Review: Entangled by Nikki Jefford

Entangled
Nikki Jefford
Series: Spellbound, #1
Release date: February 20th, 2012

Goodreads / Purchase

A Resurrection Spell Gone Wrong

Two months after dying, Graylee Perez wakes up in her twin sister Charlene’s body. As a witch, can anyone blame her mother for attempting to bring her daughter back to life? Now Gray is stuck sharing her sister’s body 50/50 in twenty-four-hour shifts.

Raj McKenna is rumored to meddle in the black arts, not to mention he’s after Gray’s invisibility spell, and worse—her heart. But Raj might be the only one powerful enough to save Gray from fading away forever.

The race is on for Gray to find a way back inside her own body before Charlene purges her from existence.

*****

This book is intended for older teens.

 *A copy was provided by Nikki Jefford for review purposes*

Freaky Friday gone wrong anybody? Imagine living only every other day. This is what Graylee has to deal with after she dies, only to wake up in her sister's body - except, her sister still uses it too. Eep. Doesn't  this sound horrifying? It is! It's also wildly entertaining.

I'm guilty - again - at having completely forgotten what this book was about when I got around to reading it. I knew it related to witches (which is enough for me) but that is all I could recall. As soon as I was introduced to the witch lore, though, I knew I would really enjoy it: It's the fun kind, the kind that can be employed at the snap of a finger - like in Charmed. I mean, who hasn't wished they could change their outfit, get a glass of water, turn off the lights, all with a simple thought… yeah these examples are totally lame and just plain lazy-making, but you get what I'm saying! Just imagine the possibilities! :D While my curiosity was piqued, I did find the first quarter of the book to be a bit insipid. The pacing was slow, leaving me unsure of where it was getting at. But once Graylee dies, the actual plot makes a sudden appearance and it does not disappoint. It's a fascinating concept, only getting to live every two days. Even moreso when the person whose body you're sharing has become vengeful. It's a thrilling and creative plot-line with quite a bit of clever humor added in which I especially enjoyed.

The story is told from a dual perspective between Graylee and Raj. Graylee is sweet and down-to-earth, but forced to act like her stuck up bitch of a sister. Then on her "off" days, we get to experience what's happening in this shared life through someone else's eyes. This someone being Raj. Raj is our resident bad boy who comes off as a nuisance with dark secrets, and also, he happens to be a wizard. Despite our first impression, Nikki does a wonderful job at making him extremely likeable when we glimpse at his actual personality. He's got the bad-boy vibe that we all secretly adore, but it comes with loyalty and a tenderness that will make you go weak in the knees. This, of course, leads us to a romance that, even though may play only a small role in the book, is solid with a ton of chemistry.

The plot is stimulating, the characters are convincing, but what really gives heart to this story are the various relationship dynamics that you will find scattered in it from page one. From the sisterly rivalry, to the mother's unconditional love, to the peculiar friendships that can be perceived as either real or pretenses; Nikki delivers them all exquisitely. Alongside this, we've got betrayal, jealousy, magic, friendship, death - all powerful themes visited throughout this novel. Although, surprisingly, I'd still consider it an overall light, easy read. One that is highly entertaining and easily enchanting. Being a big fan of witch stories, Entangled quickly topped the chart in my list of favourites, therefore I highly recommend it to young adult paranormal fan, but if you love witches you simply can not pass it up! 

4 Hot Espressos

Crazy Dangerous Tour Stop

Today I've got the Crazy Dangerous blog tour dropping by to give you a sneak peek of the book which released by Thomas Nelsonon May 1st.

Crazy Dangerous
Andrew Klavan
Release date: May 1st, 2012
by Thomas Nelson

Goodreads / Purchase

"You probably want to hear about Jennifer and the demons and how I played chicken with a freight train and—oh yeah—the weird murder and how I found out about it—you're definitely going to want to hear about that. But first, I have to tell you about the stupidest thing I ever did . . ."

Sam Hopkins is bored with his status as a preacher's kid. So when a group of guys notorious for being in trouble offers him friendship, he accepts. Before long, he has several new skills—including hot-wiring cars.

At school, there's an eccentric loner named Jennifer. When Sam defends her from being bullied, she begins to seek him out as her only friend. Her ramblings often seem illogical . . . but then start to contain grains of truth. One leads Sam to discover that one of his new friends has been killed. And then she tells him, "I'm looking for the devil." Sam doesn't know what that means, but he knows it's a matter of life and death that he figure it out.

Everyone else thinks Jennifer is suffering from schizophrenia. But Sam is starting to wonder if there could be something prophetic in her words. Discovering the truth is going to be both crazy and dangerous.

 I haven't read this one yet, but one of my best blogger buddies, Jenni from Alluring Reads, highly recommends it,

click here for her review!

Excerpt 

From Chapter Twenty-One

I tucked my chin into my chest to hide my face. I pushed the cart along the hall, moving as quickly as I could. Sure, I was in disguise, but it wasn’t much of a disguise, was it? I mean, if someone walked by me really fast without paying too much attention, they might not notice anything peculiar. But the second anyone took a closer look at me, I was pretty much toast. A smallish sixteen-year-old kid with his overalls rolled up at the cuffs and sliding down at the sleeves: I must’ve looked like a sixth grader dressed up for Halloween. If I was going to reach Jennifer—if I was going to find out what she’d seen and what she thought was going to happen—I was going to have to do it fast, before anyone spotted me.

Where did I begin to look? I didn’t think there’d be any patients down here in the cellar. The halls were pretty empty. There were no nurses or aides or anything that I could see. Most of the doors were closed, and the few that were open revealed offices, baths, and a furnace room. I figured I had to get upstairs.

Luckily, there were arrows painted on the wall pointing to the elevators. Also luckily, I reached the elevator without bumping into anyone. Even more luckily, no one came by after I pushed the button and stood waiting for the elevator to arrive.

The door opened. The elevator was big, empty. My cart and I both got on. There were only two more floors in the building. I had seen the offices on the first floor, so I guessed that the patients’ rooms would be on the second. I pushed the button for the second floor.

That’s when my luck ran out.

---

Andrew's Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Award winning author, screenwriter and media commentator Andrew Klavan is the author of such internationally bestselling novels as True Crime, filmed by Clint Eastwood, and Don’t Say A Word, filmed starring Michael Douglas. Andrew has been nominated for the Mystery Writers of America’s Edgar Award five times and has won twice. His books have been translated around the world. His latest novel for adults, The Identity Man, has been praised by Nelson Demille as “fast paced, intelligent and thought-provoking; a great read!” Television and radio host Glenn Beck says “Andrew Klavan never disappoints…one of the best illustrations of the power of redemption that I’ve ever read.” His last novel Empire of Lies was about media bias in the age of terror, and topped Amazon.com’s thriller list. Andrew has also published a series of thrillers for young adults, The Homelanders, which follows a patriotic teenager’s battle against jihadists. The books have been optioned to be made into movies by Summit Entertainment, the team behind the mega-successful Twilight film series.

This post is a part of the Crazy Dangerous Blog Tour hosted by YA Bound

Have a look at the full tour schedule here!

Waiting on Wednesday (39)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. 

My pick this week:

Level 2

Lenore Appelhans

Release date: January 15th, 2013

by Simon & Schuster

Add it to your Goodreads

Since her untimely death the day before her eighteenth birthday, Felicia Ward has been trapped in Level 2, a stark white afterlife located between our world and the next. Along with her fellow prisoners, Felicia passes the endless hours downloading memories and mourning what she’s lost—family, friends, and the boy she loved, Neil.

Then a girl in a neighboring chamber disappears, and nobody but Felicia seems to recall she existed in the first place. Something is obviously very wrong. When Julian—a dangerously charming guy Felicia knew in life—comes to offer Felicia a way out, she learns the truth: a rebellion is brewing to overthrow the Morati, the guardians of Level 2.

Felicia is reluctant to trust Julian, but then he promises what she wants the most—to be with Neil again—if only she’ll join the rebels. Suspended between Heaven and Earth, Felicia finds herself in the center of an age-old struggle between good and evil. As memories from her life come back to haunt her, and as the Morati hunt her down, Felicia will discover it’s not just her own redemption at stake… but the salvation of all mankind.

I was all over this cover reveal this week. As soon as I saw it I knew I had to have it. What is it about? Who cares? :D

Yes, eventually I got curious and read the synopsis, and yup, I can get with this!

What are you waiting on?

Link me up! :)

Review: Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne

Monument 14
Emmy Laybourne
Series: Monument 14, #1
Release date: June 5th 2012
by Feiwel & Friends

Goodreads / Purchase

Your mother hollers that you’re going to miss the bus. She can see it coming down the street. You don’t stop and hug her and tell her you love her. You don’t thank her for being a good, kind, patient mother. Of course not—you launch yourself down the stairs and make a run for the corner.

Only, if it’s the last time you’ll ever see your mother, you sort of start to wish you’d stopped and did those things. Maybe even missed the bus.

But the bus was barreling down our street, so I ran.

Fourteen kids. One superstore. A million things that go wrong.

In Emmy Laybourne’s action-packed debut novel, six high school kids (some popular, some not), two eighth graders (one a tech genius), and six little kids trapped together in a chain superstore build a refuge for themselves inside. While outside, a series of escalating disasters, beginning with a monster hailstorm and ending with a chemical weapons spill, seems to be tearing the world—as they know it—apart.

 *A copy was provided by Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for review purposes*

We should all know by now, being stuck in a mall - or a superstore in this case - never EVER ends well. We've all had fantasies as children, imagining the awesome possibilities. Well, it's not all it's cracked up to be! Horror movies tell the truth! So yes, I was super intrigued by the premise of Monument 14 where a bunch of kids get trapped in a superstore to tough out what seems to be the end of the world. I didn't like it as much as I'd hoped, but it's an overall enjoyable read.

One thing that really bothers me about a writing style is when an author constantly feels the need to remind me of facts that has happened: Repeating information to make sure I'm "getting it". This is what I first noticed in this novel. Recapitulations are common and only amounted to making me feel irritated. "because, remember [...]" is even used, in case I wasn't smart enough to have caught on - to something that was particularly major in this case. This is a qualm many readers may not notice or care about, but it's a pet peeve of mine.

Quote I've always loved:
"The audience is only as smart as you allow them to be."

Just saying.

The book starts with a bang. We get acquainted with Dean on a day like any other when it suddenly turns disastrous. Monster hail, a bus crash, injuries, deaths - a pretty exciting starting chapter. After this, however, be prepared for a lot of cooking, sleeping, cleaning; basically playing house. I've talked to others who say it's meant to be a more psychological story, one that concentrates on the pressures of living through such a traumatizing event - and it is, I agree, but I never felt it. Until close to the end, these kids aren't giving off a very distressed vibe. After the initial shock, they all seem comfortable and carefree. Playing with barbies, getting high, pigging out: Indulging themselves with everything a chain store has to offer. I wasn't necessarily bored, but it wasn't an emotionally powerful read up to that point. About 50 pages from the end is where it starts getting more serious with some intense developments and a bleak glimpse beyond the store. The sequel definitely has immense potential.

The lack of a distraught feeling could also be due to the fact that we don't get a whole lot of information about the outside situation. It starts with the monster hail, then we learn of dangerous chemicals in the air, plus several other natural disasters - including a megatsunami. This all sounds highly ominous and sinister, except... we don't know what we're dealing with. What happened? Is this simply going to go away after 6 months as the news says, with things going back to normal and some minor setbacks? I don't think the author successfully achieves to create the strong sense of alarm and dread that was intended. These events are scary - actually, deathly terrifying - in theory, but the lack of suspense throughout 90% of the book makes it feel like they're simply unpleasant inconveniences.

Dean, socially awkward, is a bit of an outsider. I enjoyed his character overall and he's a really good guy, but I didn't find there was a lot of character building. At the beginning I was caught off guard when I learned he was male. It's not made clear until a few pages in and the adjustment took a little bit; I kept forgetting and making him into a girl. I do enjoy male POVs so it wasn't a disappointment, but I didn't find it an especially convincing male perspective. Along with taking a while for his gender to stick, I felt he was very... ordinary. I think the fact that there's such a big cast plays a role in this. We've got quite a few kids to keep track of and I found most of them to be a lot more interesting, taking my attention away from the main character.

It does seem like I have a lot of negativity towards this novel, but all in all I did like it. These mentions don't cause enormous problems in the bigger picture so I was still able to enjoy the story enough to garner a 3-star. I do give final credit to the ending, though, which has definitely upped the ante, giving us quite a bit to look forward to in the sequel.

3 Hot Espressos

Review: This Is Not a Test

This Is Not a Test
Courtney Summers
Release date: June 19th, 2012
by St. Martin's Press

Goodreads / Purchase

It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self. To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up. As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live. But as the days crawl by, the motivations for survival change in startling ways and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life—and death—inside. When everything is gone, what do you hold on to?

*A copy was provided by St. Martin's Press for review purposes*

When someone sees a zombie book there are two reactions: 1) Oh zombies, scary and gory! AwesomeSAUCE! or 2) Ewww zombies! Icky! - pass. So this is a warning: As far as zombie books go, This Is Not A Test has to be one of the tamest. It's not gory, nor is it an adrenaline filled story. Yes there are zombies and it can get intense at times, but funnily enough, it is not about the zombies. It's about a girl who doesn't want to live in this world anymore. She can't keep going with a dad that beats her, and a sister that left her. This book is about finding the will to live in all this melancholy. Surviving in a school with others who only want to make it through this zombocalypse, when all Sloane wants to do is leave. To let the zombies take her away from this unforgiving world.

Even though the zombies almost never make an appearance. It doesn't mean it's not frightening. Courtney weaves them in the always present background; leaving them to our imagination makes them scary in a way no one else can. We don't know what's happening on the outside and with a constant fear of breach, the tension in the story is unmistakable. The unknown is a terrifying illusion. This is the angle Courtney takes to make this book absolutely unnerving.

With half a dozen teenagers in a life or death situation, there is no absence of angst. However, it's not aggravating, it's realism. It was written with such authenticity that you never feel annoyance, only distress. These are not just surface characters, either. This is a gang of teenagers who are experiencing the end of the world; who have lost everyone they ever knew and loved; who just want to make it through to the next day without killing each other - or dying at the hands of the zombies. We get to know these characters to the core, exposed. We see them at their most vulnerable. It's all so raw that you get to care deeply for these people. Even when you're not reading, you're constantly worrying about them; it's mentally exhausting, but truly captivating. These personalities who often clash have to learn to work together if they want to come out of this alive. It's sad, it's heartbreaking, and there's a constant sense of doom in the air. One positive vibe throughout, though, is the hope. These kids make the best of what they have, and you always feel like somehow, things will work out.

This story is one that sticks with you, with an ending that leaves you in a bittersweet mess where you're not sure if you should cry, or simply exhale and let it go. This was my first novel by Courtney Summers, but if this is an example of her writing, I can say she has exceptional talent that I will seek out again with immense anticipation.

5 Hot Espressos