarz

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: July 22, 2014
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
368 Pages

What’s your worst nightmare?

For Ivy Jensen, it’s the eyes of a killer that haunt her nights. For Parker Bradley, it’s bloodthirsty sea serpents that slither in his dreams.

And for seven essay contestants, it’s their worst nightmares that win them an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at director Justin Blake’s latest, confidential project. Ivy doesn’t even like scary movies, but she’s ready to face her real-world fears. Parker’s sympathetic words and perfect smile help keep her spirits up. . . at least for now.

Not everyone is so charming, though. Horror-film fanatic Garth Vader wants to stir up trouble. It’s bad enough he has to stay in the middle of nowhere with this group—the girl who locks herself in her room; the know-it-all roommate; “Mister Sensitive”; and the one who’s too cheery for her own good. Someone has to make things interesting.

Except, things are already a little weird. The hostess is a serial-killer look-alike, the dream-stealing Nightmare Elf is lurking about, and the seventh member of the group is missing.

By the time Ivy and Parker realize what’s really at stake, it’s too late to wake up and run.

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Horror is such a hard genre to write, I feel. It takes timing and precision, along with just enough detail and imagination to pull it off. And then there are the characters – you need a hero to root for. Welcome to the Dark House took nightmares and made them real. And while some of the descriptions and scenarios definitely had the creep factor, it was lacking in character connections and a decent wrap up. 

Fans of horror master Justin Blake were asked to submit an essay telling him about their worst nightmare. From the entries, seven were picked to fly out and meet Justin Blake on location and get a sneak peek at his new movie – once they survive the Dark House. Our participants: Ivy, Parker, Garth, Shayla, Frankie, Natalie and Taylor. However, once they arrive, they realize things aren’t exactly what they seem.

I read this book in an eformat that was horrible. Going in I didn’t know that it was a multiple POV book and the copy that I had never alerted me when the change happened. I spent most of the book trying to figure out whose POV I was reading.  The fact that most of the characters were one dimensional, lacking any real characteristics, made it hard to keep them straight. It was fairly obvious from the beginning that Ivy was a protagonist, even though her voice got lost in the jumble a few times. Ivy was different from the rest because she wasn’t a fan of Blake’s. She was there for a completely different reason. She makes a connection with Parker and they become our hero/heroine mix. 

The climax of the story is when our characters enter a carnival built on their nightmares. In order to survive, each person must brave a ride tailored to his or her own fear. The fear sequences here were, in my opinion, the best part of the book. They were creepy with that nice shadow of a nightmare hanging over it. But the ending left me with too many questions.

What makes a good horror story ending is that moment when it all comes together and you realize why everything is happening and how it’s connected to the characters. I didn’t get that here. Now when I started this book I didn’t know it was going to be a series, but even after knowing that now, I still think Dark House needed a more rounded out ending. Why were they picked? Why did this happen to just them? Who is behind this, because it obviously wasn’t Blake? Where did Taylor go and why did she call them? Just why?

Even horror series have cohesive endings and this was lacking. I will read the second one mainly just to get some answers.

I received an e-copy of this novel from the publisher via Netgalley in return for an honest review.

ARC Review: All Our Yesterdays (Cassandra Chronicles #1) by Cristin Terrill

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: September 3, 2013
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
368 Pges

"You have to kill him." Imprisoned in the heart of a secret military base, Em has nothing except the voice of the boy in the cell next door and the list of instructions she finds taped inside the drain.

Only Em can complete the final instruction. She’s tried everything to prevent the creation of a time machine that will tear the world apart. She holds the proof: a list she has never seen before, written in her own hand. Each failed attempt in the past has led her to the same terrible present—imprisoned and tortured by a sadistic man called the doctor while war rages outside.

Marina has loved her best friend James since the day he moved next door when they were children. A gorgeous, introverted science prodigy from one of America’s most famous families, James finally seems to be seeing Marina in a new way, too. But on one disastrous night, James’s life crumbles apart, and with it, Marina’s hopes for their future. Now someone is trying to kill him. Marina will protect James, no matter what. Even if it means opening her eyes to a truth so terrible that she may not survive it. At least not as the girl she once was.

All Our Yesterdays is a wrenching, brilliantly plotted story of fierce love, unthinkable sacrifice, and the infinite implications of our every choice.

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 “Is there evil in me?” “Could I become a terrible person someday?”

I’m trying to figure out what I can say about this book without giving it away. First off, it’s amazing. Everyone needs to read this. I was hooked by the first chapter, where we find Em and Finn being held captive in what appears to be a dungeon type building. They are being held by someone who calls himself the Doctor and tortured daily for the location of certain documents. It is here where Em finds a list written in her own handwriting explaining what scenarios she has already tried and failed. It is here where she realizes in order to save the world from what it becomes she must Kill him.

Kill who? And why? And how? And more importantly, what???

Time travel. This book deals in time travel.

Source

If you’re like me, you may find time travel confusing. It’s such a hard subject to wrap your mind around. If you go back in time to change something that happened but you had already been there before but now things are different with different outcomes that change the future, how did you know to go back there if you had never been there? AHHHH What???

Source

Time is so confusing.

What Terrill has done so brilliantly is mixed the scientific world of time travel with real life problems. Em and Finn aren’t going back in time to look at dinosaurs or stop World War 1 or any of those other places people go in other time travel stories. This is a character driven story with science as a subplot. Em and Finn in “present” time, and Marina and James in the past. Both sets of characters were so real and honest. I loved the strength in Em and Finn’s unconditional love for her. They were fighting for a better future, knowing what losses they would incur in the process. I loved James’ drive to make the world a better place. He loved his family and friends to the point where it blinded his decisions, and Marina loved him, blinded by everything else.

I adored every second of this book. Parts I predicted and cheered when I was right (even though for some I didn’t want to be) and some things just came out of nowhere and hit me in the gut, even bringing the tears. It didn’t even matter that I didn’t completely understand the last chapter (no seriously, if anyone can help me out, send me a message lol).

This is the story of friendship, love, loss, and surviving…with a little time travel thrown in. And I am counting down the days until the next one is released. Brilliant.

I received an e-copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

ARC Review: School Spirits (School Spirits #1) by Rachel Hawkins

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:

Release date: May 14, 2013
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
304 Pages

Fifteen-year-old Izzy Brannick was trained to fight monsters. For centuries, her family has hunted magical creatures. But when Izzy’s older sister vanishes without a trace while on a job, Izzy's mom decides they need to take a break.

Izzy and her mom move to a new town, but they soon discover it’s not as normal as it appears. A series of hauntings has been plaguing the local high school, and Izzy is determined to prove her worth and investigate. But assuming the guise of an average teenager is easier said than done. For a tough girl who's always been on her own, it’s strange to suddenly make friends and maybe even have a crush.

Can Izzy trust her new friends to help find the secret behind the hauntings before more people get hurt?

Rachel Hawkins' delightful spin-off brings the same wit and charm as the New York Times best-selling Hex Hall series. Get ready for more magic, mystery and romance!

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Review:

I enjoyed the Hex Hall seies, I really did. And when I heard that there was going to be a spin-off series, I was intrigued. When I found out it was going to be about Izzy Brannick, I was a little hesitant. It wasn't that I didn't like the Brannicks, it was more like I thought Izzy was a child and then assumed her plight would be rather childish. I am glad I was wrong. Now while you don't need to read the Hex Hall seies to read the spin-off, I would recommend it. It gives you some background on this world and an introduction to the characters.

School Spirit follows the youngest of the Brannick clan, Izzy. After her sister goes missing with no clues where to find her, Izzy and her mother start trying to move on - or so they say. This means taking on more cases, including enrolling Izzy in high school to investigate a supposed haunting. Having never been to an actual school, Izzy immediately feels out of place and tries to learn all she can by watching a teen soap drama. What she didn't expect was a group of misfit friends and a real haunting that threatens those she now holds dear.

Izzy grew on me. She has an extrememly likeable character about her and a naive demeanor that endears her to you. The whole book she's trying to prove to her mother that she can handle herself out in the field, that she's just as strong as her sister. What she's actually hiding is guilt over her missing sister and loneliness. She doesn't realize how lonely she's been until she meets the gang of PMS or Paranormal Management Society: Romy, Anderson, and Dex.

I instantly liked Romy, the leader of PMS. Her sarcastic wit was the perfect counter to Izzy. She's the kind of person you would want to meet if it was your first day at a new school, at least I would. Then there's Anderson, who I believe really only joined PMS to get close to Romy. But my favorite part of the book had to be Dex. From his first encounter with Izzy:

"You are my new hero. Seriously, I might actually be in love with you now. Would it be awkward if we made out?"

To explaining his...well, himself, I guess:

"The clothes, I mean," he said, gesturing to his coat. "I know that I'm fashionable and well-groomed, and yes, I have been known to rock the occasional manbracelet."

He lifted his wrist, jangling the bracelet I'd noticed earlier. I could see now that it was plain silver, just to a series of links.

"But," Dex continued, dragging anouther one of my fries through ketchup, "I also like ladies. And not as shopping buddies, but in the carnal sense."

Dex just made this book entertaining. I laughed out loud at many of his one liners and based on that ending, I really hope he's a constant in this series because I can't think of anything more hilarious than that.

One thing I hope we get more information about is Torin. Yes, the boy in the mirror is back here in a much bigger aspect. There's something quite off about Torin and his connection to Izzy and her missing sister. I believe that we will come to know his secrets, and I know I can't wait.

A very promising start to this new series.

JENN


So much thanks to Netgalley and Disney-Hyperion for allowing me to read this ARC in exhcnage for an honest review.