Review of Wither by Lauren Destefano

Goodreads Synopsis:


At age 16, Rhine Ellery has four years to live. Thanks to a botched effort to create a perfect race, all females live to age 20 and males live to age 25. On the cusp of her 17th birthday, Rhine attempts to flee, but what she finds is a society spiraling out of control.


(To Expand on the Goodreads synopsis)


Rhine is forced to marry a baron--one of two other girls kidnapped for this polygamous marriage. At first she wants to hate this man, but the closer she gets to him--the more she sees that there may be other forces at work. And she comes to know her sister wives and a certain servant in ways she never imagined.  


My Take:


I loved the premise of this book. I also LOVE the cover. Anything to do with genetics and  I'm very interested. Unfortunately, this book didn't deliver as promised. Some people love quiet novels like this. I for one--don't. Though this could be a matter of taste. I really really wanted to love this book, sadly, I merely liked it. It's not to say that the book is terrible, on the contrary I find the world that Destefano creates to be quite intriguing and different from the usual dystopian society. The problem was that Destefano only touched upon specific aspects of her world, but never truly explained them. I felt like a major plot point was left out at the end of the book--something I wanted more of. Also, the love interest is absent for a good portion of the book, to the point where I found myself wondering what the main character saw in him. It was as if he was out of her thoughts for most of the book. I actually stopped 3/4 into this book and read Obsidian then came back to finish Wither. Granted, the idea is ambitious and perhaps because much of the book is set on a restricted floor of a mansion we don't get as much of the outside world as we should. Still, I may pick up the second book just to see. I still really loved the concept.


My rating 3.6 stars


Cheers,


Elizabeth

Review of Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Goodreads Synopsis: 


Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I’d pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring…. until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.
And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something…unexpected happens.
The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon’s touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I’m getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.
If I don’t kill him first, that is.


My Take:


Let me first say--to Jennifer--I've never met you, but you've wowed me and congratulations on this fabulous book! I absolutely loved this book. Here's why. A) As a writer and occasional blogger I can relate to the main character. Hell, I think anyone can. She's a teenage girl--a real one--not some supposed teenager with a 30-year-old's voice coming out of her. B) Daemon. Oh god, Daemon. C) Daemon again,  but seriously if you're looking for a book filled with so much sexual tension and fun arguments (trust me, you'll feel the heat wafting off the pages) then this is for you. It carried the usual YA paranormal romance vibe, but I felt the sci-fi edge gave it a unique twist. D) You're gunna LOVE Daemon. Well, you're gunna hate him, but god, you're gunna love him. That's all I can say. Read it yourself and find out. I will add that Katy is a great character and not the usual woe is me, how is this guy gunna save me next kinda girl? She makes some sacrifices and that really made me like her. I won't say anymore. 


This book has made me believe that if I just delve deep enough I'll find a book I can't put down. I NEED these books. Am I going to read the next one in the series? Oh sweet Jesus--YES!


My rating 4.9 stars


(Yeah, I'm finicky with my 5 star ratings)


******On a side note. This book was released by Entangled Publishing a brand new--barely a year old--venture. I must say, if this is any indication as to the kinds of books Entangled is releasing, I see a VERY bright future ahead for them. Thanks for the great read!

That's YAMore: Love & Then Some

Oasis for YA is hosting a blogfest in honor of Valentine's Day. Basically, post your most swoon-worthy and romantic moments. I settled for funny, yet romantic from the guy's POV. This is from my latest WIP It's Coop Not Cupid. 

Not to mention Writing With Hope is hosting one too! "Is it Getting Hot in Here?" Going to kill two birds with one stone!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shit. Shit. Shit. Here came the tears. I could see them glossing over her eyes. They were silent when they fell. Alex leaned into me. 

“I feel so damn pathetic.” Then the crying came. She tried hard to muffle them, poor girl.

Just seeing her there on my lap, sobbing like some kind of raccoon, I couldn’t help it. Something inside me twisted and I tugged on her chin. She looked up at me.

“You’re not pathetic, okay.”

Maybe it was the puppy-dog eyes or my lack of judgment, but I kissed her. I kissed her hard and full, pulling her closer to me.  

Thing was...she kissed back.

The ride halted as we parted. There stood Sam, eying me with a look I could only interpret as hatred. I grinned. Gods, I couldn’t help it. That prick had it coming. I wrapped an arm around Alex as we stepped off. It was about time he proved himself. Did he like the girl or not?

“Coop,” Alex whispered. “What did we…?”

I smiled. “Don’t worry. Now, we’ll see how that Sam of yours really feels.”

“Wait, that was just a test?” She looked up, then slowly a smile spread onto her pink lips.

“You know,” she said. “That was my first kiss that was just fun and didn’t mean a darn thing. That was kind of awesome.”

I raised a brow. “What’d you expect? I’m the god of love, sweetheart.”

The Writer's Journey

Hello Lovlies,

I've never really talked much about my querying process, but I was interviewed the other day on here by fellow writer, Beth Fred, which got me thinking. I've been striving toward my goal of getting an agent and published for quite some time on and off. At least since spring of 2009. Wow. Spring of 2009. Granted in between that time I've graduated high school, visited colleges, gone to college,  and have managed to get about 4-5 internships under my belt. Now, I'm a second semester junior--probably a senior credit hour-wise by now.

But it is interesting to see where I've ended up since then. Was I really ready to get published at the age of seventeen? Probably not. Was I really ready for all the rejection I faced? At first no. Now, when one comes shooting into my inbox I think, "Pass me a Milano cookie and let's shoot off two more queries." Let's face it, this is a business of thick skin. Build it up and wear it proud. I've made plenty of mistakes--like thinking my work of YA genre fiction was literary HAH. My professors would laugh me out of the room if I EVER mentioned that. Even querying agents with a ridiculously LONG query. Luckily mine is about 3 paragraphs now. Short, sweet, and to the point. In fact, I think I'm a pretty darn good query writer. (Or so I think lol)

My point is we're all going to make mistakes along the way. We're all going to find our moment to shine. The writer's journey is all about finding your place in the literary world. I just have to say--the publishing industry as a whole has been awesome. Am I happy I discovered it? Yes--I don't have the words. To everyone on Twitter, YALitChat, and just about every writer's blog out there. We're here. We're listening to your words. And I for one hope for only the best for all of you.

For those who are always striving. Always pushing forward even after rejection. Don't worry. You'll make it as long as you never give up.

So I raise a glass of apple cider (not yet 21) to my fellow writers who through everything--the hardships and the struggles--are STILL here and still trying. Now, THAT's something to be proud of.

Let's make 2012 our YEAR!

Lotsa love guys,

Liz <3

Cat's Don't Dance's OUR TIME HAS COME says it better than I ever could.