Review Bad Apple by Barbara Morgenroth

Bad Apple by Barbara Morgenroth

Publication: Dashing Books/ 2010

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Source: Purchased

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Visit the author: blog

When 15 year old Neal Marchal finds her neighbor murdered, she knows who did it. The why is the secret the family has been keeping forever. While Paul took an interest in Neal’s musical education and taught her how to play the fiddle, he took her fatherless stepbrother, Joe, under his wing and all that implies. Joe’s rage has always been barely beneath the surface and years ago, he pushed Neal under a tractor as a warning. The reminder to never reveal the secret is her limp.

While Joe was gone for five years, Neal made music a private and central part of her life. Now she has an opportunity to sing and perform but the threat remains even if Joe is a thousand miles away. Neal finds refuge in the family of the young man who wants her to join his band. It’s like a dream to live with people who love each other. Neal blossoms. She has everything to live for—music, performing and a growing affection for the young man who pulled her to safety.

Then Joe comes home. Neal knows it’s just a matter of time because she told. Joe’s going to finish what he started 8 years ago. But this time Neal vows the outcome will be different.

     I can’t remember when I found this book but since I found it has been sitting on my reader. Well, some days ago I decided to give it a try and what a nice surprise to find how much I liked reading Bad Apple. Bad Apple is the story of a girl, Neal who has learned to make herself invisible for the sake of self-preservation. She ended in a dysfunctional family that took everything from her. This cycle ends when she gets to know a boy, Truly who is a music genius and his family offers something completely different to her.

     Truly and Neal are an interesting pair. We can see how they find each other thru music. They communicate with songs continuously and without the music Bad Apple wouldn’t be the same. Barbara Morgenroth intertwined lyrics neatly in the narrative. Music made this book refreshing to me even though it discusses the impact a dysfunctional family has had in the life of the characters in the story. When Neal and Truly get together to make music, Neal’s life changes. She finds stability for the first time and it is good to see her becoming a new person.

     Bad Apple offers me many things that can be highlighted to support why this book is worth reading. So, here is my list of things that make this book a must read:

• Smart character building.
• Interesting setting and chain of events.
• Musical element is well used. Makes the characters approachable.
• Narrative is fluid.
• Couldn’t stop reading.

     I see opportunities for improvement as well. I cannot marry two things with the story in Bad Apple: 

• Title and cover
• The ending

     The story just stopped! Then the book gives a preview of Chapter 1 of Burning Daylight (Bad Apple #2) which to me should have been the last chapter of the first book. It doesn’t make sense as the beginning of the second book when the ending of the first one is lacking the cohesiveness that chapter could have brought to Bad Apple.

     This is one of my favorite parts of this book. Look for this title and let me know which part made an impression:

“To make a sound was to be visible. To be visible was to become a target. I learned how to stay in the background, to fade away, to recede so they wouldn’t prey upon me when I had no way to defend myself.”

Bad Apple / Location 809 of 3001/ Barbara Morgenroth

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Review Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarry

Pushing The Limits
Author: Katie McGarry
Publication: Harlequin Teen / July 31st, 2013
Source: Netgalley for an honest review
Look for this title at Goodreads / Amazon


About Pushing The Limits from goodreads:

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal. But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.

Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

 

     Pushing The Limits offered me a reading experience full of ups and downs. Although I find the story a little clichéd and predictable, I can say I truly liked reading this. Noah and Echo are the main characters.   They play supporting roles for each other.  At first, the story is about Echo, and Noah  is just part of her story.  At some point in the book it became Noah's story.

 

     The characters are well developed.  It is tangible the attention the author put into creating Noah.  He is the more complete and the one who shows more change.   Echo becomes interesting as the book progresses. 

 

The book formula can be predictable: the good girl is the tutor for the bad guy.  What makes the story engaging is the sudden injection of  surprise their individual circumstances offer.  Noah's story is more complicated.  He wants to be an adult to take care of his family and to achieve this, he has to change a great deal. He is a character you sometimes hate and sometimes you can help but love.  By the other hand, Echo suffered  a traumatic experience. Each day offers Echo an opportunity to remember the events, which helps readers to understand this character.

 

    Overall, it is a good story. I consider the ending to be a fulfilling one.  It is promising and optimistic for Echo and Noah.  I recommend this book for NA and YA readers.

    

Review The Dead Girls' Dance by Rachel Caine

The Dead Girls' Dance by Rachel Caine
Published:April 2007
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Source: Purchased
Look for this at Amazon / BD

About this book from goodreads:
Claire Danvers has her share of challenges---like being a genius in a school that favors beauty over brains, dealing with the homicidal girls in her dorm, and above all, finding out that her college town is overrun with vampires. On the up side, she has a great roommate (who tends to disappear at sunup) and a new boyfriend named Shane, whose vampire-hunting dad has called in backup: cycle punks who like the idea of killing just about anything.

Now a fraternity is throwing its annual Dead Girls' Dance and---surprise!---Claire and her equally outcast best friend, Eve, have been invited. When they find out why, all hell is going to break loose. Because this time both the living and the dead are coming out---and everybody's hungry for blood.

The first thing I like about this young adult (more new adult to me) book is that it keeps continuity. The Dead Girls' Dance begins where Glass Houses ends, in the same circumstances for the characters. The second thing is that it begins in frail calm and ends in frail calm as well. At the beginning they are at the house, their safe haven, without certainty about their safety. At the end, they are at the house again but this time they are certain things won't get easier.

The Dead Girls' Dance has more action and puts the characters in more danger than the first book. The story doesn't provide a moments rest for them. They are fighting and trying to work solutions for what's threatening them on this chapter of the Morganville series. Claire has to survive a town in Texas swarmed with vamps, while trying to keep good grades at college and keeping her parents at bay for their own good.

The characters are shown in a different light. Shane is passive for the majority of the book. He is the one in trouble this time and Clare, Eve and Michael are looking for a way to help him. Clare shows more security on herself, taking risks and making decisions by herself. I like Clare more in this book. Michael was more relevant to me in Glass Houses, now it seems like he diluted into the background. Only at the end he is relevant. Eve shows the same strong personality from the first book, but I have to confess, sometimes her goth self drives me into a boredom abyss.

What wasn't I happy about in this book? Amelie, this ancient vampire, seems like an ornament. Wasn't she suppose to protect them to some extent? In Morganville, if you have a vampire protector nobody can mess with you. So, that doesn't seem to apply for Claire and associates. Those poor kids had the worst moment and she was poor help. At least they could help themselves... if what they chose to do can be called helping oneself. Probably, calling their actions improvisation is more accurate. Nevertheless, Clare and her friends decision making skills is what makes Morganville series a rollercoaster surviving journey that can keep you in a no stop reading frenzy.

Overall, I can't wait to read the next one. With great setting, interesting set of circumstances and cleverly invented characters to play on her world, Rachel Caine has done a great job in this series. Let's see what awaits on Midnight Alley.

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Review Under The Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Under The Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Published: HarperCollins, Jan 2012

Rating: 5 out of 5
Source: Bought 

Look for this at Amazon / BD / Goodreads

A little about this book from goodreads:

I am officially infatuated with this world.  On top of that, I cannot stop thinking how superb this book is.  Could say I'm in love with this book and its characters.  This book has been sitting on my bookshelf for months, kept postponing reading it and now it is what populates my brain.  It has been a long time since I have read something like this, so intoxicating.  While writing this review I picture perfectly this setting, its fantastic plot and tantalizing ending.  It brings me to ask:  why are you doing this Veronica Rossi?  That ending was so awesome, clearly the beginning of a new journey.  And now I'm totally fixated in knowing what comes next.  Getting the second book has become a priority.  As Rachel at Fiktshun had mentioned in one interesting challenge post for reading that last book of a series, there are series you don't want to read the last book because you don't want to see the story end,don't want to say goodbye.  I think right know I don't want to think about an ending for Perry and Aria's story.

The story is fluid.  Never got tired of reading.  On the contrary, Rossi's style makes reading during long hours completely easy.  Even when distractions surround you, you never get sidetracked from the story.  The events are surprising.  The reading is exciting.  Under The Never Sky kept surprising me constantly.  One of my favorite aspects of a book is its potential to keep me guessing.   This title grabbed me and still have me on its electrifying cloud of Aether (Read me!!!)  The last 14 pages are so incredible and fulminating at the same time.  Incredible by its content but fulminating to me because right now I cannot help but kick myself for not getting the next book.  Well, it happens...

The dystopian element in this has various conflicting elements.

• Population cannot live life freely. True freedom doesn't exist on the pods.
• An artificial world mainly computerized has been created to maintain contentment and safety.
• Genome have been manipulated to a point where population is easily affected by environment.

Now about the characters. At first, I didn't know how to picture Perry.  He seemed a wild thing.  Then the events guide you into his journey and you get to know his true self.  He is more organic and follows his gut filling, something Aria is not used to.  Aria is an interesting heroine.  She becomes a complex character while traveling with Perry.  I liked she changing into something entirely new.  Plus, I like their names, really suit them.

Always thinking about covers, I liked the covers for this book.  My edition's  cover is gorgeous.  It takes into consideration the setting.  Aria is on the cover and it seems she is walking in an Aether storm.  The colors look fantastic.

Overall, this book is a 5.  I recommend this to YA readers, NA readers, dystopian lovers and well readers in general who just want to read something new strong in unique creative story building. Oh and if you are into Sci Fi grab this book.

Here is a task for you, after you read this listen to A White Demon's Love Song by The Killers. I would use this song  to tell Aria and Perry's journey.  This is officially one of my favorite books.  Would love to see this into a movie.

Review: The Mayfair Moon

The Mayfair Moon by J.A. Redmerski
Published: Createspace, January 2012
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Every two weeks I try to do a little browsing on my Amazon Kindle Store, trying to discover a new reading gem.  Certainly, I can't predict the outcome, so how wonderful it is to have invested my time on a book and at the end say to myself: "You deserve a  hug, Jess because that was fascinating... or the funniest... or the most captivating story ever."  This time I found a good one, The Mayfair Moon by J.A. Redmerski.  I love covers but this one I chose for its synopsis.  I found it intriguing.
A southern girl finds her beau at Maine but also danger in big quantities. Adria grew up in Georgia with her mother and sister Alex. A stepfather was part of the house, but not a father figure for these girls. He was a shadow for this family. While still in Georgia, one night they get involve on an attack by some creature. After this, their lives change when they go live at Maine with their aunt and uncle. Alex has change irreparably and she is a loving sister for Adria no more. Her personality changes, she is harsh and inconsiderate now, until one day she just leaves home. Adria while trying to deal with her sister disappearance and strange behavior, makes new friends. One of her friends is Zia, member of the Mayfair clan. She knows Isaac, finding love for the first time. Soon, she uncovers the secrets this family has. They are supernatural creatures, werewolfs. Knowing these puts her family on danger. Adria has to decide:

• Meet her sister's demands leaving everything behind.
• Fight and maybe lose herself in the process... even her humanity.

What would you do?

About the book:
I read the Kindle version of this book. It kept me entertained, interested and wanting to read a little bit more every time. This edition came with a preview of the 1st chapter of Kindred (second book of the series) and it is promising. This book I'm waiting for. The main character is Adria. I liked that she knew she was on danger and she understood that. She makes conscious decisions. She doesn't want to be what Isaac is. Usually, we see female characters wishing to leave and sacrifice anything for love. She just want to love and to be reciprocated.
Two things I wasn't crazy about (rating 4 out of 5):

• She kept making excuses for Isaac in compromising situations.
• The end was too paranormal drama. After all the chaotic situations, high school is the safe haven.

The story has surprises and unexpected developments for the characters. There is a character, Aramei who kept me curious. In fact I would like to read about this character more. Here's your task, look for The Mayfair Moon and find out who is Aramei.
I recommend The Mayfair Moon for readers who enjoyed genres like: YA and New Adult.

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