Short Review: Awry

Awry 
Author: Chelsea Fine
Publisher: Firefall Publishing
Publish Date: June 2012

Sometimes love is meant to be. But sometimes...love is the death of you....

Seventeen-year-old Scarlet has just died. Only, dying isn't unusual for a girl under a centuries old curse that left her semi-immortal.

This time, though, she comes back to her current life instead of awaking in a new one, and she realizes the curse is changing. Together with the immortal Archer brothers, Scarlet must piece together her life and try to break the curse before her impending death comes again

As a second book, I don't really need to dive into the environment all over again as it remains the same.

And while the characters are also familiar and the same, I find myself liking Gabriel less, and less. Well, not so much disliking per say, but definitely being overshadowed by Tristan. (And I want him and Heather to get together. That would be nice.)

Tristan is >insert incredibly sexy word here<. I liked him in the last book, I LOVE him in this one. I find myself cheering for him and Scarlet more and more.

Scarlet becomes stronger. It's visible in her actions and her need to act. It's a great quality and I enjoyed watching her grow. And she has some totally bad ass moments which I loved.

Overall, a great continuation of Anew. The plot moves forward quickly but not so quick that important details are lost or forgotten. The twist at the end left me screaming for more, but alas, I must wait for the next book. Definitely a great read, if you've read the first one.

My Rating:

 

Short Review: The Girl in the Clockwork Collar

The Girl in the Clockwork Collar
Author: Kady Cross
Publisher: Harlequin
Publish Date: May 2012

In New York City, 1897, life has never been more thrilling - or dangerous.

Sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne and her "straynge band of mysfits" have journeyed from London to America to rescue their friend Jasper, hauled off by bounty hunters. But Jasper is in the clutches of a devious former friend demanding a trade-the dangerous device Jasper stole from him...for the life of the girl Jasper loves.

One false move from Jasper and the strange clockwork collar around Mei's neck tightens. And tightens.

Not a review so much as my basic thoughts. I love Kady Cross’s books and as this is the second book in a series me fawning over the characters (again) isn’t really going to do much. Thus I wrote a really, really short collection of thoughts. 

This was a great continuation from The Girl in the Steel Corset. The character development was thorough and definitely left the reader wanting more. 

The plot was straight forward at first but then completely unexpected at the end.  Totally surprised me in a pleasant way.

Overall, it was a great, complete story. I look forward to more from these characters.

My Rating:

Book Review: The Probability of Miracles

Haha. I am alive! Thank you everyone for sticking it out with me! I really appreciate it! 
 

 

The Probability of Miracles

Author: Wendy Wunder

Publish Date: July 5, 2012

Publisher: Razorbill

A dying teen learns to live in this heart-wrenching debut, perfect for fans of If I Stay

Campbell Cooper has never been in love. And if the doctors are right, she'll never have the chance. So when she's told she needs a miracle, her family moves 1,500 miles north to Promise, Maine--a place where amazing, unexplainable events are said to occur--like it or not. And when a mysterious envelope arrives, containing a list of things for Cam to do before she dies, she finally learns to believe--in love, in herself, and maybe even in miracles, as improbable as they may seem.

Everyone that knows me knows that I’m not really into the contemporary YA. So, it was really surprising when I found myself wanting to read this book. Dying to read this book (considering I put it on my TBR way before it came out.) I’m so very glad I took that leap of Faith. 

Cam is a great character. She’s dying, has accepted it and is mostly apathetic about it.  She withdraws from people and is semi content to just lay down and die.  It’s sad but courageous at the same time. She’s not raging at the unfairness of it all; she’s not cursing everyone and acting outrageously out of character in her final days. She just accepts. She doesn’t believe in miracles; she doesn’t believe there’s any way to save her.

The characters around her however, do not accept. Her mother, her sister, her friends that she really didn’t want, are actually the people that direct the story more than our heroine. They refuse to give up what has already been confirmed as a losing battle. It does drive Cam into doing some stupid stuff. 

The plot is well written. It moves at pace there is something always happening. For a dying person Cam isn’t very whiny. She’s actually really strong willed and stubborn in her decision making. It makes the story all the more active because while Cam has already given up she sort of also accepts that those around her are trying and causes twists in the story that give moments of bafflement at her antics. 

Overall, it was a great story. The characters are really thoroughly thought out and complete. None of them are lacking or annoying in any situation. It’s a really complete story and I found myself extremely saddened at the end. 

My Rating: