Pants' Books & Stuff!

Ehh, more like 2.5-2.75.

I love Colbert. LOVE him. So I was under the impression that three hours of Colbert would = awesome. Sadly, the writing in this just does not live up to the writing on the show. I think it also partly has to do with the lack of visual cues that the show has (Colbert's body language/facial expressions, as well as the images that often accompany his dialogue), and maybe even the lack of studio audience laughing along. Overall, I was mostly disappointed, but I didn't *hate* it.

(Review originally posted on my livejournal account: http://intoyourlungs.livejournal.com/34203.html)

Why I Read It: Because it's John Green. In 2009, I read and fell in love with Looking For Alaska and since then have read everything that Green has ever published. It's not even just that I love Green's work, but, much like the rest of his fanbase, I'm very enamored with the author himself. He's extremely dedicated to his fans and equally interactive with them. Also, his youtube videos with his brother Hank are hilarious (search "Nerdfighters" on youtube to see what I mean.) It also didn't hurt that reviewers far and wide were hailing this as Green's best novel yet (but I would have purchased and read it regardless. ;) )

So I've been trying to think of what to write for this review that hasn't already been said. This book has been reviewed everywhere it feels like, and with good reason: John Green is an incredibly well-known author and this is a VERY good book. But screw it, I'm just going to talk about the points that have been mentioned everywhere and talk about why they're so true.

So here's one point that's been mentioned ad nauseum in the many reviews I've already read: this book will make you laugh as well as make you cry. This is so very very true. Hazel is incredibly sardonic, but she is FUNNY, even when she's making cancer jokes. Augustus is equally funny and pumps out the cancer jokes as fast as Hazel, making the two of them paired together SUPER funny. So yes, there's all this Funny, but there is also a lot of Sad. This being a book about teenagers with cancer, it's not surprising that a Sad Thing happens, and no, I will not spoil said Sad Thing, but let me tell you... it is sad. What I found surprising about this is that I predicted very early on what this Thing would be, so when it actually happens, I wasn't SURPRISED, but I still found myself crying about it. You would think that it feeling somewhat predictable would prevent me from having such an emotional reaction, but I became so attached to Hazel and Augustus that the Sad revelation still felt like a punch to the stomach.

Another point that's been mentioned over and over again is how this novel does indeed fairly the John Green Formula: we have ridiculously precocious teenagers who constantly have Deep And Meaningful Conversations fall in love (though the romance aspect IS different than the typical Green novel -- his protagonists tend to pine after people who are largely unattainable -- this is definitely not the case here), and they go on a journey and there's a lot of self-discovery. BUT, it does have a female protagonist, a first for Green, and he really pulled off Hazel's voice. So yeah, it mostly followed the typical John Green formula, but I didn't care because it was SO GOOD.

Third point that's been mentioned ad nauseum in reviews: "This is a book about teens with cancer without being a book about cancer." Also true. Yes, Hazel and Augustus have cancer and this obviously affects many aspects of their life, but this never devolves into an "issue" book. Hazel's already come to terms with the fact that she's going to die young, so there's much more of a focus on how she wants to live her life NOW. There's also very little angsting, despite the incredibly crappy situation she's in. Also, the above mentioned cancer jokes help keep this from being a "cancer book". I'm not articulating myself very well, but what I'm trying to say is that it's much more Hazel and Augustus's story than it being a story about their fight against cancer.

Final Judgment: Final point that's been said ad nauseum in other reviews: this is John Green's best work yet. And again, I completely agree. From the characters (who are totally lovable despite being so damn precocious for their ages), to the writing, (which is beautiful and has some of the best passages/lines I've read in a long time), to the handling of the subject matter (kids with cancer *without* being an "issue book"), to the balance of humour and sadness makes for one heck of a book. The hype around this book is completely justified, and I urge anyone and everyone to pick it up.

THAT ENDING!! Can I have Just One Year NOW?? Pretty please??

Something reminded me of this book today for some reason and I decided to see if I could find it on Goodreads! I think I read this in 7th grade (about ten years ago) so I was definitely than the targeted demographic, but I loved it anyway -- I thought it was really cute.

That last line!! Loved it. :) Full review to come.

Very tempted to give this five-stars. I can't wait for the last book!! Review to come.

I usually love FLB. :( I sometimes wonder if I'm just growing out of her stuff though. I'm also not in the best reading frame-of-mind right now because I'm so busy with school, which has been making me a much more impatient reader.

Why I Read It: This summer, I read My Life as a White Trash Zombie and Even White Trash Zombies Get the Blues, both by Rowland. I enjoyed them so much that I decided to try out her Karen Gillian series as well.

You'll have to pardon how... sloppy this review is likely to be. I haven't written a review since the end of August, and that's around when I finished this book as well. So, I'm a little rusty and my memory of this book are lacking (especially since I felt pretty ambivalent about the whole thing, but more on that in a bit.)

All right, so, this book. It starts off with a bang and I felt like we started off on the right foot. But things got kind of rocky when Karen accidentally summons the dangerous demon Rhyzkhal. At first, Karen thinks she's in horrible danger, but then... they have sex? It was clear that Karen was having some kind of magic being worked on her, but the whole scene made me incredibly uncomfortable. The way that their.. err.. relationship developed over the course of the novel continued to creep me out as well. Karen knows that Rhyzkhal is dangerous, but she likes that his fascination with sexxing her makes her feel wanted. Just... I dunno, I understand the feeling I guess, but the whole thing made me feel kind of icky, which was an deterrent of my wholly enjoying this novel. I do want to note however, that Rhyzkhal is never presented as "sexy", really, and by the end of the book he's obviously quite dangerous and not someone to be lusted after. I appreciated that, though I have a feeling that will change in later books.

Thankfully Rhyzkhal isn't actually around all that often which allowed for the plot to focus more on its urban fantasy/mystery elements. Since it's been so long since I read this I actually don't remember the details of the mystery. I do remember that I didn't guess who was behind the whole thing (I actually don't remember anymore who was behind it... but I was preoccupied with moving and starting grad school when I read this so I'm going to blame that), and that I liked the plot. Something I greatly appreciated was how the police procedures were explained and used in the plot -- it turns out that Rowland used to be very involved in law enforcement and it shows (it turns out she also used to be a morgue assistant, which is evident in her White Trash Zombie series.)

I remember liking Kara okay. A part of me could relate to her because of her loneliness and isolation and I liked that she has a female friend who she's close to (though sort of superficially, since she only really sees said female friend at work.) Kara is passionate about her job, which is largely dominated by males, so watching her navigate through this and persevering makes her likable and endeared her to me.

The magic system present was kind of cool. There are definitely other UF series that have demons in them, but I don't recall ever coming across summoners, so that was fun.

Overall though, while was fun, I don't remember ever feeling like I *loved* it. I haven't felt the need to read the rest of the series (though I may one day, I'm in no rush to do so). which I think demonstrates my overall ambivalence to it, but it's certainly not bad.

Final Verdict: If you're into UF, this may be worth checking out though it definitely didn't wow me. It was good fun, but I've forgotten almost everything about it (which is why this review is so sloppy. Sorry!) I remember it having a decent mystery, the police procedures are described realistically, Kara is a likable MC and watching her push her struggles made it easy to root for her. I may check out the rest of the series one day, but I'm in no particular rush to do so at the moment.

Review originally posted here.

Why I Read It: I've been plowing through this series for the past couple of weeks, so of course I had to read this latest installment. Spoiler-free review ahead.

This series is so addicting and so so fun. It features a strong heroine and a rollicking adventure -- common elements threading this series together -- but it's different enough from its predecessors to stand on its own and it's a formula that works really well (though I hesitate to word it quite like that because 'formulaic' entails some negative connotations that I wouldn't attribute to this book, or series as a whole.)

This book features Andan Cly, who was initially introduced in Boneshaker, as a main character as well as his lost love, Josephine Early. I liked Cly since he was first introduced, so I was excited that he got a whole novel dedicated to him and his air-pirate shenanigans (well, he's trying to give up that life, but his adventure in this book is kind of like his last hurrah.) Josephine was an equally compelling heroine, even though she hadn't had any page-time in previous books. She's like Briar Wilkes in a lot of ways -- she's strong-willed, stubborn, independent and tough as old leather -- but she's still very much her own person and I would never confuse the two. Josephine was almost all the traits I just mentioned, but amplified because of her situation (being a coloured and independent woman.)

There is a bit of romance in the novel, but it's really downplayed and is between Andan and Briar, not Andan and Josephine, despite having had a relationship about a decade before. The relationship between Andan and Josephine was really well executed. They never get back together and there's never any question if they will or won't, which I appreciated; these characters are grown adults and they act like it, and while meeting again after so long is initially awkward for them, they behave maturely and like people their age.

The adventure itself, navigating the Ganymede (which is a submarine), was a lot of fun and takes up a good chunk of the final third of the novel. I really enjoyed reading it, and while I had no doubt that the characters would make it through, that didn't lessen the excitement. Save for this book, I've yet to read a novel set in a submarine, so that was a fun change of pace.

As for the alternative history elements, I'm not at all familiar with the Civil War (I know I should be, but eh, I'm Canadian), let alone the nitty gritty details, so even when things deviated a lot from the truth, I could never tell. Priest does provide an awesome afterword though that details aspects of the story that were based on history and how they deviated from history. It also provided some insight into Ruthie's character (which I won't go into detail here because of spoilers, but I initially found a revelation about her character to be shoe-horned into the plot, despite the good intentions; the afterword assuaged my reservations about it though.)

Final Verdict: This was another fun installment in the Clockwork Century series. It features a similar blend of Strong Heroine and Rollicking Adventure that I've come to associate these books with, but it always uses these elements in different enough ways that it never feels repetitive. I liked seeing Andan Cly get his own book, and his relationship with Josephine was well executed; they have awesome banter and clearly still respect one another, but it never treads romantic territory, which I liked. The adventure in the submarine Ganymede was a ton of fun to read as well. I can't wait for The Inexplicables to come out this November.

Originally reviewed here.

Why I Read It: I had just finished Liar and Spy and was looking up on Rebecca Stead and discovered that she had published a book before When You Reach Me. My local library had it in their catalog, so I decided to check it out. Spoiler-free review ahead.

>Rebecca Stead, I LOVE YOU. Seriously, she writes good stuff guys.

This book is much more action-oriented than her two other works (which are much more subtle in execution) but it is equally fantastic. Having the story take place in a northern setting (Greenland) was interesting in and of itself, but then including a people who live INSIDE an iceberg as well? So so cool. I think I would have been in love with this book had I read it when I was younger. Being older, I kept questioning the feasibility of such a civilization, but it was really fun regardless.

There is fantasy in this book, and while it's blatant, it's also in small doses. Though I'm curious about how the magic worked. The people who live in the icebergs live there because they were run-out for being associated with witchcraft, but some of their magic is associated with the dogs (Thea can "hear" them), so I wonder what led people to become aware of their more-than-human abilities. I also wish the history of the people had been expounded on a little more, than what is offered is adequate enough to quench the curiosity of younger readers.

This is a short review, but this is also a rather short book. It's full of adventure and excitement, but also offers careful exploration of more subtle themes that I've come to associate with Stead. It isn't her best work, but her best work is pretty frikken good, and this is her debut novel, so I'm more than happy with it.

Final Verdict: This debut novel by Stead is much more action oriented than her second and third books, but it still offers a careful exploration of themes, such as identity and finding oneself. There is fantasy, but it's on the light side. While I would have loved this as a child, my grown-up self couldn't help but question the plausibility of some of the aspects of the plot, but that doesn't make it any less fun. This isn't my favourite of Stead's work, but I still really enjoyed it regardless.

Originally reviewed here.

Why I Read It: I've had a declining relationship with Melissa Marr's work. Back in 2008, I read and LOVED Wicked Lovely; I enjoyed, though not to the same extent, Ink Exchange and Fragile Eternity; I was very ambivalent about Radiant Shadows and I've yet to be compelled to read Darkest Mercy. I really didn't enjoy her adult offering Graveminder, which I read last year. I told myself that I was done with her work. But then I saw the lovely cover for Carnival of Souls and found an ARC of it at work that no one else wanted. So I took it home and decided to read it this month, as it's going to be released on September 4th. I don't really want to give away spoilers, as the book isn't even out yet, so this review will be spoiler-free.

The first few chapters of this book had me kind of excited. Within those first dozen pages, we get someone's POV and then that someone is KILLED. Brutally!! I thought "Aw yeah, this book means business." But then... it just kind of went downhill.

I'm not trying to make any accusations here, but I wonder how much Melissa Marr had been influenced by what's popular in YA right now when writing this. It bears a few resemblances to two books that have been massively popular in that demographic right now, primarily The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and Daughter of Smoke and Bone. We have a people who enter a competition (though in this case, willingly) in which to have to fight to the death and be the last standing in order to win the prize. We also have a fantasy world, in which two "races", the witches and the daimons, were at war and still have incredible prejudice for one another; there's also a secondary world alongside earth where a lot of these beings live. However, those are the only similarities to the two works, so maybe I'm just looking into it too much. But I couldn't help but think: "This is like the lovechild of Hunger Games and Daughter of Smoke and Bone."

Marr doesn't pull off either aspect as well as Collins or Taylor though. There isn't nearly the same amount of tension in regards to the tournament because upper-caste people can pull out at any time, so I never felt like Aya, one of the POV characters, was in any kind of danger. Kaleb doesn't have that luxury, so his fate was much more uncertain, but I ended up not caring about him a whole lot anyway. As for the fantasy world that Marr has created, it's not nearly as well thought-out, nor does it have that spark of originality that Taylor imbued in her world. I also felt like there were a lot of holes in it.

But this is where I'll stop comparing Marr to other authors; this is her work and should be evaluated on its own merits.

One of the things that really bugged me about this novel though was how it failed to adequately explore some of the heavier themes it presents, most notably the idea that women in the world of the Carnival are born to be Breeders and if they fail to do that they aren't real women. While I think this problem is maybe a bit outdated in the Western World, it may be a gateway for younger readers to read a dialogue challenging gender roles, etc. But despite having Aya be a character who is trying to avoid the fate of being a Breeder (to the point where she'll "kill" and then enslave the man she apparently loves), her story never actually challenges being a Breeder or gender roles at all. She's avoiding getting married and having children for entirely different reasons, and that's fine and dandy. But then the text never actually challenges gender roles AT ALL, which is what it looked like it was initially set out to do with Aya's character. This was disappointing, to say the least.

Then there's Kaleb and Mallory's story. Mallory was the least interesting character in the whole story. She's a timid girl who's spelled by her adoptive father to obey him no matter what (but he does it because he loves her obvs), and she can shoot guns. And she likes Kaleb. That's the extent of her characterization. The relationship between her and Kaleb TRIES to be more than insta-love and like every other paranormal romance, but it isn't. Her and Kaleb have a CONNECTION which they cannot help, and while Mallory constantly tells Kaleb that NO, he doesn't love her because they don't even know each other, she doesn't really seem to really mean it. And then Kaleb does something really shitty at the end of the book, and again reinforces the subtext that women are allowed to be subjected to the whims of men and this is okay. Seriously, he does something REALLY UNCOOL and the subtext never points out how shitty this act is. It was infuriating.

I debated several times to just put this book down and leave it, but there was also something compulsively readable about it, even when it was not very good and really pissing me off. It's written in a very accessible style characteristic of YA and there's enough going on that it's never BORING; it just isn't particularly GOOD.

Oh, and if you're looking for a satisfying, not-cliffhanger ending, you won't find it here. Saying it's a cliff-hanger is giving it too much credit; it just ends. This is an ARC though, so that may change by the time it's published. I sure hope so.

Final Verdict: *sigh* Melissa Marr, I want to like your books. I REALLY DO. I keep trying them and hoping I'll like them and just end up disappointed. This book had such a cool cover, and I know that rarely equates into a good book, but the beginning of this one was so promising. I thought I was going to get a cool gritty contemporary fantasy. Instead, I got a book that presents gender roles and then doesn't bother to challenge them at all, insipid and boring characters, and a paranormal romance that tries really hard to not be run-of-the-mill but ultimately is. Unless you're a hardcore Marr fan, I suggest passing this one over. As for me? I highly doubt I'll continue with this series. There was just too much that rubbed me the wrong way.

Originally reviewed here.

Why I Read It: This was the September selection for calico_reaction's Theme Park Book Club, the theme being "Kick-Assitude!" I was quite happy to be reading this, as it was my vote in the poll. Spoiler-free review ahead!

This book took me by surprise. Looking at the cover, you think it's going to be a fun and humourous romp in zombie fiction (which I thought was nice, as zombie fiction is usually full of Very Serious stories, a lot of which I like too, but it's always nice to read something different, ya know?) I did get some humour, but what I mostly got was a rather touching story of a young woman getting a second chance at life, when life initially dealt her a shitty hand. I'm still surprised by how touched I was by this story.

What really holds this story together is our heroine, Angel Crawford. I loved Angel. LOVED HER. The thing is, that yeah, she WAS a loser. She really was "white trash", but she is so incredibly sympathetic. Yeah, she makes a ton of shitty decisions (dropping out of school, pill-popping, "dating" Reggie), but she knows they're shitty decisions. But Rowland did a wonderful job of presented the cyclical nature of the circumstances surrounding Angel. When you grow up in the kind of household she did, breaking free from your history and making a new life for yourself is never easy, and while Angel certainly has the power to make the right decisions and to break free from her circumstances, it's by far the harder path to tread. Watching her make a comeback though as a zombie and setting her life straight made me really happy; I wanted to see her succeed and I wanted to see her make something of herself. And you have to love the irony of Angel only really starting to live her life after she's died.

What helps make Angel such a great character is her narrative voice. She's very self-deprecating, and while she usually tries to illicit a laugh at her own expense, her self-depravity is also really sad and just made me feel more sympathetic for her. Rowland hit the nail on the head with Angel's psychological makeup, especially with her habit to impose blame on herself for things that aren't her fault. She is funny when she wants to be (though I never had any laugh-out-loud moments), and her voice felt very distinct and authentic; you could disguise the cover of this book and I would know what I was reading because Angel's voice is that distinctive.

So yeah, Angel was great and her character arc is what largely carried this story for me. There are so many scenes I could point to that made me FEEL for Angel (ie. when Angel's dad calls from prison asking her to bail him out and she says no -- that was effing heart-breaking) and I loved this book for that.

The plot itself was engaging enough as well. The mystery surrounding Angel's being turned into a zombie and the events that led up to it kept me glued to the pages, though it took the story awhile to REALLY address those questions. The other mystery of people being beheaded takes center stage for the most part, though it does eventually tie in with Angel more closely and does so in a satisfying way. The rest of the story consists mostly of readers reading about Angel's new life, adjusting to being a zombie and the needs that accompany it, and making connections with new people, all of which I enjoyed to varying degrees.

I found the world-building behind the zombies strange. Not only are Rowland's zombies sentient and can think for themselves, but they can actually pass off as non-zombies as long as they keep eating brains. It's enough to roll with though, if you're willing to let go of any pre-conceived notions you have about zombies. Speaking of the brains, Rowland wrote some of the most disgusting and stomach-turning descriptions of brains and the eating thereof. There was one scene where angel describes a brain as bread-pudding, and it's a PERFECT description, but it made me feel kind of ill, so kudos for that (because I think being grossed out by brains is kind of the point -- I'm also really hard to gross out, especially with prose.)

Final Verdict: The cover of this book may lead you to believe you're diving into a humorous take on your favourite flesh-eaters, and while this book does offer some humour, it also ended up being a pretty emotionally-charged read for me as well. Angel's character arc is one riddled with heart-ache, and watching her break free of the circumstances she was born into made me have some FEELS. I found Angel to be a really likable character, so this arc was ultimately very fulfilling and heart-warming for me, though perhaps your mileage may vary. Rowland's zombies are very different from the ones I've seen in movies and read about in books, but the concept was enough to roll with once I got past those pre-conceived notions. All in all, I really enjoyed this novel -- a lot more than I thought I would -- and have already bought the sequel, Even White Trash Zombies Get the Blues, which I plan on reading soon.

Originally reviewed here.

Why I Read It: I really enjoyed Rebecca Stead's sophomore novel When You Reach Me, which I read last year. As soon as this was released I sign it out of the bookstore I work at. Spoiler-free review ahead.

This book has quite a few similarities to When You Reach Me: we have an MC who's been estranged from his best friend; an MC who's parents are largely absent; an NY setting. However, despite these likenesses, these are two very different stories, though this book explores its themes with the same deft hand that Stead demonstrated in WYRM.

I think where some readers (especially younger readers) will have a hard time is that the characters in this book aren't as likable as the ones from WYRM. Safer's odd behaviour is not of the quirky/endearing variety (I was especially frustrated with the way he treated his brother and sister). There's nothing that's in-your-face about this finely crafted story (and it is a very finely crafted story), and I'm also curious how that would resonate with younger readers; I personally thought it was great, but I'm also older. But I'm also not giving that age-group enough credit; I'm sure there's an audience for this book.

Stead really hits the nail on the head when talking about tween experiences though; the loneliness and just how hard it is to really find your place. I loved the metaphor with the painting from the artist that Georges (the 's' is silent) is named after, and how that metaphor was liked at from both sides. I love the quiet beauty of Stead's prose, and how it's simple but also full of meaning and feeling. She really is a great writer, and I'm glad someone like her is writing for a middle-grade audience (despite my concerns mentioned above).

My favourite part of this book was easily the ending. The way that Georges deals with the bullying he's experiencing at school was maybe a little too easy, but it's dealt with in a such a GOOD way and escaped being heavy-handed and corny. And the two "twists" that happened near the end really took me by surprise, though when you think back it's easy to see all the clues peppered throughout the text, making the twist appear inevitable and had me wondering how I missed them in the first place. They were heart-breaking reveals in some ways, but were ultimately hopeful.

Final Verdict: Some of the characters in this book weren't quite as likable from Stead's previous novel, When You Reach Me, but it's still a finely crafted novel that has an ending that will totally take you by surprise. The prose is accessible, but also incredibly subtle, making this a great read for kids and older readers alike. This book has cemented me as a Rebecca Stead fan, and I'll definitely read whatever else she puts out. :)

Originally reviewed here.

Why I Read It: I became a fan of Louise Rennison about three summers ago when I devoured her Georgia Nicholson series. I was very happy and excited when she released the first book of her Tallulah Casey series, Withering Tights. While I didn't love the first installment in this new series quite as much as Georgia, it was enough to make me want to come back for more. So shortly after this second book was released, it was brought into my public library and I promptly signed it out. Spoiler-free review ahead.

Before starting out to write this review, I checked out my review of Withering Tights, just to refresh my memory on some thoughts I had on it and to see how they compared to what I thought of this installment in the series. And what I found is that they were mostly the same: this is a fun, light-hearted series, but it lacks characterization and isn't quite as funny as Rennison's Georgia Nicholson series.

I mentioned in my first review that Tallulah isn't quite as funny as her cousin Georgia, but definitely more likable and relatable. That remains true in this story as well, as well as the fact that while Lullah is certainly curious about boys and would like to find a boyfriend, she isn't boy-obsessed. Actually, I was really happy with the way that Rennison dealt with some of the situations Lullah found herself in with some boys, case in point, the kiss Lullah and guy-friend Charlie shared at the end of the first novel, only to be told that he already has a girlfriend. I'm not going to go into any further detail, but I applauded the way Tallulah handled the situation; she's obviously awkward and doesn't know QUITE what to do, but she also holds her head high. And when the time comes to really talk about with Charlie, the two learn to become friends and she doesn't hold a grudge (though I think the relationship between the two of them will further explored in future books.)

However, while Tallulah is an enjoyable character to read about, her friends at the academy lack depth and characterization. One of my complaints about Withering Tights was that I couldn't differentiate all her friends from one another and it holds true in this book as well. The only thing that helped me keep some of them straight was one defining trait (ie. Honey having a lisp; Jo being very short; other than that, I couldn't tell you who was who) and nothing else. Where this affects the story is that when things happened to the girls as a group, such as Honey being scouted and moving to Hollywood, it was hard to bring myself to care because I still don't know these girls. BUT, it is nice to read some YA (even if it's the younger spectrum of YA) where female friendship is featured so prominently.

The plot this time had a tighter focus, and was a little more than Tallulah going to school and kissing boys. This time, the fate of Dother Hall is at stake, and the novel takes place over a much shorter period of time, which made for a tighter and more focused plot. It's still fluffy and fun and ridiculous, but it still felt more fine-tuned than Withering Tights. Some of the developments in this book, mostly regarding asshole bad-boy Cain, were predictable, but still entertaining and leading to some funny moments. It'll be interesting to see what happens in the next book, because while I do have my reservations, I'm definitely coming back for more.

Final Verdict: Most of my complaints/reservations that I had for the first book in this series still stand in this second volume: while I really like Tallulah as a main character, her friends at Dother Hall lack characterization to the point where I can't even tell them apart unless they have one glaring trait that's impossible to ignore. The plot was much tighter and focused, which was nice, and there were some interesting albeit predictable developments that I found quite amusing. I plan on continuing the series, and I'm excited to see where Tallulah ends up next -- I just hope I get to know some of the secondary characters a bit better in future volumes.

Review originally posted here.

Why I Read It: Anna Dressed in Blood was far from being a favourite of mine, but I enjoyed it enough to pick up the ARC of the sequel I had received from a manager at work. This review will have inevitable spoilers for Anna Dressed in Blood, though none for Girl of Nightmares.

Some of the few less-than stellar reviews I saw for Anna Dressed in Blood came back for second offerings with Girl of Nightmares and ended up LOVING it. I was really hoping that I would experience this as well, but alas, it was not meant to be. I still liked this book well enough, but I'll never love this series with the same fervor as everyone else.

First off, to be at all invested in the story in this second book, you have to be invested in the doomed romance of Anna and Cas. If you read my review for Anna Dressed in Blood, you'll already know that I wasn't. I liked both characters just fine on their own, but together? I couldn't see it. With that said, this entire book is about Cas finding out if Anna is okay since sacrificing herself to save the others from the Obeahman, and then subsequently attempting to rescue her from whatever dimension she's been sent to. I was all for saving Anna; I liked Anna! But reading about Cas's near obsessiveness with discovering how to help her didn't illicit much sympathy. Sure, I felt bad because I felt bad for ANNA, but I didn't feel bad for the heartache that Cas was experiencing.

The origins of that knife that Cas carries around everywhere is explained more, but I seriously found the whole Order thingie weird and didn't make much sense to me. For one, Cas has always seemed to be working solo. Yeah, he's got his British father figure helping him out all the time, but he was definitely never under the direction of some higher-ups or anything. Yet, when Cas eventually goes to Britain seeking answers, it's discovered that the Order is in fact hoping to "replace" him. Uh, what? Why would they even need to replace him? Why not just send in his replacement (some girl who's name I can't remember) out in the field and get her killing some ghosts in the UK? Why can there only be one? I know it had something to do with him owning the knife and it being imbued with the blood of his ancestors or something, but I honestly found the explanations so muddled and riddled with holes that I can't make heads or tails of it anymore.

But again, despite having these rather large complaints, I can't say that I didn't enjoy this book at all, because I did. They're fun, they're mindless, and they're a great way to pass the time when you want something a little different. Cas also continued to be a great narrator; despite having made friends and settled down a little, he's still Cas. His awkwardness in certain situations was amusing, but you can tell that he really does care about his friends, even when he doesn't show it in the same ways as other people might.

Final Verdict: Me and this duology are obviously just not a very good match. I like them okay but I doubt I'll be pressing them into the hands of others. While Cas was still a great narrator in this installment, I just wasn't invested enough in the relationship he established with Anna in the previous book to care about this storyline as much I maybe should have. Also, there were some world-building issues and inconsistencies in internal logic that threw me off. They're still fun books, but they ultimately ended up being a mildly fun distraction for me and not much more.

Review originally published here.

Why I Read It: I've been seeing a ton of glowing reviews for this all over the web. It helped that the cover caught my eye as well. Also, I don't think Horror is done very often in YA, so I was curious. Luckily, one of my managers at work got a finished copy of this and an ARC of the sequel, Girl of Nightmares, and wasn't interested in reading it, so she passed them on to me! There are some minor spoilers ahead (sort of).

I'm not too sure how to review Anna because my reaction to the book was quite different from (what feels like) everyone else. I liked it okay, but I hardly loved it.

But let's start with the good: Thesseus Cassio, Cas for short, is a good narrator. I think Blake nailed the male voice decently, and while Cas isn't exactly likable, it's not agonizing being stuck in his POV either. He starts off as a bit of a stuck-up jackass, but over the course of the novel he warms up to a few people who he learns to call friends, and that was endearing. His wry manner of speaking, while not laugh-out-loud funny, are genuinely amusing.

Where I started to trip up was where the titular Anna Dressed in Blood is concerned. At first, Anna is terrifying. She eviscerates a teenager for stepping into her haunted house! There are blood and guts everywhere! OMG. But then for some reason she doesn't attack Cas?? She is completely normal around Cas. Why is this?? I don't recall it ever being explained. Then we're explained why he eviscerates people for stepping into her house, and while some people found that story incredibly sad, I had a hard time getting behind it. Why was Anna's mom so crazy?? Seriously, who would do something like that to their daughter? I want more motivation than "My daughter was going to a dance in a pretty dress! THAT WHORE!!"

Then the romance. This is where things get mildly spoilery, but it's revealed so soon in the story that I wouldn't say it's THAT spoilery. I put spoiler tags, just in case. But anyway, Cas develops a bit of a crush on Anna. Why do you ask? I... seriously don't know. He WATCHES her while she rips a guy in half, and yeah, Anna doesn't have control over it, but that should seriously mess someone up, even someone as hardened as Cas. And the things he finds attractive about her were strange.. like her bottomless pit of eyes, or the dark creepy veins that would appear on her skin when she was going Bad. I don't see how this is sexy, but Cas is an odd type I guess. Anyway, my point is that I couldn't get behind the romance, even though I liked both the characters individually.

I found the reveal of the villain at the end of the story confusing as well. It's been almost two weeks since I finished the book, which is partly to blame, but even while reading I kept thinking: "Did I miss something?" The origin of Cas's Ghost Killing Knife Thingie was also confusing (it's explained more in the second book, but it didn't clear that much up for me, but that's for another review.)

However, despite all these qualms and complains, this book is still fun. I still liked it, even while I was picking it apart. I was still a little bummed out I couldn't love it as unconditionally as many others have appeared though. Ah well!

Final Verdict: This was a case of "like" instead of "love". Cas is an enjoyable narrator, even if he isn't wholly likable, and his personal arc was fun to read. Where I had problems with the story was the lack of explanation for Anna's curse not working when it came to Cas, and the relationship between Anna and Cas (which I just couldn't get behind.) The story itself was fun enough for me to look beyond all these complaints, but they're still present regardless.