Waiting on Wednesday (56)

This week, I'm waiting on...

That Time I Joined the Circus by J. J. Howard. Here's what Goodreads has to say: A music-obsessed, slightly snarky New York City girl, Lexi is on her own. After making a huge mistake—and facing a terrible tragedy— Lexi has no choice but to track down her long-absent mother. Rumor has it that Lexi’s mom is somewhere in Florida with a traveling circus.

When Lexi arrives at her new, three-ring reality, her mom isn’t there…but her destiny might be. Surrounded by tigers, elephants, and trapeze artists, Lexi finds some surprising friends and an even more surprising chance at true love. She even lucks into a spot as the circus’s fortune teller, reading tarot cards and making predictions.

But then Lexi’s ex-best friend from home shows up, and suddenly it’s Lexi’s own future that’s thrown into question… 

It involves joining the circus. I'm not really sure what else there is to say other than MUST HAVE.

What do you think of this book? What are you waiting on this Wednesday?

Brightly Woven: Review

Title: Brightly Woven

Author: Alexandra Bracken

Release Date: March 2010

Published By: Egmont

Pages: 354

Goodreads Rating: 3.89 stars

Review: When rain comes for the first time in a ten-year drought, Wayland North shows up to take Sydelle away from her village to act as his personal assistant. She's eager to join him in the fight against the war threatening their kingdom, but he has secrets about himself, why he chose her, and what his real reasons for the journey are - and most of all, why his sworn enemy has an interest in Sydelle too.

I love books with strong female protagonists, and BRIGHTLY WOVEN was no exception. Sydelle has guts, which I appreciated, and she was both spunky and fun to read about. Occasionally I'll stumble across a book with a protagonist who spends far too much time whining and submitting to everyone around, so it's always a breath of fresh air to read about a character like Sydelle.

Of course, few fantasy books are complete without a romance, and this was no exception. This novel had possibly one of my favorite romances of all time. North was an incredible love interest, and I could totally relate to how much Sydelle liked him. He was kind, smart, funny, had a dark past, and - not going to lie - he was hot.

I know, I know, it sounds completely cliche to hear about a romantic interest with a "dark past", but I promise it's well done in this book. North's secrets were both believable and unexpected, and though he was occasionally moody, it didn't completely discolor his character in any way. He was a complex and flawed character, and one I was so ready to fall in love with.

All in all, BRIGHTLY WOVEN is one of the rare fantasy novels that truly has it all: brilliant characters, fantastic plot developments, and an amazing romance. Fantasy isn't exactly my favorite genre for the most part, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this. I would recommend this book to everyone, but particularly to those who don't typically read fantasy.

Expectations vs. Reality: The Dead and Buried

Expectations vs. Reality is a feature here inspired by Small Review that will compare my expectations from a book cover before seeing the summary with the summary itself.

This week I'm looking at The Dead and Buried by Kim Harrington.

 

EXPECTATIONS

This cover is fantastically creepy! The girl seems to be descending into a cellar or basement of some sort, and the combination of the ghostly feel with the title makes me suspect there are ghosts and spirits haunting her house. Perhaps it's the kind of story where the protagonist needs to resolve the ghosts' problems and free them to the afterlife.

REALITY

Here's what Goodreads has to say:

A haunted house, a buried mystery, and a very angry ghost make this one unforgettable thriller.

Jade loves the house she's just moved into with her family. She doesn't even mind being the new girl at the high school: It's a fresh start, and there's that one guy with the dreamy blue eyes. . . .

But then things begin happening. Strange, otherworldly things.
Jade's little brother claims to see a glimmering girl in his room. Jade's jewelry gets moved around, as if by an invisible hand. Kids at school whisper behind her back like they know something she doesn't.
Soon, Jade must face an impossible fact: that her perfect house . . . is haunted.

Haunted by a ghost who's seeking not just vengeance, but the truth. The ghost of a girl who ruled Jade's school -- until her untimely death last year. It's up to Jade to put the pieces together before her own life is at stake. As Jade investigates the mystery, she discovers that her new friends in town have more than a few deep, dark secrets.
But is one of them a murderer?

Okay, so I was pretty close with the ghostly part, although it wouldn't take a genius to figure that out! The idea of one of the people in her town being a murderer is intriguing though. I'm looking forward to picking this one up!

Starters: Review

Title: Starters

Author: Lissa Price

Release Date: March 2012

Published By: Delacorte Books

Pages: 352

Goodreads Rating: 3.91 stars

Review: When the Spore Wars wipe out everyone between the ages of 20 and 60, Callie, her brother Tyler, and her friend Michael live as squatters, where they could killed any second. Callie's only hope is renting her body to Prime Destinations, allowing the elderly to inhabit her body for weeks at a time. But when the neurochip they implanted malfunctions, she discovers that her renter wants to do more than just party - and that Prime Destinations' plans are more than she could ever have imagined.

There are plenty of dystopian novels out there that deal with similar concepts as STARTERS, such as a war or disease wiping out a large portion of the population, but I'd never read anything that featured something like Prime Destinations. The idea of Starters (young people) renting out their bodies to Enders (the older generation) was both fascinating and horrifying, and although I thought it was a little unrealistic, it was interesting to see how the author dealt with the dynamic of only the young and the old surviving.

Probably one of my favorite aspects of this novel were the plot twists. In particular, I was very thrown off with what happened with Blake, especially since I had thought that it was something predictable - how wrong was I! These really spiced up the book and kept me guessing throughout the story. Dystopians are sometimes rather formulaic, so something like this ended up being quite refreshing for me to read.

However, while the plot in general was woven skillfully, I did wish there was more development in other areas. Specifically, I was hoping there would be more concerning Michael. That could have been an interesting dynamic for the author to go more in-depth with, and I was disappointed that only the surface of his relationship to Callie was explored.

All in all, STARTERS was an intriguing and original dystopian novel with a fantastic concept and numerous unpredictable plot twists. I wish there had been a little more development in places such as Callie's friendship with Michael, but overall this is a solid book that I would recommend to fans of dystopian fiction.