Review - The Return by Brad Boney

For once, a review of a recent read, not something old and edited. This one's a gay romance with a small paranormal element, which I think should appeal to both those who like supernatural and those who prefer realism.

Genre: M M / Romance / Paranormal
My Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Released: July 4th 2013

Description:
Music. Topher Manning rarely thinks about anything else, but his day job as a mechanic doesn't exactly mesh with his rock star ambitions. Unless he can find a way to unlock all the songs in his head, his band will soon be on the fast track to obscurity.

Then the South by Southwest music festival and a broken-down car drop New York critic Stanton Porter into his life. Stanton offers Topher a ticket to the Bruce Springsteen concert, where a hesitant kiss and phantom vibrations from Topher’s cell phone kick off a love story that promises to transcend ordinary possibility.










My review:
First off, I hadn't read any gay or other GLBT books before this one, so my review is based on this one time experience.

Not that I was wary of picking this genre up, but the only reason I read this book was pretty much the fact that my sister won it and said it was good. Turns out she was right. This book tells the story of Topher Manning and features some characters that were present in Brad Boney's previous book, THE NOTHINGNESS OF BEN, which I haven't read but heard it'd be best if you read them both. Topher makes music and dreams of becoming famous with it. One day he meets Stanton Porter, a music critic, and gets a free ticket to a Springsteen concert. An unexpected kiss starts a series of events and reveals another story some twenty years in the past.

The chapters are in turns in present and past, but it wasn't annoying or distracting. I loved both of them, loved the connection between them and between the characters in different eras. A lot of this book consisted of dialogue. While many authors have trouble with a good dialogue, or simply write most of their story in long and thick descriptions, THE RETURN was a case I had not encountered before. One could say there was too much dialogue, and at the beginning I considered lowering my rating, since most of it didn't really seem to matter to the plot. But all this dialogue sounded so real, so natural that I soon began to enjoy it. The characters made it great.

Speaking of characters, I think there wasn't one that I didn't like. I often find it a bad idea to have too many main characters - in this case six, ten if you count the past - but Brad Boney pulled it off well. The boys were awesome, which made the sad points even sadder. I also liked the side characters, even when they didn't get to play a big part. For some reason I really loved the story of Brendan and Trent and would've liked to hear more of it.

There is something about connecting past and present that really gets to me. It's hard to explain. And I think there is some magic in the whole reincarnation thing, although the last page turned a bit... cheesy? But if there was a third book, with new main characters, taking over this reincarnation element, I'd probably love it.

Music was an important part of this book. I'm not a very 'musical' person myself, I can't play any instrument. I do love to listen to music, of course, but a lot of the references used were unfamiliar to me. Still, I like learning new things!

In general, it was all very sweet and I'd love to see more of it. Another great book I've read this year!


Click here to see this review on Goodreads.

Review - Dolphin Way: Rise of the Guardians by Mark Caney

Originally written over a year ago, this is the review of the first ever book (or anything at all) that I won. A real gem, I must say :)

Genre: Animal Fiction
My Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Released: January 1st 2011

Description:
Dolphin culture evolved over millions of years so that they could remain perfectly attuned with their world, Ocean. Unlike man, they have created an almost utopian society without feeling the need to manipulate their environment, collect possessions or wage war. But the growing pressure of man’s activities become intolerable and in frustration one faction seeks an aggressive new path. They make a shocking departure from the Way — the ancient philosophy that has guided them so well through the millennia.

Sky, a male dolphin close to becoming an Initiate in the Way, unwillingly finds himself caught up in the violent consequences. To save the lives of his closest friends he will have to risk the worst punishment his clan can inflict and must decide between the two females who challenge everything he believes in.








My review:
I won DOLPHIN WAY from a First Reads giveaway on Goodreads. I had never won anything before in my life, so it's needless to say I was extremely happy. It was also the first autographed book to sit on my shelf.

I have to admit, though, when I first saw it among the giveaways, I did not pay much attention to this book. I'm not sure what changed my mind, I never had any idea what to expect from this. I remember reading a few reviews before deciding to give it a try. And suddenly, I won!

And I'm so very happy I did. DOLPHIN WAY captivated me with the first pages. The story was brought to readers very realistically - in my opinion. At first I considered it completely fictional. The dolphins having such high intelligence, their own beliefs, the way they talked to each other just like humans do... I mean, I knew dolphins are quite intelligent creatures, but as I got further into the book, I began to think, could something near that really be true? How smart are they really? I've heard a lot of interesting stories about them before, but this book really got me thinking.

Touches The Sky went through a lot throughout the book. Many friends were lost. Life was unfair. That reminds me of the description of the book. I don't think the society was very utopian there. Maybe yes, if everyone were to follow the Way. Or even if to understand why the Guardians were as they were. But it seemed way too easy to become an exile.

I liked how you could distinguish between the characters. They didn't blur into one as it sometimes happens in books, instead they all had their very own personalities. I think One Eye was especially interesting. Who was he really? I also liked how we humans - or Walkers - were brought in. It was fun to read how the dolphins imagined us.

In general, I'm gonna say I definitely loved this book. There were a few small details that I disliked, but not big enough to deserve a mention. Like for example using ' instead of " in dialogue. It was confusing at first, but I quickly got used to it. I recommend DOLPHIN WAY to everyone, both adults and teenagers. Although from the point of view of dolphins, it's not a children's fairytale, but a very well written story of how human behavior affects the sealife.

I'm happy to have read this book and can't wait for the sequel DOLPHIN WAY: CAPTURED. I really hope to hear more about it soon!


Click here to see this review on Goodreads.

Review - Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Another review from about a year ago, a quite short one, with minor changes. Like always, the link to original is at the bottom of the page :)

Genres: YA / Supernatural / Romance
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Description:
For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without.

Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human… until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human—or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.











My review:
First few pages in and I was very critical. Everything sounded too rushed, too simple and I didn't feel like taking anything seriously. I found flaws in dialogue and characters' personalities - like the sudden bursts of anger, etc. But getting further in, I found myself enjoying it a lot more than I had expected to. I admit, I really loved it.

I only bought this book because it cost less than half it's normal price. And when I see a YA book on low price on a bookstore's shelf... well, that's gonna be the last I'll see of this money. I never was very excited about werewolf stories, although I haven't read many. But SHIVER was worth the time I spent on reading it (note that I'm a terribly slow reader, alas, something that really annoys me about myself).

It might've been Sam's character that really got me to enjoy this story. Although I've said I like badboys, I absolutely melt for shy, sensitive and sweet guys. I often feel like we need more dudes like him! Grace's character, on the other hand, was perhaps a bit too practical for my liking. But she didn't get annoying, and that's what is most important.

Four stars, because I found the beginning to be a little less than the rest.


Click here to see this review on Goodreads.

Review - Insomnia by J.R. Johansson

I won INSOMNIA from Freedom to Read Blog Hop giveaway at Literary Rambles last summer. It was a book of choice and at first I picked Taken, but they only had it in hardback. I'm more of a paperback girl, so I asked for a change and got this one. And I'm so happy I did! I've been wanting to read it ever since I first heard about it! And, finally, here are my thoughts.

Genres: YA / Paranormal / Thriller
Length: 351 pages
My Rating: 5 of 5 stars

Description:
Her eyes saved his life.
Her dreams released his darkness.

After four years of sleeplessness, high school junior Parker Chipp can't take much more. Every night, instead of sleeping, he enters the dreams of the last person he's made eye contact with. If he doesn't sleep soon, Parker will die.

Then he meets Mia. Her dreams, calm and beautifully uncomplicated, allow him blissful rest that is utterly addictive. But what starts out as a chance meeting turns into an obsession; Parker's furious desire for what he needs pushes him to extremes he never thought he'd go. And when someone begins to terrorizing Mia with twisted death threats, Parker's memory blackouts leave him doubting his own innocence.







I love the cover. I think it goes very well with the mood in the book. Honestly, I'm generally not a fan of faces on the cover, but some books pull it off very well. In my mind, INSOMNIA was one of them :)

My review:
NOT disappointed! I always want to finish my books as fast as possible - I'm a rather slow reader and books keep piling up. But over a long period of time I finally found a book I not only loved, but dreaded to turn the last page of. It gripped me like no other had in a while. The sequel, PARANOIA, won't be out before summer, and the wait feels too long!

In short, our hero, Parker, is a guy that haven't had real sleep for about four years and it seems to be killing him. Instead of his own dreams, he is thrust into the person's he last made eye contact with. But when a possible solution arrives, things start to go very bad very quickly.

I loved the concept of entering people's dreams. The idea sounds simple, but good. Yet how the writer brought the story to readers amazed me even more. Like I tend to, I read a couple of negative reviews before finishing the book, and one specifically made me love it even more. No matter how much Parker tried to keep it together and be the good guy, in the end he was still a troubled youth who thought he was going to die. I love him, for he was actually strong despite everything. All in all, Parker was a very realistic character who might as well pop right out of your book! Not always composed and perfect the way we like our protagonists to be, but that's what made me like him so much. I've read little books with male leads, and they're always a lot different from the common YA stories with teen girls. INSOMNIA was no exception, and it felt so great and refreshing.

I've got no complaints on the writing nor the characters. The latter were all well-defined, the main characters loveable. I'm still a bit confused about Darkness, about who or what exactly is he, but spilling too much in the first book perhaps would've ruined it somewhat anyway. There was a bit, but not too big an emphasis on romance. It added a nice touch and didn't feel forced or self-important. And the ending - at least I didn't exactly see it coming.

There were more than a couple of times when I thought of a way Parker could've solved a problem or done something differently, and I dislike it when there are obvious answers the authors avoid simply to get their story to where they want it. But with INSOMNIA, these thoughts I had always found their place in the book eventually, showing me Johansson really did think things through. I liked that. Overall, the whole story was very well planned and I'm extremely curious as to what's going to happen in PARANOIA!

I recommend! INSOMNIA deserves all the attention it can get, and more!


Click here to see this review on Goodreads.

Review - The Sweet Scent of Blood by Suzanne McLeod

It's another review I'm copy pasting from my Goodreads. I read the book in September this year, but the Estonian translation. I may use some words or terms that are different from what was in the original story when that happens - since about half of the books I read are translations. Just so you know :)


Here I have both the English and the Estonian cover for you to compare.

Genres: Fantasy / Vampires / Mystery / Romance
Length: 375 pages
My Rating: 2 of 5 stars

Description:
'My name is Genny Taylor. I work for Spellcrackers.com. It’s a great job, pays the rent, lets me do the thing I’m good at – finding magic and cracking it – and the bonus is it’s run by witches, which stops the vamps from taking a bite out of me.

Not that vampires are the big bad any more, not since they launched a slick PR campaign – ­ oh, and they brought the goblins on board. Now the vamps are sought-after celebrities, and Getting Fanged and taking the Gift are the new height of all things cool.

But only if you’re human.

And I’m not.

I’m Sidhe fae.

And I know firsthand just how deadly a vampire can be.’


When Mr October, a sexy calendar pin-up vamp, is accused of murdering his girlfriend, an old debt is called in and Genny is forced to help prove his innocence, risking her job and the protection it offers – and threatening to expose her own dark secrets. Searching for the killer plunges Genny deep into the hidden heart of vampire society. It’s not long before she realises that she and Mr October are both unwitting pawns in a centuries-old power struggle between London’s non-human communities . . . and it’s not just her own neck that’s at stake, but the lives of all London’s supernaturals.

My review:
This must be one of the most confusing books I've ever read.

I bought it because our local bookstore had it on low price. I was not very sure what it was even about, except for vampires. I was curious to know, though, and after it sitting in my reading list for quite some time, I finally got to see for myself. I don't know what I was expecting, but definitely not this.

I wouldn't say the writing was bad, and maybe this story even had some potential. But after the first chapters... I realized things went just way out of hand. The story jumped from one place to another, the characters discussed things which were brought to readers with no back story whatsoever. Again and again I had to wonder: what does this all have to do with everything else? It was like pieces from different plots coming one after another, and even at the end of the book I failed to understand what was the part between couple first and couple last chapters all about. I take it that the protagonist, Genevieve, had some bloody past, but aside from bits from here and there, the author didn't seem to even try to explain things. Perhaps the explanation was planned for next books in series, but still. Everything just seemed to be so off that I don't even know what to think.

I didn't particularly like any of the characters. Teenagers were all cliché swoony over the vampire race - the latter didn't impress me at all; no given description brought the slightest shadow of the thought 'sexy' to mind. Everyone else was simply difficult to connect to. Honestly, I would describe them all as a "bunch of horny dudes".

This is what probably irked me the most - everyone being so damn horny like this is what the world was created for. The supposed-to-be-plot seemed more like a secondary aspect. Even in the fear of being killed all Genny could think about was the passion she felt toward the psycho-vampire. I kind of believe it was the author's plan to concentrate on the passion and sex part (although no actual sex was included). I may be only seventeen, which perhaps some may think is too young to talk on this subject, but I'm gonna say: in this book, the 'sexy' part was simply plain and boring and, frankly, usually idiotic, depending on the situation. It took me too long to finish the book.

I wouldn't want to say I don't recommend it to anyone - after all, everyone has their own opinion - so I'm gonna leave it at that. If you like books for reasons other than the plot, then The Sweet Scent of Blood might just be for you.


Click here to see this review on Goodreads.

Review - Zenn Scarlett by Christian Schoon

I read it between August and September this year, before I started this blog, and posted the review on Goodreads. Since I'm not a very fast reader, I'm going to occasionally blog about my older reviews to keep it more active here. So here we go...

Genres: YA / Sci-Fi
Length: 304 pages
My Rating: 5 of 5 stars

Description:
Zenn Scarlett is a resourceful, determined 17-year-old girl working hard to make it through her novice year of exovet training. That means she's learning to care for alien creatures that are mostly large, generally dangerous and profoundly fascinating. Zenn’s all-important end-of-term tests at the Ciscan Cloister Exovet Clinic on Mars are coming up, and, she's feeling confident of acing the exams. But when a series of inexplicable animal escapes and other disturbing events hit the school, Zenn finds herself being blamed for the problems. As if this isn't enough to deal with, her absent father has abruptly stopped communicating with her; Liam Tucker, a local towner boy, is acting unusually, annoyingly friendly; and, strangest of all: Zenn is worried she's started sharing the thoughts of the creatures around her. Which is impossible, of course. Nonetheless, she can't deny what she's feeling.

Now, with the help of Liam and Hamish, an eight-foot sentient insectoid also training at the clinic, Zenn must learn what's happened to her father, solve the mystery of who, if anyone, is sabotaging the cloister, and determine if she's actually sensing the consciousness of her alien patients... or just losing her mind. All without failing her novice year...

My review:
Zenn Scarlett is a book I won from a blog giveaway hosted by Escapism from Reality, and I really want to thank them for it! I absolutely love the cover (and I'm curious, what is that in the bottom left corner exactly?), plus the summary sounded promising, too. Still, I was not so sure what I'd think of it once I have it finished. After reading both positive and negative reviews, I had my doubts.

I shouldn't have worried. Not even once did this book leave me bored and waiting for a more action-packed scene. True, most of it was about Zenn's life and duties at the cloister, but I didn't mind. I loved reading about this scientific world full of aliens and their amazing, scary, cute and even scarier animals. I kind of liked how these Martian colonies were described as poor and old-ish, not how we like to imagine the future of space travelling - high tech and all oh-so-happy. I only wish we could've got some more descriptions of the animals' appearances. Most of the time I wasn't at all sure what they should look like.

Of course, the fact how narrow-minded most people were in this sci-fi world annoyed me quite a bit, but it somehow made the book more realistic. So to be clear, it were the people that annoyed me, not the story. But Zenn and her Rule - now that was something I at first disliked about the book as whole. I just couldn't comprehend how someone can be so blind and think that all the joy of having friends means nothing because of the inevitable pain they are sure to bring. How could a young person like her set herself such strict restrictions? ... And then I suddenly realized something. I came to think that honestly, I'm not much different myself. Always being sensitive and sad because feeling left out, unnoticed and invisible, 'friends' turning away as soon as they find someone more interesting to talk to (this does not concern everyone)... In the end, not so long ago, I discovered a way to deal with it that did not cause me to feel pain. That being: not getting attached. Respecting people, but not letting them too close. Because when they unintentionally (or intentionally) betray my expectations, I don't have to feel hurt or in any way affected, I don't have to hate them for it or create a huge distance between us. And in all honesty, I'm very content with things being as they are. This way I realized that what Zenn did was not at all absurd (although the book didn't leave it seem as if she had everything thought through). But Zenn wasn't actually scared of talking to people, so that makes us different.

I realized quickly who was behind everything that had happened; it was quite obvious. Perhaps it wasn't even meant to be such a big secret. And although it might seem like Zenn was stupid for not figuring it out sooner, I say Zenn wasn't. I just love how well Schoon described people's relationships and understandings. I realized exactly why things turned clear when they did.

It's rare to find books of such genre by a male author, and from my experience, they tend to be so much better than YA books by female authors. There were hints of romance, but no insta-love, dreamy teen blabber and other sappy love stuff. It made the story so much more realistic. So thank you Schoon, for I got to read something different for a change! After the way it started, I don't mind at all if the love part is bigger or smaller as the story continues.

I definitely recommend this to anyone who likes YA and/or sci-fi books, and to everyone who find it to be even the littlest bit compelling. I loved this book and am eagerly looking forward to the sequel, Under Nameless Stars! Btw, the sequel's cover is ah-ma-zing!


Click here to see this review on Goodreads.

Review - The Almond Tree by Michelle Cohen Corasanti

It's a book I won from Goodreads First Reads giveaway. The book arrived only a week after the giveaway ended, the fastest time I've ever received my prize. Another week later though, I received a note saying I have a package waiting for me in the post office. This was a surprise, I wasn't currently expecting anything. So I went to get it, eager to see what it is. And it was another copy of the same book. They'd sent me two books! Not that I whined about it, I just hope no one else missed their copy 'cause of that :D I gave the extra copy to my sister. Anyway, the fact that I won it doesn't affect my review in any way.

Genres: Historical Fiction / War
Length: 348 pages
My Rating: 5 of 5 stars

Description:
Gifted with a mind that continues to impress the elders in his village, Ichmad Hamid struggles with the knowledge that he can do nothing to save his friends and family. Living on occupied land, his entire village operates in constant fear of losing their homes, jobs, and belongings. But more importantly, they fear losing each other.

On Ichmad’s twelfth birthday, that fear becomes reality. With his father imprisoned, his family’s home and possessions confiscated, and his siblings quickly succumbing to hatred in the face of conflict, Ichmad begins an inspiring journey using his intellect to save his poor and dying family. In doing so he reclaims a love for others that was lost through a childhood rife with violence, and discovers a new hope for the future.

My review: (contains minor spoilers)
I wish I had written this review sooner after finishing the book, but once I postpone something, I postpone it big! My thoughts may not be as fresh anymore, but my amazement at this story continues to stay the same. Hopefully I remember everything I wanted to say when I'd just read it (:

The Almond Tree is set in a time and place which, when combined, I honestly knew almost nothing about. The cruelty shocked me, even if it wasn't really surprising. I've studied European history at school, so I knew some about the Jews, but that's about it. The Almond Tree has opened my eyes to another part of this world and I admit I feel embarrassed for hearing everything about the Arab-Israeli conflict for the first time from this very book.

Ichmad's story was eerily realistic and felt more like a biography (though I've never read one) than fiction. I've never encountered a book which has made me sympathize with its characters as much as this one did. I was standing right there, watching this family suffer, feeling what they felt, hoping with them. I didn't want them to go through more devastation as they already had, but there always seemed to be this hopelessness keeping this family in its clutches. There was so much and too many people they lost. However, Ichmad didn't give up and that's what granted him a better future. Its beautifully flowing writing made the book even more enjoyable, and the pace was just right.

The characters were likeable, mostly because they weren't just words on paper, they were real. We could see their development over the years, especially Ichmad's as he got over his hate. He wasn't only bright when it came to science, his father was a great example for him and I think he saved Ichmad in more ways than one. In fact, I think Ichmad's Baba was my most favourite character in this whole book.

I never stopped loving Abbas too, even with the path he took. I felt extremely sorry when he had the accident as a kid, and when his son died near the ending of the story. Khaled's suicide was deeply saddening purely because of the idea why he did it. I don't hate many things, I definitely don't hate any person, but if there's something I do absolutely loathe, it's wars, and people's disgusting need for power.

There's someone else I can't leave unmentioned, and that's professor Sharon. I deeply disliked him at first, so it's all the more astonishing how much I came to like his character. His and Ichmad's relationship as they worked together was truly heartwarming. I'm the kind of person that keeps emotions in and only rarely releases them, usually all together in a burst when I'm alone. That also means I don't cry easily when reading about a sad incident in a book or seeing something sad in a movie. But somehow, in the end, when Ichmad and Sharon made their speech to the whole world, I had tears in my eyes. It's abuse and the sensitivity of the soul that can affect me the most.

Of course no book is perfect if it's looked at through the eyes of a critic. I simply can't remember any details I didn't quite like, but I know they weren't anything big. Perhaps what bothered me the most was that quotes were like 'this' instead of "this".

I wish this book was translated into my home tongue, Estonian, not because I found it hard to read in English - in fact I'm sure the original edition is the most pure - but because I want other people to read it too. Michelle Cohen Corasanti is an amazing writer, even more so knowing her background. For one, I've always found, and still do, that this land's traditions are a little odd, but it never bothered me because the author made me understand. Let me say this book was worth every second of my time. I never thought I'd love a historical realistic fiction - two genres that barely get my attention - so much. It's definitely a story I would recommend.


Click here to see this review on Goodreads.