Review | "My True Love Gave To Me" by Stephanie Perkins, Rainbow Rowell, Kelly Link, Matt de la Pena, Kiersten White, Ally Carter, Jenny Han, Myra McEntire, David Levithan, Holly Black, Gayle Forman, and Laini Taylor

I know I know, another Christmas book that is very late in getting its review up. I could argue that a few of the stories in the book aren't so much Christmas stories, but I won't. I realize that this review is very late, but it's taken me a while to decide how I wanted to review it.
Before I begin, though, here's the Goodreads description:

If you love holiday stories, holiday movies, made-for-TV-holiday specials, holiday episodes of your favorite sitcoms and, especially, if you love holiday anthologies, you’re going to fall in love with MY TRUE LOVE GAVE TO ME: TWELVE HOLIDAY STORIES by twelve bestselling young adult writers, edited by international bestselling author Stephanie Perkins. Whether you celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah, Winter Solstice or Kwanzaa, there’s something here for everyone. So curl up by the fireplace and get cozy. You have twelve reasons to stay indoors and fall in love. 

Being an anthology, I wasn't sure if I wanted to talk about my general thoughts, or go into my thoughts on each story. I've decided on the latter.

Midnights by Rainbow Rowell: Cute. Noel reminded me a lot of Levi from Fangirl, so I'm not sure how original the story itself can claim to be in origin, but it was a good start to the book and I enjoyed it.

The Lady and the Fox by Kelly Link: The vocabulary didn't really fit the characters' ages at the time and was told in a semi out of order way for a time which made it confusing. Also, the story had the stereotype that rich people are unstable and eccentric which was a little eye-roll worthy. The ending got a little unclear and confusing the story itself didn't really seem to fit the anthology's theme (which actually happens with a few of the stories).

Angels in the Snow by Matt de la Pena: Nice. The main character got a little annoying, and it felt unfinished, but over all it was nice.

Polaris is Where You'll Find Me by Jenny Han: Very reminiscent of the Santa Claus movies. There were some contradictions. The elves were actually pretty unkind. The fact that they aren't the traditional
Santa Elves is never addressed (like where that myth came from) and the ending was pretty unsatisfying.

It's a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown by Stephanie Perkins: There was some word cushioning, but other than that, it was adorable and I loved it.

Your Temporary Santa by David Levithan:  Didn't really fit the anthology theme until the very end, and even then not really. The story was too big and complicated to fit into a short segment and should have been its own novella/novel

Krampuslauf by Holly Black: Rushed into things a bit, but still good. The magical elements just sort of appear with no explanation and I think it should have been longer to have lived up to the potential it had.

What the Hell Have You Done, Sophie Roth? by Gayle Forman: The story resolved itself a little too quickly, but otherwise, I really enjoyed it.

Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus by Myra McEntire: I didn't really like the characters or their voices and they all seemed pretty generic with their personalities and backstories. I didn't really care about the plot or anyone involved in it.

Welcome to Christmas, CA by Kiersten White: Very heavy on the "jealous of mom's boyfriend" plot tool. The story and characters were pretty run of the mill. The change of heart of some people happens so quickly it gave me literary whiplash. 

Star of Bethlehem by Ally Carter: Story is incredibly unbelievable, there's no way it would work out. The big reveal at the end was even more far fetched and there are so many ways it could have been handled better.

The Girl Who Woke the Dreamer by Laini Taylor: Confusing, it didn't really fit the theme in really any way. The plot tried to explain itself but it failed a little and just ended up being dark and odd.

Overall, non of the stories made me want to read anything by the authors I hadn't already read and it didn't deliver what you might expect. You would probably go into this book wanting a lot of cute, fluffy stories to fit the cheerful Christmas spirit, and some of the stories really don't meet that.
I wouldn't say to definitely avoid it, but I think it's passable if you're not that interested.

Review | "In Kelly's Corner" by Roxie Rivera

This week's review is over an ebook that was (and possibly still is) available for free download from amazon. It's the first book in the "Fighting Connolly's" series and is thus meant to pull you into the story and purchase the other books.
Before I get into my thoughts, though, here is the book's Goodreads description:

After a stalker breaks into her home, internet entrepreneur Bee Langston decides Kelly Connolly is the only man who can help her—but seeking help from the former Marine isn’t easy, especially after she made a spectacular fool of herself trying to kiss the sinfully sexy bodyguard.
When Kelly spots Bee weaving her way through the Houston nightspot where he’s working security, all those feelings he’s desperately tried to deny for his best friend’s sister come flooding to the surface. He’ll do anything to keep her safe, even if means getting up close and personal with the one woman he simply can’t have.
Soon, Bee’s stalker isn’t his only problem. His gambling addict father is tangled in a mess of debts to two of Houston’s toughest loan sharks. With the family gym on the line, there’s only one way for Kelly to make everything right. He agrees to fight for the Albanian mob in an underground bare-knuckle fighting tournament.
But winning the tournament and saving his family’s legacy comes at a high price—one that just might cost Bee her life. 

This book has a pretty good average of 3.93 stars, and it isn't terribly long, so I was looking forward to reading it. It seemed like it would have the gritty tones that make me like Kit Rocha's "Beyond" series so much without being a dystopian- and over all, I did enjoy it and would recommend it, if nothing else, because it's available for free. However, I noted quite a few things that anyone who was reading critically would notice.
In the beginning there is quite a bit of clunky exposition. The backstory is necessary, but I feel like it could have been done smoother.
Kelly's reasoning doesn't make much sense. He's supposed to be Bee's bodyguard, he's supposed to keep her safe...and he does that by dragging her into his own dangerous personal problems.
The fact that everyone knows each other gets a little confusing, partially because the connections between them aren't always clear.
Bee is the typical "quirky" (or just clumsy) female character who jumps to conclusions and doesn't use her head because she's "independent" when in reality she's just being stupid. I mean, Kelly is telling her things so her stalker doesn't start wearing her around as a jacket, not because he wants to patronize her like the little sister he never had. Her doing this, among other things, makes her come across as immature and at times had me really questioning how I was supposed to believe she created such a successful company when she couldn't understand even simplistic things (all the misunderstandings serving solely as fuel for drama that didn't need to be there).
The romance was rushed. I understand why, that's the reason people are reading the book, but there should have been either 1) less initial conflict or 2) more time for those feelings to organically develop and become known.
The romance scenes weren't written the best. They're heavy with adjectives and adverbs that don't intensify the scene, but rather makes it seem like the author didn't quite know what she was doing and was trying to hide that fact. While at other times, there were details that were on the ridiculous side.
The "everyone has a secret" plot point that drives Bee's storyline is overdone. Not to say it's an impossible secret, but it's definitely extreme, and in a story that has a lot of extremes, that one wasn't exactly needed and was only there to beat in the idea that the book is supposed to be edgy.
Certain reactions and descriptions were repeated.
The  "I want to take this slow and really get to know you so it will be special" perspective regarding sex is completely dropped. Not even in a way that acknowledges that it existed in the first place.
The end had a lot of forced conflict, and I found myself really having to force myself to get through the last 50 pages or so of the book.
In the end, it was a flawed story and I wasn't so invested in it that I could look past the numerous problems I noticed, but it wasn't bad. I think someone who just wants a fun read and won't be scrutinizing everything as they read it will enjoy it, and while there are many better books out there, this one is available for free download, which is always a positive.

Review | "Bossypants" Audiobook by Tina Fey

I listened to another audiobook! I have heard opinions from both people who read the physical edition of "Bossypants" and people who listened to the audiobook (recorded by Tina Fey herself!) and the consensus leans much more towards listening than reading for yourself. That's understandable, unlike a novel, "Bossypants" is a memoir of sorts and if the audio narration will be done by the author, then it becomes more of a conversation. If the author is a great comedian like Tina Fey, you get to hear the tone her words were meant to be read in and it makes the experience that much better.
Now, before I get further into my thoughts, here is the book's Goodreads description:

In her acceptance speech for Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, Tina Fey announced that she was proud to make her home in "the 'not-real America'." It is perhaps that healthy sense of incongruity that makes the head writer, executive producer, and star of NBC's Emmy Award-winning 30 Rock such a cogent observer of the contemporary scene. Bossypants, her entertaining new memoir, shows that strangeness has been her constant companion. Fey's stories about her childhood in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania are only appetizers for LOL forays into her college disasters, honeymoon catastrophes, and Saturday Night Live shenanigans. Most funny read of the month; the best possible weekend update.

Now, it goes without saying that if you are not a Tina Fey fan, or are not familiar with any of her work, this isn't the book for you. If you are, I definitely recommend reading (or better, listening to) it for yourself. The audio is around 5.5 hours so it's entirely out of the question to finish it in one day, depending on when you listen to audiobooks/how much time you have at your disposal during those times. The great thing about audiobooks is, of course, the fact that you can multitask. Granted, if you multitask, let's say, filing papers while listening, you'll miss the story, but I don't think I have to explain how to listen to an audiobook. 
Right away, I noticed a few words repeated themselves, "grim" for example, is a word that shows up in the book a lot as a way to describe things. It doesn't show up so much that it becomes too annoying, but if you start to notice it (which you undoubtedly will now that I've pointed it out) then it sticks out more. 
The book also slows down some once you get into the SNL and 30 Rock history. It makes sense that there is a lot of focus on those aspects of her career, but it does change the pace of the story. Around that time the book also turns into a sort of parody self-help/mommy memoir sort of book over a biography (though the book in general isn't extremely biographical and is more geared to let us in on Tina Fey's history and her insights and everything that was behind career moves etc.)
This book has quite a bit of sarcastic humor, and listening to it read by the author makes that even more apparent. If you are a fan of that, like I am, then you will find yourself laughing out loud or smirking at multiple parts throughout the audio. 
Ultimately, the book (the audio at least) makes Tina Fey seem so much more relatable. It puts the point across that she was an average girl who was fortunate enough to make it in her craft and has had success since, which is nice. I think a biography can easily go in the opposite direction and make people seem larger than life and this didn't do that. 
Like I said, if you are a fan of Tina Fey, I highly recommend checking this out. I think the physical book would be funny and entertaining, but I suggest the audio edition if you get the chance.

Review | "BookElves Anthology Volume 1" by Jemima Pett, Rebecca M. Douglass, Fiona Ingram, M.G. King, Wendy Leighton-Porter, S. Smith, and Ben Zackheim

I know Christmas is long gone, but today's review is over a seasonal anthology I won in a Goodreads giveaway (get used to the unseasonal reviews, because my review over "My True Love Gave to Me" will be coming up soon, as well). It's an independently published middle grade anthology with stories contributed by authors you may not have heard of before. However, before I get into my thoughts, though, here's the book's Goodread's description, as always:

Seven stories, seven situations threatening the festivities – a postbag that gets bigger, a Santa in summer, the strange disappearance of the gifts, a petnapping gang, a snowstorm in the wilds, a kidnapped messenger, and a whole raft of celebrations that are too strange to contemplate.
Will the holidays be a disaster? Will families be left out in the cold? Will there be tears before bedtime, or will there be happy endings all round?
Each tale weaves its own seasonal magic. Each magician has already warmed the hearts of thousands of young readers with their stories; Max the time-traveling cat, Champ the rescue dog, Shirley Link, the schoolgirl detective, the Ninja Librarian, the Princelings of the East, and the Seed Savers. As part of the MG BookElves group they bring you tales to enjoy during the holiday season.
Suitable for readers age 8 and up. 

My only real points that I want to make about this book are that:
I found it more of an elementary level anthology, rather than middle grade. Some of the stories don't evolve too much while others are too complicated to fully wrap up by the end, and I noticed some typos. A short review, I know, but there isn't much to say. I didn't particularly love the book, but I'm also not the intended audience. I don't recommend this to older readers, but I think 8-12 year olds could enjoy it as a light, holiday read. I couldn't find the book available on the Book Depository, however you can find it on amazon both in digital and paperback format- both at reasonable prices if you're looking for a little gift for a young reader.

Review | "Eleanor & Park" by Rainbow Rowell

I finally read this book! I mean, I know I read and reviewed "Fangirl" already (and while these reviews are all behind, I read that book a few months before I did "Eleanor & Park) but this book is what first had me intrigued by Rainbow Rowell's writing. A novel that is recommend by John Green and Stephanie Perkins? How could I not want to read it?
It took me a while to actually order and get into the book, though because I knew vaguely how the story went and I know some people had some emotional moments towards the end that I wasn't sure I wanted to read about at the time, but I finally did it! I finished the book in under two days and couldn't put the book down, but before I get into the few little things I noticed about the book, here is it's Goodreads description:

Two misfits.
One extraordinary love.
Eleanor... Red hair, wrong clothes. Standing behind him until he turns his head. Lying beside him until he wakes up. Making everyone else seem drabber and flatter and never good enough...Eleanor.
Park... He knows she'll love a song before he plays it for her. He laughs at her jokes before she ever gets to the punch line. There's a place on his chest, just below his throat, that makes her want to keep promises...Park.
Set over the course of one school year, this is the story of two star-crossed sixteen-year-olds—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. 

So, like I said, I put off reading this book for a while because I wasn't sure if I was ready to read a book that that might make me tear up and have me falling in love with and rooting for such misfit characters, but I did, and I adored it. I still enjoyed "Fangirl" more, that was more relatable after all, but this book was so beautiful and heart-wrenching and I loved every page of it. My only real problems are that the characters have a co-dependency that, as we know, is unhealthy. That's not something that could be changed though. The characters are outsiders, they're damaged in their own ways, of course they cling to each other the way they do. There were also parts that were so uncomfortable to read, especially when they come after scenes that are light and cute and everything a contemporary YA book usually is. The balance was done well, but the disparity between the two sides of the story would make me feel the tension and squirm in my seat to have to read it.
I think this is a great book. All teenagers should read it because it handles all the various topics involved from love to damaged households in an elegant and realistic sort of way that doesn't belittle the problems or romanticize them. The perspectives change often and the chapters are short so the plot moves along quickly. Before you know it you're finished with the story and drying your eyes because while things may not always be written the way you'd want them to, they fit the story and you can't help but accept and appreciate it.

Review | "The Unbound Man" by Matt Karlov

I won this week's book in a Goodreads giveaway a few months ago, and by just looking at the book's star rating, it didn't make me too excited to read it- but I actually really enjoyed it!
Here's the book's description:

In a land of merchant companies, printing presses, gunpowder and sorcery, Arandras Kanthesi once worked alongside the gifted and powerful, hunting down artefacts of the glorious past and teasing out their secrets. Then an unknown assailant murdered his wife, and his world fell apart.
Now, at last, he has a lead.
But pursuing his quarry means joining forces with the Quill, the order of sorcerers and scholars Arandras abandoned after his wife's death. And the Quill's help never comes without a price.
In his hunt for the killer, Arandras stumbles across a relic of a long-dead empire, one that could lead to a weapon of enormous power. Caught between his former colleagues and his wife's murderer in a race for the lost weapon, Arandras must decide what he values most: revenge, the lives of those he once called friends, or the fate of a world he no longer cares for.
By turns gritty, reflective, and intense, THE UNBOUND MAN is a powerful debut from a compelling new voice in fantasy. 

This is a medieval fantasy novel that can be read as a stand alone (and was originally intended as such) however a sequel is in the works.  
I liked the book. I think the first half was especially gripping and while it slowed down some at the midway point, the story never really dragged on to the point that I just wanted it to be over. However, with only a 3.5 rating average on Goodreads, there are some things I noticed could have been improved (though I gave the book 4 stars myself).
There was some redundance, though. Not in the sense of word repetition, more that there were different phrases and statements that would be made that meant the same thing, so all of them being in the book was unnecessary. 
The exposition was a little rushed, so details could be forgotten or missed entirely, and the dialogue was at times over simplified while the story itself was very heavy with its metaphor use.
There is a scene where Arandras is confronted by two of the three other members of his group. That in itself isn't an issue, what I had a problem with was the logic. Arandras and Mara were clearly the intelligent, important members of the team, how do the other two get the nerve to think they can get along without one or both of them?
Some of the perspectives were much less captivating than others. That's a natural occurrence when there are multiple points of view in a story, but the less attention grabbing characters should have had the most intriguing parts. In theory, they had the most crucial roles of the story as far as giving the reader information about the world  and mythology is concerned. Also, at times it seemed as if the author was struggling to make the different plots actually mesh together.
Since we don't get to see relationships form much, the end results of such developments and their intensity seems forced and out of place.
Now comes the part where I say whether I would recommend this book or not. Here's the thing, for storyline, I say yes. It's not perfect, but it's a good novel that I enjoyed. There are familiar elements mixed with original ideas that don't make the story seem like one that's been done a thousand times, but it depends on how you want to read the book. The physical copies range from around 18-35 euros depending on whether you choose paperback or hardcover and what site you use to order the book. Is this a 20 euro book? Sadly, no. 
The ebook can be downloaded from amazon at a more reasonable price (though still more than other independently published books) and is even free for kindle unlimited users. So ultimately, it's up to you. If you have an ereader and you are willing to risk 5 euros or so, then go for it. If you can't justify it on a "maybe" sort of interest, considering the numerous other titles that can be downloaded for 2,99 or less, then don't feel like you're missing the next big thing. It's a good book, but it's not a must read.

Review | "Of Love and Evil" by Anne Rice

This week's review is over my second Anne Rice novel. I read "Interview With the Vampire" a few years ago, and while I enjoyed it, it was a slightly strange sort of reading experience for me. In fact, I haven't continued with the rest of the books in that series. However, I saw a pretty and inexpensive hardcover edition of "Of Love and Evil" in October while I was out of town and couldn't resist giving Anne Rice another try. It was different genre, focusing on angels rather than vampires which I've enjoyed reading in the past.
Sadly, I didn't realize until afterwards that this book was the second in a series (The Songs of the Seraphim) until I had already returned home, but after doing some research, I decided I would be able to read it without missing much as it seemed like there wasn't too much of a story arch between book 1 and 2.
I didn't particularly love the story, but before I get into my thoughts, here is the Goodreads description:

Anne Rice's extraordinary new novel summons up for us the world of fifteenth-century Rome: of Michelangelo and Raphael, of the Holy Inquisition and of Leo X, second son of a Medici, holding forth on the papal throne . . . a city of domes and rooftop gardens and rising towers. And into this time, into this century, Toby O'Dare, former government assassin is summoned, by the angel Malchiah, to solve a terrible crime of poisoning and to search out the truth about a haunting by an earthbound restless spirit -- a diabolical dybbuk. In the fullness of the high Italian Renaissance, Toby is plunged into this rich age as a lutenist sent to charm and calm this troublesome spiri... He soon discovers himself in the midst of dark plots and counter-plots surrounded by a darker and more dangerous threat as the veil of ecclesiastical terror closes in around him.
As Toby once again embarks on a powerful journey of atonement, he is reconnected with his own past, with matters light and dark, fierce and tender, with the promise of salvation and with a deeper and richer vision of love. 

My first real issue came up when Toby's ex comes into the picture. After finding out that he had fathered a child it is arranged for him to see the woman he had to run away from and is still in love with after ten years....that's fine, but she claims to have no ill will towards him. She is completely fine with the fact that he had disappeared for a decade, leaving her alone to be a teen mother? I don't think so. Forgiveness is a big thing in this book and series, from what I can tell, but I find it almost impossible to believe that she wouldn't have any hard feelings. Even if it was just being hurt that he left her. 
All the realistic events in the book are written in a surreal way that makes them painful to read. 
The actual main plot of the book takes half the novel to actually start up and it resolves far too quickly and in an unsatisfying way.
In all, I think if you want Anne Rice, read her vampire novels. This book doesn't have too many raving reviews on Goodreads and I think there are definitely better stories in this sort of genre out there.