Must Read Reviews: Wither

*I received this arc through Simon and Schuster....and boy am I grateful!*

Here's a quick plot summary for Wither in case you've been under a rock and not heard about the premise!!!

When scientists engineered genetically perfect children, everyone thought it would ensure the future of the human race. Though the first generation is nearly immortal, a virus causes all successive generations to die early: age 20 for women, 25 for men. Now, girls are kidnapped for brothels or polygamous marriages to breed children. Rhine is taken from her hardscrabble life and sold with two other girls to Linden Ashby. Though they live in a palatial Florida home surrounded by gardens and treated like royalty, the girls are sequestered from the outside world, and Rhine longs to escape. Her growing affection for her sister wives, her pity for Linden, and her fear of Housemaster Vaughn, Linden's manipulative father, keep her uncomfortably docile, until she falls for servant Gabriel.

I'll have to admit when I first started reading Wither, I wasn't sure exactly what to think of it. It hooked me in from the first chapter with a Dystopian edge...the next chapter moved into a more Historical novel feel. Then it yo-yoed between Dystopian, Sci-Fi, and Historical. While I do think there could have been a wee bit more development with the "world" of Wither, it didn't effect my appreciation of the story. In fact, it might have aided it a bit since we're just as clueless as Rhine is. I loved the aspect of "sister-wives" and a love quad, rather than triangle. It's just a different kind of book than I've read in a long time.

DeStefano has a great grasp of character development. Rhine is an easy MC to embrace, to have empathy for, and to want a better future for. I found myself rooting for her each time she got manipulative and devious, lol. There were times when I loathed Linden and others when I found myself very drawn to him. The evolving of Cecily's role as a Sister Wife, as well as Jenna's, was also very well done. I found myself really caring for these characters....there's an OMG moment where I had to fight my tears. There's also lots of roller coaster moments where you'll be sitting on the edge of your seat.

I'm totally stoked for the sequel!!!

Book Review: Angelfire

Book: Angelfire
Author: Courtney Allison Moulton
Genre: YA URBAN FANTASY/ SUSPENSE

Release: February 2011, KATHERINE TEGAN BOOKS/ HARPERCOLLINS

*I received this book for review from NetGalley

Verdict: 4 Thumbs Up

From Good Reads:

When seventeen-year-old Ellie starts seeing reapers - monstrous creatures who devour humans and send their souls to Hell - she finds herself on the front lines of a supernatural war between archangels and the Fallen and faced with the possible destruction of her soul.

A mysterious boy named Will reveals she is the reincarnation of an ancient warrior, the only one capable of wielding swords of angelfire to fight the reapers, and he is an immortal sworn to protect her in battle...


The Good:

(1). Will....he is ultra swoonworthy!!! He's probably one of my favorite YA LI's. I totally love how serious he takes his job as Ellie's guardian. I thought he brought the best out of Ellie, and he pushed her to be not only a better warrior--or the warrior she was meant to be, but also to be a better person. His internal struggle between keeping everything "all business" between them was very noble...and very sexy! :)

(2). The action sequences. I haven't read a whole lotta kick ass fight scenes in YA, and Angelfire seriously delivers. Just when you thought Ellie and Will were down for the count, they were back with a vengeance. I love how varied the settings were for the fights as well.

(3). The Angel/Hebrew/Summarian Mythology....as a history fan, I really enjoyed all the mythology and how it all tied in together.

(4). The "not love at first sight" romance between Ellie and Will. It's nice to see their relationship evolve.


The Bad

(1). Sad to say, but a lot of times Ellie. I just couldn't take her personality....she was a little too immature sometimes The excessive obsessing about clothes and cars didn't endear me to her. Really this was only the beginning of the book....the more she remembered her past life, the better she got, lol.

(2). The Daddy factor....just didn't feel like it enhanced the book and some of the scenes. I'm hoping it will be explained in the 2nd Book.

(3). The "Whoa" moment--I can't say too much about this b/c I don't want to spoil it, but I'm not really sure whether I liked or disliked it...still kinda mulling it over and seeing how it will unfold in the second book.

The Ugly

*The Reapers--most def were some pretty hideous and unfortunate creatures!!

So, go forth and read Angelfire when it debuts next month!

Book Review: Delirium by Lauren Oliver=5 Thumbs UP!

TITLE: DELIRIUM
AUTHOR: Lauren Oliver
Release Date: February 1st, 2011
Genre: Romance, Dystopia, Sci-fi
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 440

VERDICT: 5 out of 5 Thumbs Up

SYNOPSIS:

Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that one love -the deliria- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the governments demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy. But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love.

My Thoughts:


The Good:

(1). The MC, Lena, is kick ass, but not in the typical kick ass of beating people up. She has strength of emotional character. What she has endured and then what she continues to endure throughout the course of the book is really epic. I thought she showed great courage under fire. I also enjoyed how her character evolves throughout the book.

(2). Alex was totally swoon-worthy. The way he is introduced at the beginning gives us a total James Dean Rebel Without a Cause mentality. It is both sexy and endearing as the novel progresses. He isn't just dangerous and forbidden, but he's dangerous and forbidden with a purpose. He really epitomizes the Snow Patrol song Open Your Eyes in the way his relationship evolves with Lena. And the scenes when they are together are WHITE HOT SMEXINESS!! I mean, you might want to prepare to turn the heat down, turn on a fan or smoke a cigarette b/c it is HOTT!!!

(3). Great BFF in the form of Hana....I loved how wild and free she was, and how she got Lena to question things.

(4). The prose is phenomenal! I mean, I'm blown away and made to feel completely inadequate with my own writing. Ms. Oliver's turn phrase is really impressive. The pictures she painted with her words really enhanced my appreciation of the book.

(5). The aspect of "love" being forbidden isn't just restricted to physical love between two people....it is the love between mother and child, family, friends, etc. The scenes where Lena flashbacked to her mom were heartbreaking--especially since I've lost my own mom and could totally connect with her pain.

The Bad:

(1). While there's not a whole lot of bad, I saw a lot of similarities between this book and Matched, and since I know Ms. Oliver works for a development company, that kinda concerned me. BUT, for me, I liked Delirium a whole lot more. I feel it had far more depth of story, character, etc. and she should have gotten the seven figures advanced, lol. :) It was hard for me to stop reading, even late into the night.

(2). Some aspects of the whole "love being banned" didn't necessarily ring true of why a government would want to necessarily do that.....besides the Big Brother aspect there wasn't a whole lot of government motivation and all.

The Ugly:

(1). Honestly, the ending really isn't ugly it just blew me away....and not necessarily in a good way. I won't divulge too much more, but you should just be prepared. It's also agony thinking of waiting for the next book to come out.

I would totally recommend Delirium, and it is probably going to be my favorite Dystopian next to the Hunger Games!!! :)