Book Review: Seven Days of You by Cecilia Vinesse

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: March 7, 2016
Publisher: Little Brown Books
336 Pages

Sophia has seven days left in Tokyo before she moves back to the States. Seven days to say good-bye to the electric city, her wild best friend, and the boy she’s harbored a semi-secret crush on for years. Seven perfect days…until Jamie Foster-Collins moves back to Japan and ruins everything.

Jamie and Sophia have a history of heartbreak, and the last thing Sophia wants is for him to steal her leaving thunder with his stupid arriving thunder. Yet as the week counts down, the relationships she thought were stable begin to explode around her. And Jamie is the one who helps her pick up the pieces. Sophia is forced to admit she may have misjudged Jamie, but can their seven short days of Tokyo adventures end in anything but good-bye?

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Sophia has one week left in Tokyo. One week to cram in everything she loves about the city and also spend as much time with her friends as she can. When someone from her past decides to make his reentry the same week she is leaving, Sophia is left wondering if her leaving will be overshadowed by an old friends arrival and also, just what exactly does this mean for her?

Jamie and Sophia used to be friends. Really good friends. Until Jamie does something that hurts Sophia badly. He then leaves Tokyo for boarding school in the US and the two get no resolution. That is until Jamie comes back. The two of them find themselves drawn to each other and revealing what went wrong.

This story is just a huge book of misunderstandings. And also lack of communication. Set in a beautiful locale, I expected the author to use it more to help shape the story. Instead, she tells us what it is but doesn't show us. On top of that, we're thrown random Japanese words throughout the book almost in an offhand sort of way. Like the author forgot it was supposed to be set in a foreign country and went back and added those later.

As for the characters, they were ok. I disliked about half of them and the other half I just tolerated. I still could not tell you why some of them were friends. They were horrible to each other - lying, backstabbing, etc. I don't understand why Sophia was soooo in love with David - he was kind of an ass. But Sophia also was on the side of immature so maybe that was it... And then Jamie was like a lost puppy - adorable at times and then like something you need to nurture.

I wanted to like this book more than I did. That beautiful cover didn't help. I didn't hate it but I also didn't love it. It was just okay. Nothing really memorable unfortunately. 

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

Book Review: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Harry Potter #8)

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: July 31, 2016
Publisher: Little Brown UK
330 Pages

Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, a new play by Jack Thorne, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the eighth story in the Harry Potter series and the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage. The play will receive its world premiere in London’s West End on July 30, 2016.

It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children.

While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.

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Source 

On June 26, 1997 the world was introduced to Harry Potter. Whether you started at the beginning or joined the magic later on, no one can deny that this book series is one of the best things to happen to literature in a very long time. I will admit, I didn't read the first book until right before the first movie was released, but once I did, I was enchanted. Fast forward many years later, and many emotions later, when we all thought this world was over, we got Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

I won't lie. I had extremely mixed emotions about this one. Yes, I love Harry Potter. But I also love the way that is was wrapped up. Book 7 ended perfectly. I didn't want anything to ruin that. On the other hand, I was intrigued by this future world that was being introduced to us. So, like many, I devoured it the moment I opened it.

Source 

Book 8 picks up right where 7 ended - our grown up crew all sending their children off to Hogwarts. But this time we focus on Albus Potter. When we first meet Albus, he's nervous and a little scared of going off to Hogwarts, but like his father before him, he gets on the train and instantly makes a new friend - Scorpious Malfoy (who is freaking adorable). The play fast forwards their first few years at Hogwarts and we watch Albus become this extremely sullen teenager who feels the pressures of being Harry Potters son. Mix that with his best friend who has to deal with the rumors of his  birth and you get two outcasts who want to prove they are more than their last names.

I don't really want to give anything away plot wise, but it was a very interesting one. But I will agree with a lot of the reviews I've been reading in which there are holes. But I don't chalk this up to bad storytelling. More like this was a play. In a play you don't get the pages and pages of background and descriptions that you normally get in a regular book. So it was definitely more of a visual imagining. But I love plays and I love this world so it was easy for me to watch it play out.

Then there were the characters.

 Source

Oh man, I knew there would be feels involved but I didn't expect the FEELS, ya know? I don't want to say, but there's one scene (fans will know when they read it) that just hit me really hard and, yeah, I'll admit it, I got teary. I had this book rated at 4 stars when I started this review and have since bumped it up to five because of the feelings I'm getting while writing this.

So thank you, JK Rowling for this world and for everything you've given us since. I've heard that she wants this to be the end of Harry for her (writing wise) and I completely understand. Rowling has given us the tools for it to live on forever in our hearts and minds.

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Book Review: Dare Me by Megan Abbott

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: July 31, 2012
Publisher: Reagan Arthur Books
335 Pages

Addy Hanlon has always been Beth Cassidy's best friend and trusted lieutenant. Beth calls the shots and Addy carries them out, a long-established order of things that has brought them to the pinnacle of their high-school careers. Now they're seniors who rule the intensely competitive cheer squad, feared and followed by the other girls -- until the young new coach arrives.

Cool and commanding, an emissary from the adult world just beyond their reach, Coach Colette French draws Addy and the other cheerleaders into her life. Only Beth, unsettled by the new regime, remains outside Coach's golden circle, waging a subtle but vicious campaign to regain her position as "top girl" -- both with the team and with Addy herself.

Then a suicide focuses a police investigation on Coach and her squad. After the first wave of shock and grief, Addy tries to uncover the truth behind the death -- and learns that the boundary between loyalty and love can be dangerous terrain.

The raw passions of girlhood are brought to life in this taut, unflinching exploration of friendship, ambition, and power. Award-winning novelist Megan Abbott, writing with what Tom Perrotta has hailed as "total authority and an almost desperate intensity," provides a harrowing glimpse into the dark heart of the all-American girl.

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I dare you to not feel something when reading this book. Whether it’s disgust, anger, camaraderie, kinship – I guarantee something will strike you. And that’s why it’s so hard for me to rate this book. If you’re looking for your average YA love story, then Dare Me is not for you. If you’re looking for something a little dark, then you just may like this.

Dare Me is a story about a cheerleader. A very popular cheerleader. Basically, your stereotypical mean girl cheerleader. The story starts with their coach leaving and the girls getting a new one in her place. They soon find out that the new one isn’t so easy to bend to their will as the previous. However, one girl, Addy, goes against the will of the Queen Bee (captain) and falls into a very unhealthy relationship with the new coach. As the book goes on, more and more girls follow Addy’s lead until the lines are blurred on the student/teacher relationship.This is where things take a dark turn. The Queen Bee, angry that her followers have left her, decides to take down the new coach.

Addy idolizes her new coach. And why shouldn’t she? Coach has a loving husband, a beautiful child, and she used to be the Queen Bee of her day. But as the story goes on, we learn more about Coach and turns out, she never really grew out of the Queen Bee faze. Her actions are downright despicable for a person in a teaching role – giving alcohol to the girls, inviting them for sleepovers at her house, involving them in her infidelity. The lack of any sort of parental guidance makes this story even more unsettling. These girls, and their coach, basically go unchecked throughout the entire story with almost no repercussions for their actions.

Abbott is a great story teller. Her words and descriptions really drag you into this dark world of high school. However, I'm not sure you really want to connect with any of these characters. Did I love it? No. Did I hate it? No. But I'm still really not sure how I felt about it. I guess, I just really didn't get it. This is definitely one to judge for yourself and not go in with expectations. 

 

ARC Review: The Witch Hunter (The Witch Hunter #1) by Virginia Boecker

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: June 2, 2015
Publisher: Little, Brown Books
368 Pages

The magic and suspense of Graceling meet the political intrigue and unrest of Game of Thrones in this riveting fantasy debut.

Elizabeth Grey is one of the king's best witch hunters, devoted to rooting out witchcraft and doling out justice. When she's accused of being a witch herself, Elizabeth is arrested and sentenced to die at the stake. Salvation comes from a man she thought was her enemy. Nicholas Perevil, the most powerful wizard in the kingdom, offers her a deal: he will save her from execution if she can track down the person who laid a deadly curse on him.

As she's thrust into the world of witches, ghosts, pirates, and all-too-handsome healers, Elizabeth is forced to redefine her ideas of right and wrong, of friends and enemies, and of love and hate.

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Lately I found myself reading strictly contemporary reads. You know how it is, every once in awhile you just get stuck in a genre rut. After numerous contemporaries, I decided to venture back into dystopian/fantasy. That's when I came across The Witch Hunter. Set in a world where magic is known, but outlawed, Elizabeth Grey finds herself at the center of a war - one where she thought she knew where she stood.

Elizabeth Grey is a witch hunter - a special group of people who are trained to capture magic users for the crown. When she's caught with witches herbs (which she had for good reason), she's tossed into prison to await her burning, which is just as it sounds - burning at the stake. Only she never makes it to her burning day. Instead, she's saved by the one person she's been trained to hunt down - Nicholas Perevil - the most powerful wizard in the land. Nicholas needs something from her, something only Elizabeth can provide. Soon Elizabeth finds herself surrounded by the people she normally captures and she must either learn to trust them or go back to life that had turned it's back on her.

This book surprised me. There were times when I thought I had it figured out, only for it to take a completely different turn. Elizabeth was not who I thought she was. She was definitely a flawed protagonist who at times wasn't very likeable. But over the course of the book, she became this character who took control of her own fate and she started making her own decisions. 

And it's not just Elizabeth who drives this book. There Nicholas, this powerful wizard who everyone should fear, but in all honesty, he's a lot like Dumbledore. Wise and honest and just wanting to protect his people. Then there's Nicholas' inner circle, a group of healers and magic wielders who have no idea that a with hunter is within their midst.  Each one brought their own brand of magic to fight their cause, but the one I was drawn to the most was John, the healer and son of a pirate. He was the one who really helped Elizabeth see more than just the lies she was told.

Like I said before, this book didn't go in any direction that I thought it would. I thought there would be a love triangle with Elizabeth between Caleb (her childhood friend, fellow hunter, and crush) and one of the new boys in Perevil's group. Didn't happen. I thought I knew which boy in Perevil's group Elizabeth would go for. Nope. And I also thought that I magically predicted the ending. Well, on that one I was kinda right, but mostly wrong. While this wasn't an edge of your seat thriller, I enjoyed the pace and story telling. Enough so that I am awaiting the next book to find out what happens.

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

 

ARC Review: Salt & Storm by Kendall Kulper

The blub as seen on Goodreads:

Release Date: September 23, 2014
Publisher: Little, Brown Books
416 Pages

You don't know what you must give up to become a witch.

Avery Roe wants only to claim her birthright as the witch of Prince Island and to make the charms that have kept the island's sailors safe at sea for generations, but instead she is held prisoner by her mother in a magic-free life of proper manners and respectability.

Avery thinks escape is just a matter of time, but when she has a harrowing nightmare, she can see what it means: She will be killed. She will be murdered. And she's never been wrong before.

Desperate to change her future, Avery finds a surprising ally in Tane—a tattooed harpoon boy with magic of his own, who moves her in ways she never expected. But as time runs out to unlock her magic and save herself, Avery discovers that becoming a witch requires unimaginable sacrifice.

Avery walks the knife's edge between choice and destiny in Kendall Kulper's sweeping debut: the story of one girl's fight to survive the rising storm of first love and family secrets.

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So, I know absolutely nothing about whaling, which I assume is like most people, so Salt & Storm opened this whole new world.

I know what my dream means. I will be killed. I will be murdered. And I've never been wrong before.

Avery Roe comes from a long line of Roe witches, women who protect Prince Island and ensure the success of the whalers. Raised by her grandmother since her own mother refuses this life, Avery dreams of the day when she will take her place as the Witch. But before Avery can come into her full powers, her mother shows back up and takes Avery, hoping to raise her away from magic.

Avery is not completely without magic. She possess the ability to read dreams and does this for the sailors without her mother knowing. Every day she plans her escape back to her grandmother to continue her training but then she has the dream. The dream that tells her she will be murdered. With the clock racing, Avery's determination to get back to her grandmother rises and she meets Tane, a tattooed harpoon boy from a whaler's ship docked in their port. Tane also possess magic and promises to help Avery if she helps him and reads his dreams.

This book was nothing as I expected. Avery was very determined but also a little blind. She saw what she wanted to see: a life stolen from her, a mother who didn't love her. Which was believable at her age, why would she question anything else? She was on a journey...one that included first love. Her romance with Tane didn't overpower the book. Instead, it burned slowly throughout. While they both were discovering their fates, they were also discovering each other. While they didn't have me swooning, I loved reading about their times together.

Kulper did a lot of research for this book. One of my favorite parts about this read was the author note at the end where she explained how she went about writing Salt & Storm. A delightful debut novel from Kulper and I look forward to reading more from her.

 

Roomies by Sara Zarr & Tara Altebrando: My Roomie Story + Giveaway

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: December 24, 2013
Publisher: Little, Brown Books For Young Readers
288 Pages

It's time to meet your new roomie.

When East Coast native Elizabeth receives her freshman-year roommate assignment, she shoots off an e-mail to coordinate the basics: television, microwave, mini-fridge. That first note to San Franciscan Lauren sparks a series of e-mails that alters the landscape of each girl's summer -- and raises questions about how two girls who are so different will ever share a dorm room.

As the countdown to college begins, life at home becomes increasingly complex. With family relationships and childhood friendships strained by change, it suddenly seems that the only people Elizabeth and Lauren can rely on are the complicated new boys in their lives . . . and each other. Even though they've never met.

National Book Award finalist Sara Zarr and acclaimed author Tara Altebrando join forces for a novel about growing up, leaving home, and getting that one fateful e-mail that assigns your college roommate.

Find Sara:

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Find Tara:

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Find Sara and Tara on tour in these cities!

• January 12, 2014 – New York, NY: McNally Jackson [venue link]
• January 15, 2014 – Salt Lake City, UT: The King's English [venue link]
• January 16, 2014 – Provo, UT: Provo Library [venue link]
• February 4, 2014 – San Francisco, CA: Books Inc, Opera Plaza [venue link] 
• February 5, 2015 – Petaluma, CA: Copperfield's Books [venue link]

My Roomie Story

I should start this off by saying that I'm a drama queen, and a hothead, and I fully admit it. Before heading off to college, I had never had a roommate before--not a sibling with whom I shared a bedroom, nor did I partake in any sleep-away camps. So to say I was ill-prepared for the change that it would bring forth would be an understatement. First off, roommates were assigned by the simplest questionnaire that featured questions like: "What is your major?" "Do you smoke?" "Do you like to go to bed early or stay up late?" That was how my university determined what girls (and guys) would be spending a year together, trapped in a single room that without decor looked like a room in a prison. Because my first roommate and I were both English majors, who were non-smokers, and preferred to go to bed later, we were deemed a match. (A match from hell, it seems.) Needless to say, my experience did not go as planned. Let's called said roommate "Ann," so she can have a little privacy, eh?

I knew things were going to go badly after our first weekend there. I went to school in Flagstaff, Arizona. It's a beautiful area, but in late August, it is humid as hell and I do not handle heat well. So my father, being the doting man that he is, purchased me (though he told Ann and I that it was "for the both of us") this huge fan that was so forceful that it sounded like a lawnmower and could've frozen hell. ...It was the greatest gift I ever received. Too bad every night, after facing it towards myself, and falling asleep, Ann would move it so that it was aimed in her direction. I took revenge by moving it back. I was unaware that things were only going to get worse from there.

A few weeks before move-in day, Ann and I had coordinated what each person was bringing before we moved into the residence hall over email. Ann was bringing the microwave, TV, game system and DVD/Blu-Ray player that her parents had already purchased for her. So that means my contributions were lacking. I brought some silverware and dishes, the cleaning supplies and DVDs for us to share. I thought it would be okay for me to use the TV as well. Apparently not, she got very angry when I invited a new friend over to watch Ponyo on her TV. She asked me not to use the TV again unless she was around... Really?... Like I can't handle pressing a button on a remote and sticking a disc into the DVD player without needing to be counseled.

Then she got mad when I used her dishes, even though I had washed them thoroughly and was planning to put them back when I was finished. But it was perfectly alright to use mine. Then she insulted my Kurt Cobain poster, and my zombie posters. No. That crap did not fly well. You can insult me all you like, but Kurt is a god in my eyes. Then she started staying up super late on her computer when I had an 8AM class Monday through Thursday. All I could here was the "click click click" of her mouse and keyboard. I almost shoved a mechanical pencil through my ear. It was even worse when I would wake up to her extremely obnoxious iPhone alarm every morning that she would sleep through for like thirty minutes. Even when I shouted her name to turn it off, she wouldn't wake up. I cannot listen to that alarm sound any more without getting a headache, and wanting to cry.

The final straw though was one day, I came back to our room to hear her talking trash about me to some of her friends. Ann was upset because I hadn't given her two dollars yet after she paid for a pizza that we shared with some of the girls in our hall about two weeks before. Two dollars... She was angry about two dollars. This girl had just received a new laptop from her parents, brought every tech device known to man with her to college and she was complaining about two dollars. And she didn't come talk to me, no. I had to hear about how upset she was as she badmouthed me in the place where I was supposed to feel comfortable and safe. Maturity at its finest, folks. I reacted the only way I knew how. I borrowed two dollars in pennies from my friend and future roommate, and threw them on Ann's desk before grabbing my mattress off of my bed and dragging it across the hall into my future room. Thankfully, a few of my friends (including my old blogging partner, Edwin) joined me in moving all of my crap out of my room and making this massive pile in my other friend's room. ...I'm so proud of myself for rising above the situation and acting with dignity and grace.

Overall, I'd say it was a bunch of minor things that added together drove me up a wall until I had to file a roommate switch and move in across the hall with my beloved friend, Heather, or else I probably would've thrown Ann's laptop, and TV off of our third story balcony. Because I'm such a good person.

Thanks to Little, Brown, I am offering up one copy of Roomies to a lucky US reader. Just leave a comment here telling me one of your roommate stories (preferably a horror story just because I find them so hilarious) and don't forget to leave an email so I can contact you if you win! 

I will draw a winner on January 17th with the help of Random.org.

Big thanks to Little, Brown for allowing me to participate in this promotion (and allowing me to vent about the horrible "Ann" experience)!