Clean Sweep ARC Challenge by Caffeinated Book Reviewer and The Windy Pages

For full rules and to sign up go here. This is hosted by Kimba from Caffeinated Book Reviewer and Kimberly from The Windy Pages. The goal is to read as many physical and digital review books as you can. I have several e-galleys that I need to finish on my Kindle. I want to finish up Towering, first of all. I am also going to add Girl with the Iron Touch, Life After Theft, and School Spirits to my list. I will leave the list at that for now.

The Dead and the Buried by Kim Harrington

I picked this for my spooky read during the Spring into Horror read-a-thon. My cousin loved this book and has recommended it to everyone in her 5th grade class. I was surprised at this, because the main character is a high school senior, but content-wise there is not anything that would be too shocking for a fifth grade reader. She is a really advanced reader, so the reading level may be a little high for fifth grade. After I picked up the book, I thought the author's name was vaguely familiar. One reason for this is I requested an e-ARC for this book, so I have this from Netgalley and Point/Scholastic. Also Kim is also the author of Clarity, which I really enjoyed and Perception, which I have on my shelf and have yet to read. Hopefully I can fit Clarity on my list soon!



Scholastic Point

Jade is both excited and nervous about living in a new town and starting a new school. Her dad and stepmom finally found a place they can afford and really want her half-brother Colby to have a great education. Jade adores Colby and to her he is her brother, not just a half-brother. The other constant love in her life is her mother's gemstone and jewelry collection. Her mother died when she was nine and she loved jewelry design. Her father remarried two years later and Jade does love her stepmom Marie, but she will never be her mom. When Jade starts her new school, she learns her dream house was the sight of a murder, Kayla Stone the most popular girl in school was pushed down the stairs and no one was ever charged. Also on her first day, Jade meets Donovan and she feels an instant connection, but Donovan is Kayla's ex and a possible murder suspect. As Jade meets Kayla's "friends" and guys interested in Kayla, everyone is a suspect. When Kayla starts haunting Jade and threatening Colby, Jade must find the killer, before Kayla destroys them all.

I loved the suspense of this ghost story and how you were constantly guessing who the killer was. Kayla was a mean girl, so it really could have been anyone. Also the romance between Jade and Donovan was sweet and developed at just the right pace.

Favorite Character: Jade. She loves her brother, holds her emotions in check to protect him, and deals with a lot of hostility from her stepmom. I am glad at the end the two realize how to create a relationship, but Jade definitely was more mature than Marie. Jade is a strong character and loyal to those she loves, including outcasts at school and her family.

Favorite Quote: "We want who we want, right? No matter what other people say. No matter what reason or reality we're faced with. No matter what facts our brains process. The heart's a stubborn organ."

I loved the suspense and how Harrington builds up the evidence. Kayla was truly horrifying in life and in death, but she gets her justice and revenge. Spooky ghost story with a romantic twist and the book will keep you guessing and guessing again until the end. I read this almost in a day, so I definitely liked it. 5 cups of cocoa!

The Art of Wishing by Lindsay Ribar

I received this as an e-ARC from Netgalley and Dial. This is Lindsay Ribar's debut novel.

Dial

There are so few YA books about genies/djinn that I was excited to read this one. I know little more than the Arabian Nights and Disney versions of genies, so I wanted to see how Lindsay presented her version.

Margo McKenna loves acting and music and just knows she is going to get the lead female role in Sweeny Todd, her high school's play for the year. Despite a stellar audition the role goes to a sophomore, Vicki who cannot act or sing, but yet Margo seems to be the only one who notices this. Oliver, posing as a yearbook photographer, follows Vicki wherever she goes. After one completely miserable practice, Vicki flees to the girls bathroom and Margo follows. Vicki refuses to talk to Margo and leaves behind a ring and as Margo picks up the ring to take to Vicki, Oliver appears. Margo learns Oliver is a genie, who granted Vicki's wish to be more popular. Vicki decided she did not want her third wish and left the ring behind. Oliver wants Margo to make three wishes and tells her these will be his last three wishes ever and he needs her to wish quickly. He wants to leave behind a nice legacy with her wishes, which makes Margo hesitate about wishing. As Margo thinks about her wishes, she spends more time with Oliver and falls in love with him and possibly he with her, but a dangerous threat lurks in the wings. Someone is killing genies and Oliver is the next target.

I loved how Lindsay fleshed out Margo's character and showed not only her love of music, but her interesting home life. Margo seems to be living a divorced kid's dream; her parents have reunited and remarried and seem hopelessly in love with each other. Margo, however, misses her relationship with her mom that they had built up in the divorced years and despite loving both her parents, feels like she is no longer appreciated by them. One song she writes is I am not Hayley Mills, which is both funny and sad. Her joy in her acting and music make her really relatable. I thought Lindsay did a great job with her development of how modern genies are made and Xavier's targeting of genies seemed believable. The ending seemed a little rushed though and the consequences of actions were not fully developed. I felt sad about some of the great experiences that Margo may not get although I felt like that was how the book had to end. I won't give anymore away than that.

Favorite Character: Margo. I thought she was well-developed and I loved the complex nature of her family situation. She is strong and very talented with or without Oliver's wish granting. Her teenage voice seemed real and she seemed like a teen girl in her choices and actions.

Favorite Quote: "Nobody ever feels just one way about another person, Margo. We're so much more complicated than that. I can see a million things you want from me, just like the million things I want from you. ... But none of those things matter, not really. What matters is what you do about them."

I enjoyed Margo's character and the romance seemed believable. A sweet magical romance. I had mixed feelings about the ending, but overall I enjoyed the book. 3.5 cups of cocoa.

Rapunzel Untangled by Cindy Bennett

I received Rapunzel Untangled as an E-ARC from Netgalley and Cedar Fort, Inc. This is a modern twist on the Rapunzel story. In this story, the Rapunzel fairy tale does not exist, so even though the main character's name is Rapunzel, there is no comparison to the fairy tale by the characters.


Cedar Fort, Inc.

Rapunzel has spent almost her entire life in the tower of Gothel Manor. Her mother who goes by her surname, Gothel, takes care of Rapunzel and she is the only human, except for her doctor, with which Rapunzel has contact. Rapunzel has a rare immune deficiency disorder SCIDs and any contact with germs could kill her. Her mother mainly visits at dinnertime and afterward brushes Rapunzel's extremely long hair each night. Her mother also reminds her about the prophecy, the one in which Rapunzel will save the world and she guilt trips Rapunzel into never trying to leave her tower, because she could die. Rapunzel is allowed to do her homeschool work on a computer with Internet access and her mother does not realize she is using social networking. Through Facebook, Rapunzel meets the Fabulous Fane and makes a new friend. When her mother leaves for a six day trip, Rapunzel agrees to allow Fane to visit her in the tower. The two start to fall for each other and Rapunzel learns the secrets behind her house and her mother. Rapunzel begins to question the truth of her imprisonment, but can she learn all the secrets, before Gothel tries to fulfill the prophecy?

This was an interesting twist on the fairytale and the reader has to remember that the Rapunzel story does not exist, otherwise you keep thinking how could they not know Gothel is evil, etc. At times Rapunzel seems a little naïve for someone who grew up with the Internet, but overprotected children are often a little more innocent about certain things. It does seem odd that she would not realize the truth about her home, but really most of us would not think our homes were all that great to have stories on Google. I thought the relationship between Fane and Rapunzel seemed realistic and their Facebook and Skype chats were humorous.

Favorite Character: Fane. He is loyal to Rapunzel, doesn't make fun of her for her life, and really patient. He seems a little too mature for a teen boy at times, but he does have some male teen humor in his posts.

Favorite Quote: "He brought her hand to his lips, the gesture somehow more intimate than all the times he'd done so before-more intimate than the kisses they'd shared."

"She wanted to stand as a warrior, to command her destiny rather than having it thrust upon her."

It was a good modern take on the fairy tale and the disease excuse was a plausible way to get someone to stay in a tower. Rapunzel proves to herself that magic lies within and people can only have power over you, if you give it to them. It was a cute story with a happy ending. 3.5 cups of cocoa.

Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick

This review will have spoilers for the first two books in the series. Silence is the third book in the Hush, Hush saga about Nora and fallen angel Patch. I really like the book covers in this series.


Simon and Schuster

Crescendo has a major cliffhanger at the end and we are left wondering what has happened to Patch and Nora. Patch has promised to help Hank if he will return Nora safely. Hank partially violates the contract by returning Nora at his own  choosing and when she is returned she remembers nothing. Her memory ends at April and she is returned in September. She doesn't remember finishing her sophomore year or meeting and loving Patch. Patch attempts to stay away and when Nora does find him, he calls himself Jev to throw her off track. Nora's mother and friend Vee try to convince her that Patch was just a small fling and that she thought he was bad news. However something keeps drawing her back to Patch. Couple with not knowing Patch, Nora does not remember the nephil Scott or Hank Millar and his relation to her. When Scott begins filling in Nora about fallen angels and nephilim, Nora starts to remember everything, but will she remember soon enough. A war is brewing between nephilim and fallen angels, and Nora and those she loves will be caught in the middle. Can her love for Patch survive the ultimate test and which side should she choose?

The first two books in the series were just ok for me, but this one more than makes up for the other two. I am glad I stuck with the series, because Nora finally turns into the heroine that we see hints of in the first two books. She still moons over Patch a bunch, but their love is finally maturing. The storyline in this one was fast-paced and suspenseful and I did not see the end coming. I finished this one in less than a week, which is saying something.

Favorite Character: Nora, finally! She keeps her cool, stops letting everything revolve around Patch, and finally shows up as an equal partner to Patch. The end really shows her strength, but I don't want to give too much away about that.

Favorite Quote: "'There's only one thing I know for certain anymore.' He turned, his eyes a clear black. 'That I would do anything for you, even if it means going against my instincts or my very nature. I would lay down everything I possess, even my soul, for you. If that isn't love, it's the best I have.'" Finally someone shows his affection.

This is my favorite of the series so far and a good read. 4.5 cups of cocoa!

Spring Into Horror Read-a-Thon Starting Line/Goals

My reading list for this week will include the following books: The Art of Wishing, Silence, Towering, Life After Theft, The Calling, and Clockwork Princess. For the horror element I plan to read from The Iron Queen, The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan, and The Dead and Buried by Kim Harrington, the last one my cousin recommended, because she loved it. I hope to finish at least three books and since I am off work this week, that should be attainable. I also would like to comment on at least 10 blog posts and find a couple of new blogs to follow.



HarperTeen

I love Towering's cover!


Monday update:
Silence- 96 pages finished and reviewed!
The Art of Wishing- 27%-39% or 38 pages

Tuesday update:
The Dead and Buried- 100 pages (read in the doctor's office, found out I have strep throat, sinus infection , and fluid on both ears aka start of a double ear infection, :( ) + 16
The Art of Wishing -39%-100%, about 195 pages -finished!

Wednesday update:
The Dead and Buried- 178 pages -finished!
Towering- 4%
Iron Queen- 30 pages

Thursday update:
Towering- 4%-20% or 61 pages

Friday update:
Towering- 20%-45% or 76 pages
Demon's Lexicon- 63 pages

Saturday update
Towering- 45%-47%
Demon's Lexicon -27 pages

Sunday update:
I have only reread parts of  the 4th Harry Potter book and mainly finished up all the chores I wanted to do while off work, but couldn't because of strep throat and a sinus infection.

Mini Read-a-thon: My Shelf Confession

In honor of their two year blogaversary, My Shelf Confessions is hosting a mini-read-a-thon. The only rules are to read! They also have some great giveaways planned for the month, with some author guest posts and publisher guest posts. To sign up, go here. I have really slacked off reading, reviewing, and posting, so I am hoping the two read-a-thons I have signed up for will help! For the mini-read-a-thon, I am going to try to read on The Art of Wishing and Rapunzel Untangled. I would like to finish those two, particularly Rapunzel, since I started it the first week in March. It is an interesting modern twist on the fairytale. I am also going to add Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick to my list too, since I am in the middle of it as well.

Day 1 update
Silence- 12pages
Rapunzel Untangled- 69%-82%

Day 2 update
Rapunzel Untangled- finished!
Silence- 20 pages
The Art of Wishing-11%-24%

Day 3 update
I have been sick all day and had a pounding headache, so no reading today. :(.

I am glad I did finally finish Rapunzel Untangled and hope to review it really soon!