Semi-hiatus announcement

Due to upcoming exams and assignments piling up terrifyingly fast, I decided to go on semi-hiatus. I will still be posting reviews on the blog as well as guest posts and/or interviews, but I will not participate in weekly memes. My reviews will be posted not as often as usual, too.

I deeply apologize and I promise to be back fully after exams! Wish me luck on my Bachelor's degree thesis writing. :)

REVIEW - Dark Kiss by Michelle Rowen

TITLE: Dark Kiss

AUTHOR: Michelle Rowen
GENRE: paranormal romance

PUBLICATION DATE: May 22nd 2012

SOURCE: NetGalley

BLURB:

I don't do dangerous.  Smart, über-careful, ordinary Samantha-that's me. But I just couldn't pass up a surprise kiss from my number-one unattainable crush. A kiss that did something to me...something strange. Now I feel hungry all the time, but not for food. It's like part of me is missing-and I don't know if I can get it back. Then there's Bishop. At first I thought he was just a street kid, but the secrets he's keeping are as intense as his unearthly blue eyes. If he's what I think he is, he may be the only one who can help me. But something terrifying is closing in, and the one chance Bishop and I have to stop it means losing everything I ever wanted and embracing the darkness inside me.... NIGHTWATCHERS When angels and demons must work together, something beyond evil is rising..

REVIEW:

I'm not really experienced when it comes to angel/demons books. In fact, I tend to avoid them. The only time I actually wanted to read an angel story was when I picked Angelfall, and I ended up not knowing how to really rate it.

My approach to Dark Kiss was... careful, to put it mildly. But I started reading it after the disaster that was Glitch and I was surprised how much I liked it! Dark Kiss is actually everything I could ask for when it comes to paranormal romance. Strong, witty heroine, a few hot guys, quickly developing but detailed plot. Despite the cover, which suggest a dark story with brooding characters, Dark Kiss is a light, fun read. Really!

Samantha is your ordinary girl next door until she gets kissed by this mysterious boy. The kiss changes her. Actually it... steals her soul. And now she's able to feed on other people's souls too. The whole city is in danger, soulless people are roaming the streets like zombies. The only one who can actually save the day is... Samantha. She decides to help Bishop, a boy she 'accidentally' finds when she walks home. And when it turns out that the boy is an angel, dangerous one on top of that, there's no returning.

What I think I loved the most about Dark Kiss were the characters. It happens definitely too often that I hate the main character. You have to agree with me that there's a tendency in YA books (especially paranormal) to make the heroine to be a supposedly strong protagonist when she is, in fact, nothing but a whiny, irritating damsel in distress, in need of saving her all the time. Fortunately, Samantha is not one of them. She can manage just fine on her own, she is witty and sarcastic but not to the point when you think it's fake. By the way, it amused me greatly when I got a bit angry that all the demons and angels in the team were boys, when Sam burst out that it's sexist. Seriously. Greta minds think alike.

Bishop and Kraven. An angel and demon. I liked both of them, although I have to admit Kraven and his inner demons (pun intended) were just a tad bit more interesting. There's plenty of back story to be explained about Bishop in the next books though, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I also liked Sam's best friend, Carly, and the rest of the angel/demon team, especially Zach. Even if we didn't get to know the team too well because of the constant action and the fact that the last member of the team was found just by the end of the book... I'm pretty sure there's more waiting for us.

As for the love story and what can possibly turn into a love triangle in the future - I am kind of anticipating it! If you read the book, you will see that this love triangle, if happens, can become something deeper, complicated, twisted, because of the connection between Bishop and Kraven. It reminded me of The Vampire Diaries (the tv show) a bit, back in the day when I loved that show. In Dark Kiss Sam has her eyes only for Bishop. But you never know.

Sure, there were plotholes. Sure, it's not a perfect book. But it's an intriguing start to what might be an awesome series, so I'm definitely looking forward to it. I can't wait to see what happens next!

Overall:

STACKING THE SHELVES #1

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga @ Tynga's Reviews (click if you want to find out more). It's a meme about showcasing the books we received this week! Let us see the ever-growing TBR-pile!

I decided to participate in this meme with my own twist, because I'm forgetful and I'm pretty sure I'd forget what I was supposed to read and/or review this week... ;)

REVIEW - Glitch by Heather Anastasiu (2/5)

WAITING ON WEDNESDAY #6 

FF #10 - a thing to tell your favorite author 

BLOG TOUR: Interview with Zoraida Córdova and giveaway! (US/CAN, ends 05/13)

  A few review titles and freebies this week!

 FOR REVIEW

 Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

What I Didn't Say by Keary Taylor

Can't wait to read both! I've already started Code Name Verity, but I have other stuff to read first, so it has to wait. But I am so happy to finally have it!

Freebies:

 

Human by Alycia Linwood

Pretty When She Dies Rhiannon Frater

This week I'm planning on reviewing:

Dark Kiss by Michelle Rowan

Plague (Gone #4) by Michael Grant

 If I Stay by Gayle Forman

I was so surprised when I started reading Dark Kiss! I love it so far!

Please link me to your mailboxes, weekly memes and so on, so I can drop by!

REVIEW - Glitch by Heather Anastasiu

TITLE: Glitch

AUTHOR: Heather Anastasiu
GENRE: dystopian

PUBLICATION DATE: August 7th 2012

SOURCE: NetGalley

BLURB:

In the Community, there is no more pain or war. Implanted computer chips have wiped humanity clean of destructive emotions, and thoughts are replaced by a feed from the Link network. When Zoe starts to malfunction (or "glitch"), she suddenly begins having her own thoughts, feelings, and identity. Any anomalies must be immediately reported and repaired, but Zoe has a secret so dark it will mean certain deactivation if she is caught: her glitches have given her uncontrollable telekinetic powers. As Zoe struggles to control her abilities and stay hidden, she meets other glitchers including Max, who can disguise his appearance, and Adrien, who has visions of the future. Together, this growing band of glitchers must find a way to free themselves from the controlling hands of the Community before they’re caught and deactivated, or worse. In this action-packed debut, Glitch begins an exciting new young adult trilogy.

 

REVIEW:

 

Zoel lives in a society when everything in her life is controlled by so-called Link. Any anomalous behavior is to be reported immediately upon discovery. But what is she supposed to do when she starts glitching herself? What are those things she starts to feel? Who is this boy with mysteriously turquoise eyes? Why is she able to move things only with her thoughts?

It’s not a secret that I’m a big fan of dystopian novels. And it saddens me greatly when a dystopian book is disappointing. Unfortunately, despite the absolutely gorgeous cover that promised me great things and interesting premise, Glitch falls in the disappointing dystopian books category.

After first 50 pages or so, I wasn’t thrilled. In fact, I was a bit annoyed by the lack of originality. The narration was so dull and felt like a rip-off of all the dystopian novels that popped up in the past two years. To me it felt like a weird mash-up of three novels: Divergent, Delirium and Matched. And given that I wasn’t really enthralled by these books, I could tell my adventure with Glitch wasn’t going to end well.

There is a lot of telling, not showing. I am a fan of action and characters that make us understand what happens through their reactions. But in Glitch, almost 50 pages in the beginning are one big description.

After I struggled through the first few chapters, things got interesting. Zoe finally started to grasp what was happening to her, she met new people… only to be dragged back where she started. And then a new factor was added to the mix – love triangle.

I am not entirely sure why some authors think that a dystopian novel cannot exist without a love story. The more complicated the better. To be honest, my favorite dystopian novels do actually have some love plotline at some point, but it’s not their main point.

I didn't believe the love presented in Glitch. The big confession by Adrien is not exactly understandable to me. In fact, it came out of the blue. I don't know WHY he claimed to love Zoe. Other than the fact that she's an uninteresting, annoying character who is supposed to be special, they don't even talk about anything important. It's mostly Adrien doing some explaining and Zoe having to choose between two boys. The whole Max issue and love triangle popped up quite out of the blue too.

I think it would be beneficial for Glitch if there were fewer hormones-driven teenagers and more actual action. There were some parts of the book I really liked – like the whole X-men aspect of the ‘glitchers’. I also admit that the resistance part of the story was interesting – unfortunately, it was underdeveloped and hidden under a thick layer of love confessions and pointless fights between main characters.

Speaking of characters, I don’t think I liked any of them. Zoe was balancing on Mary Sue-istic tendencies, Max was just disgusting and Molla was a hysteric. And every time I thought I liked Adrien, he started to curse – his curses being ‘cracking hell’ and ‘shunting’. A distinctive voice of a character isn’t exactly about making him or her speaking funnily. It’s a minor feature, but it’s not necessary, and I think Adrien’s weird vocabulary was added here to make him stand out. It worked – he irritated me.

As for the writing, it was too long and too descriptive for me. Let me give you an example (quote from ARC, final version my vary!):

‘I speared a piece of broccoli with my fork and chewed on it thoughtfully, enjoying the texture on my tongue and the crunch that echoed in my ears with each bite. I wished I could draw this feeling so I could hold it in my hands.’

To make it sound all tech-like and completely incomprehensible, Anastasiu throws words such as 'luminescent 3-d projection' or 'bionic data nanodes'. Which are just empty words, really, instead of real world building that I expect from a good dystopian book.

And there are plotholes. Lots of them. I made notes of just a few. If people are 'subjects' and are behaving almost like robots, why do they even bother to have names? Wouldn't a serial number be sufficient? How come Zoel learns what emotions are from 'the old textbooks'? How is she capable of properly naming them all if she's never seen a normal, emotional person? Living for 16 years as an emotionless robot would do some irreversible changes to her brain, so this aspect of the book made me raise an eyebrow.

To make things worse, Zoel learned how to control her superpowers just in time. She spent the whole book not knowing how to lift a pillow and just when she and the other characters were trying to escape by the end of the book, she suddenly could defeat an entire unit of Regulators on her own.

To sum up, I didn’t enjoy this book at all. I expected a lot for such quite a buzzed book, but it only disappointed me. I don’t think I will be reading the sequel (which is obviously going to happen. The entire trilogy is going to happen).

Rating:

FF #10 - a thing to tell your favorite author

Feature & Follow is hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read weekly. You can join me and post the links to your own #FF posts in the comments below.

The question this week is...

Q: What is one thing you wish you could tell your favorite author?

Dear Stephanie Perkins!

Thank you for creating Anna, St. Clair, Cricket and many more absolutely awesome characters that helped me to go through some rough time in my life. Thanks to them I didn't feel as bad as I did earlier. Their colorfulness and kindness let me bear with some real life problems. Thank you for that.

And I can't stop dreaming that one day I will meet my very own St. Clair. ;)

Yours,

Agnieszka Nashi

What is your answer to this question? Link me your FF/answer in the comments, so I can peek. 


While you're here, you should check my giveaway! Win a paperback copy of THE VICIOUS DEEP by Zoraida Córdova (US/CAN)

You can follow me via GFC, Linky Followers, Networked Blogs, Goodreads, e-mail or/and Twitter.

BLOG TOUR: Interview with Zoraida Córdova and giveaway!

Welcome to May 2nd stop on BLOGGERS OF THE DEEP blog tour! I have an interview for my dear followers, so scroll down! :) There's a real treat for you - a giveaway. You can win a copy of The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Córdova, which I've already reviewed HERE. 5/5 stars!

About the book:

For Tristan Hart, everything changes with one crashing wave.

He was gone for three days. Sucked out to sea in a tidal wave and spit back ashore at Coney Island with no memory of what happened. Now his dreams are haunted by a terrifying silver mermaid with razor-sharp teeth.

His best friend Layla is convinced something is wrong. But how can he explain he can sense emotion like never before? How can he explain he’s heir to a kingdom he never knew existed? That he’s suddenly a pawn in a battle as ancient as the gods.

Something happened to him in those three days. He was claimed by the sea…and now it wants him back.

ORDER THE VICIOUS DEEP: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | Powell's | Book Depository

 About the author:

In the 3rd person:

Zoraida Córdova was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador. She made her way up north and now works in the glittering New York City nightlife. She likes shiny things like Christmas, merdudes, and the skyline at night. She's currently working on book #2.

In the 1st person:

Hello there! This is my shameless first person behest to add my novel to your TO READ list.

It is also where I tell you that I love meeting people from everywhere. Even though, I'm shy in the first 5 minutes, it's all for show. After that, all of my inappropriate sayings/comments come out.

Interview: 

So... why mermen? I have to admit it's quite an unique theme.
When people think of YA books, they assume it's for girls! I'm so happy my book is one of many with boy POVs. I think the story called for it, so I did it. If not, it'd be a very different sort of book.

This year and last year alone, there were (at least) four YA books about mermaids. How does The Vicious Deep stand out?
I haven't read the most recent merbooks. But from summaries, mine is an urban fantasy. You have Coney Island colliding with fantastical creatures. That alone makes it different.

World cultures are full of stories about merpeople. Your favorite mermaid or merman?
I don't think I have one. I hope recent stories will give me a favorite. This is because most of the older stories make mermaids out to be primpy girls combing their hair, waiting to fall in love. And while some mermaids are like that, I think we should explore their world a bit more.

How long did it take you to write your debut novel?
I didn't keep track! It was brewing in my head for so many years.

What's the last book you read?
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor.

If Tristan was to befriend one character from another book, who would that be and why?
I'll go with Calder White, from fellow Apocalypsie and deep sea writer, Anne Greenwood Brown's LIES BENEATH. As mermen, they could swap stories!

(Just for fun, so that your readers get to know you better, short questionnaire!) 

Coffee or tea? Coffee

Cats or dogs? Cats 

Vampires or werewolves? Vampires 

Deadly handsome stranger or the boy next door? Handsome stranger 

E-books or paper copies? Paper! 

Sunrise or sunset? Sunset

Time or money? Money 

Fact or fiction? Fiction

Writing or reading? Writing

Thanks for the interview! Any final words to your future readers?
I truly hope you enjoy The Vicious Deep! Feel free to leave me comments at my website www.zoraidawrites.com and tweets @zlikeinzorro .

Now, onto the giveaway!

The publisher has kindly offered one copy for giveaway. Fill the rafflecopter to win! US/CAN ONLY.

WAITING ON WEDNESDAY #6

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine, where we present the upcoming books we're most anticipating at the moment!

As for this week, the book is...

 Burning Blue by Paul Griffin

When Nicole Castro, the most beautiful girl in her wealthy New Jersey high school, is splashed with acid on the left side of her perfect face, the whole world takes notice. But quiet loner Jay Nazarro does more than that—he decides to find out who did it. Jay understands how it feels to be treated like a freak, and he also has a secret: He's a brilliant hacker. But the deeper he digs, the more danger he's in—and the more he falls for Nicole. Too bad everyone is turning into a suspect, including Nicole herself.

 I have a thing for genius hackers. I added this book to my wishlist as soon as I saw it! Looks promising.

♥♥♥In other news...

Nook of Books has got 200 GFC followers

thank you everyone for this huge step in my blogging experience. ♥♥♥

So what are you waiting for, guys? And what do you think about my WoW? Share in the comments!