Feature & Follow Friday: Dec 2

Feature & Follow Friday is a blog hop that expands your blog following by a joint effort between bloggers. First you leave your name here, then you create a post on your own blog that links back here and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them hi in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!

Now to make this #FF interesting we do a FEATURE blogger. The Feature bloggers are chosen randomly from participants in the Follow Friday or through twitter and blog introductions. If you are interested in becoming a Feature let me know! It is also required to follow the host blog (parajunkee.com) and the Feature blog to participate in the #FF.

 Today's feature: Lauren @ Lauren Gets Literal, and

                                       Fic Book Reviews

Q: What is your biggest pet peeve when it comes to books? Maybe you don’t like love triangles or thin plots? Tell us about it!

    Weak plot, boring and whiny characters, unexplained actions, cliched scenes and anything that goes absolutely wrong in the novel.

    What about you?

Review: THE MERCHANT'S DAUGHTER by Melanie Dickerson(released on 29 Nov)

Courtesy of NetGalley(Zondervan)

Annabel Chapman is a young girl in medieval England. She is forced to serve her landlord, Lord Ranulf le Wyse to pay her family’s debt. She fears her new boss as rumors described him as a tough, unsmiling man with a disfigured face and an injured hand. Yet, when she goes to Lord le Wyse’s manor, she finds herself in the good care of the head servant, Miss Eustacia. Bailiff Tom, an old wicked man has his eyes on her, and tries to force himself on her, but when Annabel is under her lord’s care, Bailiff Tom leaves her alone, or so she thought. When Annabel finds herself having inappropriate feelings for her lord, she hides her feelings and acts indifferently. Little does she knows that her lord has the same feeling for her too, only that he is too aware of his bitter past with beautiful woman. Will the two be together in the end, or will they be separated by fate?

     Dickerson crafted a beautiful tale of love and bravery in medieval England, falling into the history-fiction genre. Moving in a decent pace, The Merchant’s Daughter is full of noble values and forbidden emotions, though lacking of adventure and action.

     The characters of the novel are genuine and highly believable. You get to feel their emotions, thoughts and feelings strongly. Annabel Chapman, the heroine, is very lovable, and almost perfect; a stark contrast to Lord le Wyse, distant and cold, marred and disfigured. Bailiff Tom and the other characters are, as well, very expressive and three-dimensional. You could almost grab them out from the words.

     The relationship between Annabel and the Lord is the complete kind. You could see their relationship develop and bloom, while you hang on every page hoping that they’ll get they deserved. The relationship between the other characters are dynamic too, absolutely reasonable and realistic.

     

     Another thing I like about The Merchant’s Daughter is the way no action, no word is waste. Every word, every gesture made sense and is crucial to the plot development. In simple words, every thing leads to the next.

     In the plot sense, there is no real climax in this novel. There is a lot of building up, leading to the not-so-epic climax. Climaxs, actually. This novel is more focused on the development of a relationship rather than the guts and gore. So those who favor action steer clear of this novel.

     In a nutshell, The Merchant’s Daughter is a heart-grabbing, slow brewing pot of a love tale, set in a beautiful medieval England.

     The cover is pretty, but not so much of my taste, though romantic and very artistic.

Ratings : 4.5 stars

For more info about the book or author, please click here

Reviews at Abundance

Good news! After a lot of slacking off, I'd finally gathered up my strength to write the reviews that I should've written long ago. So, here is the date of posting of the reviews:

December 1 : The Merchant's Daughter, Melanie Dickerson
December 6 : Tithe, Holly Black
December 11 : Ironside, Holly Black
December 19 : Tempted, Burned, Awakened, Destined, P.C Cast & Kristin Cast
December 26 : Dragon's Oath, P.C Cast & Kristin Cast
December 30 : Rosebush, Michele Jaffe
* mind that I didn't say anything about the time

     So, these are my reviews for year 2011. Sad to say I haven't read 100 books, not even 50. Anyway, check back for possible announcements of guest posts or book challenges and some occasional book blog memes.

     Until then, stay strong - for written words, that is!

XOXO
Jez

Review: A BLUE SO DARK by Holly Schindler

Fifteen-year-old Aura Ambrose has been taking care of her mother since her father left them years ago. Life has been barely manageable then but it's even worse now, since her mother's schizophrenia has been so bad that she couldn't work anymore. Watching her own mother falling because of the disease, Aura shuns her own artistic and linguistic talents as she believes that art=crazy. It doesn't help that her best friend is doing nothing, cause she's too wrapped up in her own issues(pregnancy, boyfriend, whatnot). Watch Aura come into terms with her own artistic abilities and her mother's illness.

     Deeply moving and surprisingly relatable, Schindler spins a new tale of love. What I love most about the novel, though short(200+ pages) is the writing. Beautiful and highly lyrical, it felt like song to my ears, or extremely magickal writing to my inner poet(ress). I especially love the poems in the books, but now I can't give you an example cause the book's with my friend, and my memory ain't that good.

     The plot is well crafted, with some unexpected twists and expected turns. One thing though, I don't get why there's a male interest in the novel, as it doesn't help the plot a bit. That can be omitted, even if the novel's short enough.

     The main character, Aura is likable, though not lovable. Not because she is not a good protagonist, but because she throws and burns her art. Yes this is a small matter but it annoys me. A lot. Still, put that aside and you'll have a good story as you watch Aura grow from a broken girl to a sure and confident young lady proud of her art.

  
      I also love the development of the relationship between Aura and her mother. Authentic and believable, you sense the love of Aura towards her mother and her fear of losing her mother and herself. This is how good a writer Schindler is.

     The theme of A Blue So Dark is about healing. The relationship between Aura and her mother, Aura and her BFF, Aura's mother and Aura's grandmother and Aura's fear of becoming schizophrenic mends and heals as the dynamic propels the plot forward. Beautiful stuff, as I'd said.

     A little wacky, a little moody and a lot of love, A Blue So Dark is a beautifully crafted literary novel that'll make any literary lover's heart go "zing". Romance fans steer clear, though it doesn't hurt to be moved now and then.

     The cover : Beautiful! And it corresponds in a scene from the novel. You'll find out if you read 'til the end.

Rating: 4.5 stars ( half a star reduced for the unnecessary romance and half a star added for the lyrical writing)

* mild swearing included

For more info about the book or author, please click here

Review: THE UNBECOMING OF MARA DYER by Michelle Hodkin

Courtesy of Simon and Schuster Pulse It!

Mara Dyer is in Miami, miles away from her home town and miles away from her best friend. Dead best friend, that is. And Mara was just waking up from a coma when she got the news, with no recollection of what had happened, even though they were together when the building collapsed on Mara, her BFF, her BFF's friend and Mara's boyfriend, Jude. So, now she's in Miami with no friends in a new private school. To make matters worse, she has hallucinations on the first day of school and land herself on the radar of the most popular girl on school, just because of one single guy, as most novels begin. Noah Shaw, the most unattainable and most beautiful British guy -yup, a Brit with a sexy accent- takes an interest in Mara. To top it off, she has to deal with sudden, violent recollection of the night that changed her life.

I have nothing to say. Except that it's awesome! Decently plotted and strategically planned, Hodkin wrote with a precision that moves you along the page. She caught the voice of a traumatized, angsty teen perfectly. Evenly paced, laced with suspense, thrill, mystery and -whatnot- romance, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is a novel you can't miss.

The protagonist, Mara Dyer is someone you'll remember and sympathize with. A beautiful, strong girl's life is turned upside down by the death of close friends, and she has to move to a new place, and she meets a totally hot guy, and she gets picked by a popular girl. Now, doesn't that sound familiar? Yet, Hodkin mixed this combo with paranormal and deep, moving relationship with family. You'll love her, as she's vulnerable and unbreakable at the same time.

Noah Shaw, the male interest, is as perfect as a guy you can get. Well, he's a playboy, but you see that change when he meets Mara. Attentive, sensitive and loaded, he is the perfect boyfriend. His relationship with Mara is real enough for me, but sometimes he's a little too perfect. 

Heartwarming moments of Mara with her brothers, Daniel and Joseph are genuine, and Hodkin created a couple of authentic siblings. The bickering and care of those three will sometimes make you go "aww...". And damn I wish I have a brother like Daniel. The dynamic of the family is genuine too, and when a string is pulled, a doll follow(sorry, crappy analogy, but you get what I mean). There's no wasted scene as every happening is crucial to add tension or to build the plot.

A little ramble on the paranormal front. Though there's a lot of romance and suspense, there's not a lot of visible paranormal. Well, it's there right from the beginning, but it become more pronounced as the plot grew. I have to say the paranormal is a little unexpected.

Tense, compact and vivid, with a heavy atmosphere and twisted romance, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is one novel you should read.

The cover is plain uh-mei-zing! Dark and moody, one of my faves!

Ratings: 4.5 stars

For more info on the book or author, please click here

Waiting On Wednesday : 23 Nov

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted here, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.


INSURGENT by Veronica Roth
Release date: May 2012

I looove me some Divergent(read review here) and am eagerly waiting for more Tris and Four. Ooooh. <squeal>

On Slacking Off...

My apologies for being such a slacker these days, but school and an unexpected illness of me grandma has thorn me away from my blog. That and my laziness. And my apologies again for (being forced) to be a slacker(again) for some time as I have a camp and I have to take care of my grandma. Sorry, I'll make time for books and reviews when I can. For now, just stay strong for the (good) reads.

XOXO
Jez

Review: BLEEDING VIOLET by Dia Reeves

Biracial and biculture(Hanna’s words, not mine) Hanna Jarvinen (the last name is different, but I don’t know how to type it) is a normal teenager hitchhike to find her mother, Rosalee in Portero, Texas. Okay, Hanna is far from normal. She is manic depressive, hears voices, hallucinates and has a history of violence. With that, she thinks she will  stand out in Pertero, but she is far from wrong. No matter how strange Hanna is, Portero is stranger with its doors that lead to somewhere and the monsters that plague the town. Rosalee gave Hanna two weeks to make a friend in order to stay, and when she starts dating a Mortmaine, initiates who guard the town from danger, all hell broke lose. Watch Hanna and Wyatt(the boyfriend) battle evil and discover the truth about Portero.

     Bleeding Violet is dark and moody, just my type of novel. Reeves created a wonderful world of paranormal, letting us follow Hanna through her fitting in in Portero. There’s also some gore provoking action too, and more than enough steamy romance. What I love about Bleeding Violet is the darker mood of the novel the language made you feel. There are laughs, but more ew factor.

     Hanna is a lovable character, though not your typical one. She is the first patroganist I’d read that is loose in the mind, in a good way. She lacks the stereotype patroganist’s qualities, like sweet and kind. But Hanna is sweet in her own way and perhaps even more ass-kicking than most female characters. She is ultra witty too, always ready with a sharp response-you’ll know after the first few chapters.  Also, it’s not everyday you get to read about females characters of color.

     The side characters are less developed, except for Rosalee and the subject of interest, Wyatt. Well, there’s not many side characters anyway. I like how Hanna and Rosalee’s relationship grows, from pushing away to acceptance at last. It’s like watching a game of tug-and-war, always guessing who would tire faster and give in.

     The romance of Hanna and Wyatt is a fully developed one. There’s no love at first sight or pathetic puppy dog love, just two people despising each other at the beginning to falling in love during interaction at the end. The conversations and fights between the two are very realistic and resemble a real life couple. And they went through thick and thin together, so that just makes their relationship that much stronger. There’s enough chemistry and you’ll simply heart the couple. Enough said.

     For the paranormal front, there’s no vampires or werewolves, only the kind of monsters you were afraid of when you’re still young. And Reeves was pretty creative with her monsters. There was action scenes too, described vividly so I could see Hanna slicing off meat.

     All in all, Bleeding Violet is a crazy paranormal, the key elements in it working together perfectly. Reeves brings us a psychotic, nutty tale full of everything for everyone, going through the life the strangest girl on earth. The insane girl inside of me just LOVE this novel.

     Normally I pick a book up by its cover(not a good habit, I know) and Bleeding Violet captures my attention instantly. What do you think that says?

Ratings: 5 stars

* Contains swearing and sex, for mature readers

For more info about the book or author, click here