Silk: A Rambling Review (Adult)

Silk by Alessandro Baricco

2.5 stars, perhaps? This story is simply written, and if you think about it, not much happens plot-wise. It's basically about a man who travels to Japan multiple times for his silk worm business, and is immediately attracted to a woman he meets but who he never exchanges a single spoken word with. This book is... odd. The writing is sparse, simple, and detached, yet somewhat repetitive. The reader is given very few details about the man's life, or his mindset, or the historical setting, or the silk worm business. Yet the book has its own sense of the poetic at times, conveying feelings of longing and wonderings of 'what could have been.' 

There's also a twist at the end that I didn't pick up on. However, this story revolves around someone who is married and essentially cheating on his wife (if not physically, then mentally/emotionally), which is something I generally don't like to read about in my books. The reader is kept at a distance from Herve's thoughts and intentions, so I never understood why he was making the choices he was (he seemed to love his wife very much, after all). There was also an aspect of the story that was made much of but never explained (spoiler, highlight to read: we never find out how the young woman who was not of Japanese heritage ended up in Japan).

Plus, Herve continually refers to the woman he meets in Japan as having the "face of a girl", and as he is obviously attracted to her, this came across as kinda...icky.

2.5 shooting stars (and that's being generous).

Allegiant: A Rambling Review

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Okay, I finally read it. I don't even know how I managed to go this long without getting totally spoiled for the ending (spoilers, highlight to read: although the way people talked about it, I was pretty sure one of the two main characters was going to die... I kinda suspected it would be Four, though!) 

Anyway, my thoughts: for a final book in a trilogy, I found this strangely boring and uneventful. Like, it's 526 pages, and for about 400 of those, nothing much happens...? It was also less epic than I was expecting, like it felt surprisingly small-scale to me. Usually in the final book of a dystopian series everything gets dealt with on a larger-scale (I mean, look at the Hunger Games series). 

I was kind of annoyed about the Tris/Tobias drama that crops up in here (didn't we deal with that enough in book 2?), although it did provide some interesting glimpses into the psychology of their characters and relationship. But the tension between them felt rather manufactured, as though it was a substitute for the lack of tension in the rest of the story. I didn't feel like there was really a "big bad guy" in this book, an enemy to root against. The Bureau, I guess? But they just seemed sort of lacklustre and bland. 

And don't get me started on some of the plotholes here. I mean, for starters, the explanation for how the world became this way doesn't seem scientifically feasible in the slightest. Spoilers: genetic manipulation of huge numbers of adults? And then correcting them all? But not really correcting them, I guess, and then relying on behavioural modification to address this? Like...what??? How would that even work? It really didn't make sense. But even putting that aside, there are still basic plot points that seem very weak. More spoilers: like, um, if David is clever enough to figure out that Tris and the others are planning something, wouldn't he be clever enough to inoculate himself with the antidote to the memory serum ahead of time? Also, what is the expiry date on that stuff? Because it sounds like it wears off fairly quickly...? And also, why would the Bureau store the memory serum in such a way that a simple password and the press of a button would release it INTO THE BUREAU???? Like why is that even a possibility??? They would, one imagines, never want that to happen. Yet it sounded like it was built right into how the stuff was stored. I mean, the Bureau was seriously really bad at its job, because it was way too easy for Tris' group to rebel.

I liked some of the realizations that various characters in this book came to about life, as there were some kernels in there that felt authentic and true. But most of this book just ended up seeming pretty pointless. I know a lot of readers were upset by this final book (even more spoilers: I'm assuming because Tris dies? Honestly, I felt like that ending that was very true to Tris' character -- the sacrifice for her brother, anyway. The part about being shot to death by David, a man we barely got to know during this third book, did not lend it particular significance), but overall I just felt irritated by the execution of the majority of the storyline, especially given that it's the final book in the series. It feels like it went out not with a bang, but a whimper.


2.5 shooting stars.

 

 

The Scorpion Rules: A Rambling Review

The Scorpion Rules by Erin Bow

I thought the premise of this one sounded really cool, and I enjoyed the first part of it, but ultimately it didn't end up working that well for me. A lot of it was pretty slow-paced for a dystopian book (with the exception of a chunk in the middle where a whole lot happens), and it just went so *dark*. I know with a dystopian you can't expect all rainbows and butterflies, but a little more levity in some places might have helped. I also started to dislike most of the characters as the book went on — I found Greta's voice melodramatic in parts, I wasn't big on either of the romantic relationships she is involved in, and for some reason I really found Talis irritating (although maybe we're supposed to?). I would have liked to have seen more of Greta's relationship with her mother — we are only given a glimpse of that, and yet the premise of the novel hinges on a parent's love for their child. 

Admittedly, I took a break from reading it towards the end, and when I picked it back up again I just wasn't really feeling it. If I hadn't gotten most of the way through it already, and felt like I should finish it and write some thoughts on it, I'm not sure I would have. The last few chapters are definitely more interesting, since Greta undergoes a very important change (spoiler, highlight to read: she is transformed into an AI... weirdly, I think I liked her better with her AI personality/voice versus her human one), so my curiosity is mildly piqued for the sequel... but I'm not sure it's really enough to keep me going with the series. I'll have to check out the general reaction to book 2 and see how other readers respond. 

2.5 shooting stars.

 

*Note: I received this book as an ARC from the publisher for review.

 

Short & Sweet: Blackwood

Blackwood by Gwenda Bond

This was such a weird story. I liked some aspects of it — Miranda and Phillips were likeable characters with a cute romance, and the set-up of the mystery was kinda creepy — but I feel like it became more of a muddled slog towards the middle. Some of it just got too over-the-top in what seemed almost like a parody of horror elements, and then one part of the villainous plot was just foiled so easily. Also, everybody who learned about the existence of magic/alchemy/whatever-you-want-to-call-it accepted it too quickly. Where were the modern-day skeptics to be found?

2.5 shooting stars.

 

Come See About Me: A Snapshot

Come See About Me by C.K. Kelly Martin

"Twenty-year-old Leah Fischer's been in a state of collapse since the moment police arrived on her Toronto doorstep to inform her that boyfriend Bastien was killed in a car accident. After flunking out of university and cutting herself off from nearly everyone she knows, Leah's saved by Bastien's aunt who offers her a rent-free place to stay in a nearby suburban town.

Initially Leah keeps to herself, with no energy for anyone or anything else, but it's not long before her nurturing neighbours begin to become fixtures in Leah's life and a much needed part-time job forces her to interact with other members of the community. And when Leah is faced with another earth-shattering event, her perspective on life begins to shift again. Soon Leah's falling into a casual sexual relationship with Irish actor Liam Kellehan, who has troubles of his own, even as she continues to yearn for her dead boyfriend. Clearly she's not the person she thought she was—and maybe Liam isn't either." (from Goodreads)

The subject: a 20-year-old girl dealing with the aftermath of the death of her boyfriend.

The setting: primarily the small town of Oakville, Ontario (yay for a Canadian setting! It's nice to actually get a lot of the references for once.)

Shutter speed: a snail's pace. Unfortunately, this book really dragged for me (admittedly I was in a bit of a reading slump, which probably didn't help matters). Perhaps the author wanted to keep the realism factor high, but most of what Leah discusses is very typical, day-to-day kind of stuff. Can I relate to having to go to the dentist or the supermarket? Sure. Do I want to read about it? ...Not really.  

What's in the background? Some true-to-life personal insights about things like grief and connecting to others. I think C.K. Kelly Martin nailed it in terms of highlighting these nuggets of truth without being patronizing.

Zoom in on: Leah's friendships (aside from Liam) and interactions with her parents. 

Also, it would've been nice to have some more humor (provided by side characters, if not Leah) since the tone of the story weighs quite heavily towards the serious, depressing end of the spectrum. 

Anything out of focus? The relationship between Leah and Liam. Their no-strings-attached, friends-with-benefits "understanding" made this less about romance and more about sex. I like a good dollop of romance, so I just didn't find their relationship swoonworthy. I also took issue with some of the decisions Leah made regarding Liam (spoilers, highlight to read: I'm sorry, but having unprotected sex with a virtual stranger, Leah? WHAT WERE YOU THINKING???)

Ready? Say... slooooooow.

Click! 2.5 shooting stars. I liked the premise more in theory than in actual execution, so ultimately this was kind of a take-it-or-leave-it book for me.

Note: there is some mature content (including explicit sex scenes) and language in here, so this is definitely not a book for younger readers.

Disclaimer: I received this as an e-book for review from the author.  

This book counts towards my goal for the "New Adult" challenge.

Wicked Sweet: A Panoramic Review

"Chantal is a planner, and her summer-before-senior-year plan requires best friend Jillian, resumé updating, and studying for AP classes. Jillian wants something different and is afraid to leave introverted Chantal in the dust. All that changes, though, when popular classmates Parker and Will suspiciously start hanging out with the girls.

Chantal only sees one thing: Jillian ditching her for Parker—a guy who can’t even be trusted! Chantal hatches a new plan, one that will expose Parker and Will for what they truly are, and along the way, get her best friend back with the littlest lie and a lot of mouthwatering cake. After all, what are best friends for?" (from Goodreads)

Wicked Sweet by Mar'ce Merrell
 
My reaction: 

I wasn't that impressed with this one; in fact, I even skimmed towards the end. The main reason I kept reading was to see if Chantal and Will would end up together and if Will was a good guy underneath his misogynistic, chauvinistic pig attitude (spoiler, highlight if you want to know the answer: no, he isn't! He's just a jerkish sleazebag.) I also wanted to know what was going to happen with all the cakes and the final reveal, which was unfortunately a let-down.

I wasn't a big fan of any of the characters (it's told from 4 perspectives). Parker is a boring, clueless dope who is very self-absorbed in some ways. Things just tend to go right over his head. And yet, somehow he's the kind of guy that everyone loves — and he knows it. Jillian's a typical YA teenage girl, who's trying out something new by entering the world of dating and fashion. The story involving her mom and brothers was more interesting, but not exactly feel-good, and it meant that Jillian was stressed all the time because of what she had to deal with at home. Plus, she and Parker didn't have much chemistry, which meant a bland romance for the pair of them.

Chantal comes across as a little strange (intentionally, I'm sure), as she's not so adept socially and she's quite geeky. She's a pretty relatable character and I had to sympathize with her being the butt of all these jokes and getting bullied. Chantal feels scared and unsure a lot of the time, and has panic attacks, so there's definitely an element of anxiety that she struggles with. When she starts baking cakes, she starts losing weight and gains significant measure of self-esteem. It was neat to see that coordinated with a hobby like baking. But the only character I found really interesting was Will, and not in a good way! He was slimy-jerk kind of interesting — although he undeniably had personality.

The actual storyline was super implausible in terms of the whole cake-as-revenge scheme (who would really care if some guy was receiving cakes from a secret admirer?). It really wasn't logical and the whole celebrity aspect was just preposterous. Basically, the plot ended up being a bunch of build-up for something that wasn't particularly spectacular.

Best aspect: its portrayal of different kinds of families. Jillian's family is unusual — she has lots of brothers, a terrible mother, and "dads" who wander in and out of her life. Chantal has parents who pressure her to do well in school, presenting the image of a "perfect home" but not really being there for her emotionally. The only thing that makes Will sympathetic at all is that he has a really mean dad who is verbally abusive to him and his mom. Will's mom is a bit of a pushover and gives into his dad but really loves Will. Parker has rich, elitist parents who care a lot about status and want the same kind of lifestyle for their son.

Also, I liked the friendship that develops between Chantal and Anneliese. Anneliese appears at the start to be a stereotypical popular girl, but she ends up taking Chantal under her wing a little and helping her out. It was sweet to see that friendship grow between two such completely different personality types. 

 

If I could change something... Good grief, where do I start?

I'd:

a) come up with a better way for Chantal to get back at Will. Seriously, she can discover her love for baking on her own time.

b) bring Mitch into the picture as a potential love interest much earlier in the book, so we actually have a chance to get to know him and aren't left going, "Mitch? That guy who appeared in, like, one scene earlier? Huh?" Either that or make Will's character far more appealing, and axe Mitch entirely. 

c) Give some of the characters much-needed depth — for instance, Chantal's parents. Right now they're more like cardboard cut-outs.

d) Breathe some life into the Parker-Jillian romance! 

e) Wrap it up with an exciting finale. The ending here is all about how Chantal stands up for herself, demonstrating that she's gained confidence. I see the point, but it was just kind of cheesily cliche. More importantly, Will deserved greater humiliation! 

If you haven't read it: don't bother, unless this is the only book you've got at hand and you've run out of other options for filling your time.

If you have read it: agree with my assessment? Disagree?

Quote: 

Visions of Will laughing at me make me cough, as if I'm allergic to mere thoughts of him. I cough harder. I have to turn the mixer off because my coughing fit is becoming a panic attack.


I can't catch my breath. Past my kitchen windows is the darkest night and I'm under the lights. The shark is out there. I fly through the house pulling down blinds, shutting curtains, turning off lights, until it's only me again, in the kitchen, leaning against the counter. How could I have been so exposed?


I'm so desperate I consider calling my mother to ask for her advice. She'll say, with friends like that you don't need enemies. Next year, I'll be homeschooled.

Final verdict: 2.5 shooting stars. This book wasn't terrible, it was just a pretty boring, flat kind of read. I was quite into it at one point, but then it got so far-fetched and the characters weren't developing the way I wanted them to. In the end, it just didn't go in the direction I was hoping for.

Disclaimer: I received this as an ARC for review from the publisher.
 
This book counts towards my goals for the Just Contemporary reading challenge and the Debut Author reading challenge.

A Witch in Winter: A Panoramic Review

"Anna Winterson doesn't know she's a witch and would probably mock you for believing in magic, but after moving to the small town of Winter with her father, she learns more than she ever wanted to about power. When Anna meets Seth, she is smitten, but when she enchants him to love her, she unwittingly amplifies a deadly conflict between two witch clans and splits her own heart in two. She wants to love Seth, to let him love her – but if it is her magic that's controlling his passion, then she is as monstrous as the witch clan who are trying to use her amazing powers for their own gain." (from Goodreads)

A Witch in Winter by Ruth Warburton

In ten words or less: witchy story with unrealized potential.

My reaction: 

Well, throughout the first half or so I was thinking it might be a 3.5 star read. But unfortunately, it started going downhill in the latter part of the book and didn't redeem itself. I feel like this book had potential in several different areas, but fell short. 

Character-wise, I liked Anna at the beginning. She seemed pretty down-to-earth and just generally relatable. My enthusiasm for her lessened as the book went on, particularly once her relationship with Seth changes. I just didn't buy that she could be "in love" that quickly, without spending very much time with him. If it had been downgraded from "love" to "interest" or "attraction" and then have the tension upped gradually, it would have been a whole lot more believable. Seth is no better, suffering from seriously rapid attitude adjustments and the unfortunate fate of ending up rather 'whipped'. And just overall, I felt like the characters didn't have much personality and could have used some more description to help me visualize them.

Plot-wise, I liked the concept of the love spell and its initial effects on Seth. The whole is-he-or-isn't-he-really-in-love-with-me premise is a great hook, and one that I think could have been exploited more effectively. Instead, the love spell storyline is pretty much resolved (in a predictable manner) about halfway through and a whole new storyline is set up to take its place. This fast acceleration of their relationship is too sudden, and love is portrayed in a black-and-white way that fails to fully explore the gray areas.

Now, at first I was okay with this second, more adrenaline-filled, plot. The Ealdwitan were threatening Anna and Mr. Brereton seemed pretty creepy. Plus, there was the question underlying their menacing stance: why do they want Anna so badly? But we don't see enough of the Ealdwitan to really get a sense of who they are or what their motivations are. Consequently, the spell they unleash on Winter just comes off as ridiculously overkill for the situation at hand — and not very well thought-out, either. The question regarding Anna's role is never answered. I suspect it is being saved for the sequel, but not having that pertinent information means the reader is left going, "WHY????"

As for the world-building... the setting of England countryside by the sea — with cliffs and a castle and an old, dilapidated house — was pretty cool. I thought more description could have been used to heighten the atmosphere, but still, the backdrop was fitting for a story about witches. However, the magic system was all over the place. Sometimes spells were done reading from a Grimoire. Sometimes they weren't. Certain witches saw the future, but not consistently. I'm pretty sure there is shapeshifting at a few points. One character conveniently talks to Anna in her mind at a crucial moment. If there'd been more structure and explanation for the different kinds of magic, then I wouldn't have so much of a problem with it, but it just seemed to depend on the individual witch. Anna basically gets no training in magic, but she seems to develop some good instincts once she's told she's a witch. It's like she's sucked up witchy knowledge by osmosis or something. The magic itself isn't articulated very clearly, beyond the generic "threads" or "webs" of spells we've seen many times before in fantasy novels.

Best aspect: I enjoyed Abe's character. He's this older, mysterious, sexy rebel guy (with a faint aura of danger) and you can't always anticipate what he'll do next. I hope he'll figure more prominently in book 2, but I kind of doubt I'll be reading it to find out. (That would be pretty much the only reason I would read book 2.)

If I could change something... I would majorly rehash the magic system to make it logical and straightforward. The storyline would be reworked so it didn't come across as two sub-plots accidentally smacking into each other at the halfway point. And I would keep cheesy emotional declarations to a bare minimum, spicing up the dialogue to make it more fresh, memorable, and authentic.

Spot the allusion? There's one scene that made me think of Romeo & Juliet. I'm not sure if this was intentional or not, but I enjoyed the dramatic irony (and humor!) inherent in the scene. (Spoiler, highlight to read: the part where everyone thinks Anna's dead and she's actually recorded at the hospital as such, but the reader knows she isn't. And then she shocks everyone by sitting up!)

Just one more thing I want to mention: June, Lily and Prue just get dropped out of the story soon after the love spell is cast. I'm pretty sure the only reason they were included was to provide a plausible vehicle for Anna enchanting Seth. Plot device, anyone?

If you haven't read it: if you're really crazy about witches and don't mind unreasonably lovestruck teens, you might like this one better than I did. Just don't expect it to make a whole lot of sense.


If you have read it: Anyone else have a Twilight flashback in the scene with Seth in the tux? 

Quote: 

My breathing slowed. I was almost asleep when my ear caught another sound, something fluttering against the window pane. The noise was stealthy, soft, persistent. I shut my eyes tighter and pulled the sheets to my chin, pushing away the vision of a dry, dead hand, pressed paper-thin, scrabbling against the window, trying to get in.

Final verdict: 2.5 shooting stars. I think the book description is a bit misleading, since the love spell aspect really only has a role to play in the first half of the book. On the whole, I found this one pretty bland and generic, not adding anything new to the genre. 

 

Disclaimer: I received this book for review from the publisher.


This book counts towards my goal for the Debut Author reading challenge.


 

Beautiful Creatures: Review

Ethan Wate's used to living in still, slow-moving, boring Gatlin - in fact, he can't wait until he graduates and leaves it behind him forever. Everything changes when Lena Duchannes arrives, and Ethan's drawn to her in a way he's never experienced before. But Lena's got powers he's never encountered, and she's counting down the days until her sixteenth birthday, when she will be claimed as either Light or Dark forever. She doesn't want to risk Ethan getting hurt, but he is determined that nothing will keep him apart from her - and he might just have some unusual talents of his own...

All right, so right off the bat I just have to say: I had some major issues with Beautiful Creatures. It was a struggle for me to get through the first 3/4 of it, at which point the plot picked up a little bit and I became slightly more invested in the outcome. I'd seen lots of reviews raving about this novel so frankly I was expecting something more than I got out of it. Anyway, it's going to be a long review, so pull up your chairs and get comfortable. Also - this whole review will be chock-full of SPOILERS, so you have been warned!

To start out on a positive note, what I liked about it:

• Ethan's voice and personality. He generally came across as a smart, kind guy who wasn't a shallow jerk like a lot of the other guys in his high school. I liked seeing the strong connection he had with his mom and how much he missed her, and he was very sweet and chivalrous in always trying to protect Lena from all the insults she received. And he had a bit of a sarcastic sense of humour at times (I would have liked to see even more of it!) that helped to lighten the mood.

• The setting of the deep South and its history. I haven't seen this setting very often in a paranormal/fantasy novel, and the authors by and large did a good job of getting across what it felt like to live in Gatlin, the type of people that often occupy a town like that, and the history associated with the Civil War that still permeates the attitudes of its residents. The language spoken by a lot of the older residents was definitely evocative of a deep South setting, without being cheesy.

• Some of the characters on the sidelines. Amma was a spunky character who didn't take nonsense from anyone, least of all Ethan; his great-aunts were quirky personalities who totally radiated the old-fashioned ideas of people from another era, but managed to be lovable all the same; "Aunt Marian" had some excellent quotes that she always pulled out for just the right moment, and it was nice to see her sometimes acting as a surrogate mother for Ethan; Link was admittedly not the brightest bulb and rather shallow, but he was very loyal to Ethan and Lena in the face of everyone who hated them.

• Macon Ravenwood. He was a really intriguing character, cloaked in mystery and gifted with extraordinary powers. Half of the time you trusted him and the other half you didn't, but he always radiated an aura of command and control. I didn't like how much he'd concealed from Lena and Ethan, but he makes the ultimate sacrifice for his niece which shows just how much he truly cares for her.

• The different specializations of magic. It was neat to read about all the types of powers, many of which don't pop up that often in YA paranormal/fantasy books (eg. Palimpsest).

• The last few chapters. This was where everything was pulled together and some things finally made sense when the mysteries were revealed; also, there were some tricks and turns that I definitely did not see coming. Namely (*major spoilers here*): that Sarafine had been using Mrs. Lincoln's body for months now to try to make contact with Lena, and that Macon would die. The ending also sets up well for a sequel, with Lena appearing somewhere between Light and Dark (although as her Claiming has only been postponed a year it does feel a bit like a cop-out).

 All right...now for what I didn't like.

• Lena as a character. I'm sorry, but I didn't. Perhaps it was because it was written from Ethan's perspective, but I never felt like I really got to know Lena as a person. What I did see of her, I didn't like. She was usually moping about how worried she was that she was going to "turn Dark" on her birthday, and while I sympathized at first, eventually I got sick of it. She couldn't seem to talk about anything else. Also, she was really moody, so one minute she'd be all depressed, then Ethan would manage to cheer her up, and then in the blink of an eye she would start distancing herself from him again. I don't know why it never annoyed him because it sure annoyed me. It always felt like she was holding out on Ethan (and on the reader) and that what we saw of her wasn't authentic. Plus it seemed like whenever Ethan wanted to do something interesting (even if it was a stupid idea, which it sometimes was), her default response was, "No, Ethan, don't! We can't!" If I had a dollar everytime she responded like that, I would have had a pile of money by the end of the book (and then she just goes along with whatever he wants to do anyway, so what was the point?) We get a brief passage towards the end of the book from Lena's perspective, which helps round her out just a little, but I would have preferred a lot more in order to understand how she perceived everything.

• Ethan and Lena's relationship. I'm having difficulty articulating exactly what it was about their relationship that didn't work for me. I think it's partly that it developed so suddenly, based on this "connection" that they had from the very beginning, and partly that we see it all from Ethan's perspective so it appears rather one-sided. He's clearly fallen hard for her, but we don't get the same vibe from Lena - sometimes she seems into him, sometimes not. She has a terrible time admitting that she cares for him, but we aren't really shown why this is; we don't see what she thinks or feels about him until towards the end. Also, the speaking-mind-to-mind thing did not work for me. Not only could she sometimes (but not always) hear his thoughts, but she would interrupt and reply! Once again, I don't know why Ethan put up with that...poor guy had no privacy. Also, Ethan thinks about Lena so much that we don't discover that much about him as an individual - his likes, dislikes, passions, hobbies, goals, etc. As I liked Ethan's personality I would have enjoyed seeing more of him as separate from his relationship with Lena.

• Ethan's inconsistent reactions and convenient denial. Most of Ethan I liked, however, it really started to get on my nerves the way he kept going back-and-forth on certain issues. Case in point: the odd supernatural occurrences that keep cropping up in his life. Lena starts speaking into his mind, and he keeps flip-flopping between, "There's no such thing as magic!" to "Oh yeah, she's talking to me in my head again. Might as well talk back." I didn't think his initial response to this was realistic - he accepted the magic awfully quickly - but then it annoyed me even more when he kept questioning it, then going along with it, and then questioning it again. Furthermore, sometimes it felt like I had been reading a different storyline than Ethan had been experiencing. At one point he tells Marian that everyone has told them different things about the locket...and I was thinking, What is he talking about? Because both Amma and Macon had basically made it very clear that the locket was bad news and they shouldn't mess with it. So either Ethan was living with some major denial of the situation or I had really read something inaccurately earlier in the story. This kind of denial seemed to happen whenever he found out something that suggested he shouldn't be investigating things that he didn't understand.

• The paranormal/fantasy aspect. I can't even begin to count how many unexplained magical occurrences the authors threw in there, but they were considerable. It was like they couldn't get enough of any one type of magic and so they decided to keep tossing things in there and hoping they would work. It turns into one gigantic hodgepodge of every fantasy cliche and then some! You've got the mind-speak powers of Ethan and Lena, the locket that shows glimpses of the past of Genevieve Duchannes whenever certain people touch it, the family of both Dark and Light Casters, Macon Ravenwood the Incubus, Lena the Natural that seems to be able to cast every single spell on earth, the song that keeps popping up at untimely moments and scaring Ethan, the nightmares Ethan and Lena share that seem to hint at a very dark future, the ghost of Genevieve that conveniently appears, the messages in the books from Ethan's mother... the list goes on and on! And yet we are expected to believe that with all this magic and all these individuals wielding magic running around Gatlin, that half the town still hasn't noticed? All right, so we are given the explanation that they know something's up and just don't want to know any more...but still. I'm skeptical. If the authors had stuck to just one or two types of magic, I would have bought it, but it seemed to have very little rhyme and reason (beyond the passed-down-for-generations magic of the Casters, which made sense to me). Also, much of the supernatural that we see is never explained! Why does Ethan seem to have some powers? What is up with that song? Why was that locket bespelled? How was his mother sending him messages? How does Macon die? While the climax does resolve some very pressing questions, the reader is still left pondering exactly how everything happened.

• The writing style. Personally I never identify as well with a first-person male perspective, so that was already against me. I also found the pacing to be off. There were so many clues that it was difficult to keep track of all of the events, and I kept getting confused as to the chronological order of events (and where the characters were right now in the scheme of things). Also, I just didn't feel that it flowed that well until the climax, where there was an actual time constraint and everything got more exciting. Until that point, there was just the long drawn-out threat of Lena's sixteenth birthday looming in the distance, which was mentioned so many times that I began to feel like it was never going to come. The other thing that bothered me was how the past events involving Genevieve were written. Jumping from Ethan's first-person to third-person was a little disruptive. Also, during these excerpts we were given signs of Genevieve's thoughts and emotions - and although I liked seeing that side of her, it was not made clear how much Ethan and Lena were privy to. Did they see Genevieve, Ethan Carter Wate and the fire objectively? Or were they somehow, like the reader, able to understand Genevieve's perspective?  

This combination of issues made it very easy for me to put the book down and difficult for me to pick it up again. Pretty soon I was reading less for 'oooooh what's going to happen?' and more for 'argh, when's it going to end?' Perhaps some of my many questions will be answered in the sequel...but I won't be reading it to find out.

Still, because the last few chapters redeemed it somewhat, I will say: if you can make it 3/4 of the way through the book, then keep reading. Otherwise, it's not really worth your time.

Rating: 2.5 shooting stars.