BR: Wild Awake

by Hilary T. Smith

It’s funny because before I read this book, I was scouring goodreads for something I might like—and the reviews for Wild Awake were mixed; they were vague and unlike most reviews I’m used to. There was a healthy blend of three to five stars, and I was like “what are you going on about? Huh?”

Sadly, I am about to add to that collection.

Summary (goodreads)

Things you earnestly believe will happen while your parents are away:

1. You will remember to water the azaleas.
2. You will take detailed, accurate messages.
3. You will call your older brother, Denny, if even the slightest thing goes wrong.
4. You and your best friend/bandmate Lukas will win Battle of the Bands.
5. Amid the thrill of victory, Lukas will finally realize you are the girl of his dreams.

Things that actually happen:

1. A stranger calls who says he knew your sister.
2. He says he has her stuff.
3. What stuff? Her stuff.
4. You tell him your parents won’t be able to—
5. Sukey died five years ago; can’t he—
6. You pick up a pen.
7. You scribble down the address.
8. You get on your bike and go.
9. Things . . . get a little crazy after that.*
*also, you fall in love, but not with Lukas.

**
My Expectations: not super high because the reviews on goodreads were mixed, but this one has been praised by a lot of bloggers I follow on twitter (shameless plug!)
Delivery: comme ci comme ca
Put-down-ability: 4/10, I knew I wanted to finish it to see what happens
**

My Thoughts

You’ve probably heard of Wild Awake. If you haven’t you’re probably like me and disconnected from the more modern YA news, or perhaps this is old news that I just was never informed about. The synopsis means to grab your attention (it works) but it also doesn’t nearly prepare you for the actual book. Kiri’s days are urgent, manic, and feel like the passed both too quickly and too slowly. She’s erratic and talkative, frenetically dedicated to piano, sleepless, high, and unusual. She’s unlike any protagonist I’ve read about, and it’s a double-edged sword.

On one hand, different is good. It’s a breath of fresh air surrounded by a cloud of worry for her antics and well-being. On the other hand, different also meant unrelatable and I can definitely see her character being a hit-or-miss. It’s obvious that Kiri’s going through some sort of episode kick-started by news about her sister’s death five years ago, whether it’s a nervous breakdown or monomania like her friend’s well-meaning mother thinks, or hypomania (see this definition). And I liked it, with reservations. Yeah. It’s one of those things, sorry.

I applaud the approach, I really do. It felt Smith stepped outside the boundaries of mainstream contemporary and fearlessly tackled a difficult topic of mental illness, but while I thought the representation of the character holds true, it made the novel, as a whole, very tangled, unfocussed, and frazzled. There’s not really a plot. There’s a lot of things mashed together, love, music, grief, and it lacked cohesion—yet I felt like this style was done on purpose. And regardless of the true intent or whatnot, I didn’t really love it. I was like “well, Kiri goes on another chaotic adventure, now what? Oh, she’s going to do it again? Okay. And again? Okay. What now? Where is this headed?”  And well, imagine that, throughout the entire book even up till the end where too many things are left unresolved.

I’ve talked about character a lot (very interesting), and the plot (too unfocused for my personal tastes), but what about the writing? It’s… both good and not my thing. Smith clearly has great control of language as her prose is littered with metaphors…. but her prose is littered with so many freaking metaphors. It feels over-written at many points, as if they decided to keep in every description and simile that they were proud of instead of striking out needless text that cluttered the prose. Yes, these metaphors are pretty and flowery, but they were also glaringly obvious and within the first 20 pages I couldn’t stop noticing them, and not in a good way.  That said, I really liked the way Smith embodied the show-not-tell, and well, being inside Kiri’s mind was definitely an experience.

There is an undeniable stigma attached to mental illness, but books like Wild Awake are a step in the right direction-- it shows us the tangled, complex, and imperfect nature of humans and life.

I haven't touched on a lot of things-- character relationships in particular, but I really just want to stop rambling. I liked most of them, though. Oh! And this book is set in Vancouver (HECK YES, CANADA!! THEY NOTICED US, FRIENDS!) which is awesome.

Rating in HP Terms: Acceptable
Recommended for: fans of contempory, unusual YA contemps
Acknowledgements: 2.5/5

8/10 – because I liked it but didn’t love it. It wasn’t a super-enjoyable read or a super-engrossing on, but it definitely piqued my interest and Kiri carried the book well. I was very curious to see what’d happen in the end (so that kept me reading) but I’ll admit the bratty side of me felt slightly cheated when I was done (but everyone’s free to their own artistic preferences). It’s a difficult book to review—those who have read it will probably say the same, and it’s also a difficult book to describe. However, I’d definitely say that if you’re looking for something that isn’t normally found inside the angsty YA contemporary genre (it’d fit great with A Tapestry of Word's Psychtember, tbh), give Wild Awake a shot.

source: library
author website / twitter

BR: The 5th Wave

Guys. My seventh book review this year, first in 3 months. I'm so good at this blogging thing, eh?

Summary (goodreads)

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother—or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

**
My Expectations: kind of okay? I went into it with a "hoping for the best" mentality, but I wasn't counting on the hype.
Delivery: definitely exceeded my expectations
Put-down-ability: 2/10, low. I mean, bought this book, paid full price and everything.
**

My Thoughts


I haven't read a book I really loved in months, and I've been picking up and putting down countless books recently. Until this one. And I loved that as I was reading it, I was realizing that it was going to be a new favourite of mine and let me tell you, I was never so disappointed to see the Acknowledgements page after that last chapter.

Two quotes:

That's not how it ends at all.
It ends with us killing each other behind rows of empty beer coolers in the dying light of a late-summer day.
I went up to him before the last of the light was gone. Not to see if he was dead. I knew he was dead. I wanted to see what he was holding in his bloody hand.
It was a crucifix.

That passage near the beginning made me sit up and take note, it made my brain scream that this was not a book that was to be ignored.

"It's hopeless. And it's stupid. It's suicidal. But love is a weapon they have no answer for. They know how you think, but they can't know what you feel." 

Damn, Rick Yancey, I like your book a lot.

---

This one took me by surprise, I'm usually one to ignore the hype and I've done my fair share of wandering around bookstores and reading 50 or so pages, then leaving. However, I took this baby home with me ;)

Before we get to the brilliance of the writing, can we just talk about the freaking plot? It's so well crafted and builds a solid foundation for the series. Everything from the 1st wave to the Arrival, from Camp Ashpit to Camp Haven, I loved the way Yancey really thought through the Others' plan of attack. It allowed for much better rapport between the protagonist and the actions of the antagonist instead of one directional volleys.

Okay, but if plots aren't your thing, maybe writing is. It really is gorgeous, I especially noticed some of the colour imagery (because it was reminiscent of The Book Thief), as well certain distinct features/images like the Eye and the Mothership (reminiscent of the District 9 movie). Some passages were breathtaking and haunting, and definitely made my mind turn over on itself; he fleshes out the complications and pain of war, loss, family, and love, yet still maintains an action-packed atmosphere and a tense feeling of impending doom.

So then there are the characters, where I loved the whole bunch. Another thing I didn't expect-- the switching POVs (okay, okay, maybe I didn't thoroughly research this book before reading it) but it was such a pleasant surprise. There was a point where Yancey switched between 1st and 3rd POV which I found interesting and enjoyable. I had a small issue with the central romance, which I thought was lacking... I mean, okay, hopeless devotion is only romantic to an extent. After that it's dull. I much more enjoyed Cassie throwing meat at his head. Yancey leaves an aura of mystery around many of the characters that leaves me eager to find out more.

I found one or two of the POVs slowed down the story and I definitely felt a lull during the middle portion of the book; however, there's enough heart-pumping action in the third act to make me forget all about it :)

Rating in HP Terms: Exceeds Expectations/Outstanding
Recommended for: Fans of The Hunger Games, Divergent, all those big name dystopian/sci-fi books
Acknowledgements: 4/5, lovely

9/10 - because it was an exhilarating, addictive book and I'm still smiling about it. A well-developed, intricate plot paired with characters who you want to see make it through really seems to be a winning combination. Fabulous writing, and hugely recommended. Now it's the waiting game, August 2014, come faster.

source: bought
author website / twitter 

goodbye, april!

I try not to go an entire month without posting, as I definitely wouldn't want to screw up my pristine Archive in my sidebar... anywho, it's been a while!

I guess that calls for another life update. With equal amounts of existential crises and probably more uncertainty.

1. Finals are over! The course in which I thought I totally bombed because I was ridiculously unprepared for the final (worth 45%) turned out okay, thank god. I'm pretty sure a very favourable bell curve was applied there... Just waiting for my other marks, but I think I can safely say this semester went well :) I pretty much liked the majority of my courses, so that always makes everything slightly more pleasant.

2. It's pretty much May! Guys, I can't even express how excited I am for these movies. May 3: Iron Man 3. May 10: The Great Gatsby. May 17: Star Trek 2. May 24: Fast and Furious 6 and The Hangover 3 (which I probably won't watch). So obviously it's a May that's chalk-full of sequels, but I'm still SO EXCITED.

3. I don't know what I'm doing with my life. *whines* What else is new?

4. I'm such a dork, I love looking through the university course listings and planning out my classes for next year. It's still April, Audrey, what the hell are you doing.

5. I haven't been to work in about 2.5 weeks because of finals, but I miss it! I miss the kids, haha.

6. How is it May already? Every year goes by faster, it seriously worries me.

7. HOCKEY PLAYOFFS! GO CANUCKS GO!

8. How did the Leafs make playoffs? It'll be crazytown, methinks.

9. I'm slowly working my way through Ask the Passengers by AS King. The weird thing is that I know that like a year ago, I would totally devour this type of quiet, unassumingly amazing book but now I just find myself constantly distracted. Hmm.

10. I watched a bunch of movies too, I'm trying to get around to all those movies that I haven't seen-- a short list is classics like: The Shawshank Redmption, The Godfather, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, etc... Also others like Gangs of New York, In Bruges, No Country for Old Men, There Will Be Blood, Trainspotting. And I'll try and make my way through this year's Oscar winners, although I admit I have very little interest in Lincoln, and I don't think I can sit through Life of Pi... We'll see. Yeah. Lots of movies. I adore movies.

11. Melina Marchetta answered some questions on Goodreads, and yeah, it's MM, I love everything she writes and I stalk too many of her interviews :P Check it out.

12. Does someone in Toronto want to hire me?

13. I don't really know what else to write, actually. I'll probably edit this list as I think of new things, since this post was super disinteresting. Here's a cute gif:

I hope you all had wonderful Aprils. For those of you still in school, good luck!! Hang in there :) And for everyone else, Happy May!

--xo Audrey

march Updates

I'm realizing that it's nearing the end of March and I haven't posted anything all month, so... without further ado. An update post! Whee!

1. Life was busy. It has calmed down. But it will be busy again. (oh, the glorious cycle of midterms and finals and papers and all that un-fun school stuff).

2. I can't wait for May movies!! Iron Man 3, The Great Gatsby, and Star Trek: Into Darkness.. I so cannot wait for any of them. So far, 2013 has been kind of crappy for movies, but I'm watching The Place Beyond the Pines next week which I'm crossing my fingers will be kind of good.

3. I have a lot of existentialist crises. As well as just normal what-am-I-doing-with-my-life crises. Like, a LOT, and honestly, I'll fondly look back upon my second year at university as the one in which I was lost and had a lot of crises.

4. I got a part-time job! I tutor these really young kids and let me tell you, some are just ridiculously adorable. It's still snowing here (I know, WHY) so their parents dress them in snowpants and sometimes full-on one-piece snowsuits and ack so cute. Wee little marshmallows. D'awww. 

5. The only book I've read recently is Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell, and if we ignore the slightly unhealthy tinge to their relationship (I mean, yeah, it can be problematic. I will completely agree with your view if you say that) but oh gosh, this book is just... lovely. Rich. Full. Lots of feelings and beautiful words, and restores my love of YA contemporary (despite being set in 1986 and mentioning casette players and record stores). Alexa had Eleanor and Park as her #1 couple on her (awesome) Christmas Countdown for 2012... I totally see where she's coming from.

6. The next book I'm hoping to read is Scarlet by Marissa Meyer! Hope it's good, I've heard wonderful things :)

7. I am very grateful for my ability to nap pretty much anywhere, any time. If I've got a 30 minute gap before class, I can spend a solid 25 minutes sleeping. Knock on wood that by sleeping skills don't fade as I grow old.

8. I'm feeling so old lately. I'm not even twenty, but I think being around young kids at work make me feel sooooo old.

9. I want to go to New York City SO BADLY.

10. Patrick Ness has 2 books coming out this year and I just want everybody to know that. 

11. Dear Markus Zusak: When is The Bridge of Clay coming out? I've patiently waited for over three years... the longest I've waited for a book ever. But take your time, because I WILL be crying tears over your words of perfection.

12. I bought Chocolate Soy Milk today and it's so yummy!!! 

13. I also tried making quesadillas... tried being the operative word.

14. I've been trying to catch some NCAA March Madness games online... only problem is I don't know who to cheer for... so who are YOU cheering for? I'm a total bandwagon-er (and yes, go Tar Heels because I adore you, Sarah Dessen).

Hope you lovelies are doing well and reading good books :) Cheers,

Audrey

xo

BR: Perfect Scoundrels

by Ally Carter
Heist Society series; book III

KAT! HALE! THEY'RE BACK! I'm so excited! WHEEE!

Summary (goodreads)

Katarina Bishop and W.W. Hale the fifth were born to lead completely different lives: Kat comes from a long, proud line of loveable criminal masterminds, while Hale is the scion of one of the most seemingly perfect dynasties in the world. If their families have one thing in common, it's that they both know how to stay under the radar while getting--or stealing--whatever they want. No matter the risk, the Bishops can always be counted on, but in Hale's family, all bets are off when money is on the line. When Hale unexpectedly inherits his grandmother's billion dollar corporation, he quickly learns that there's no place for Kat and their old heists in his new role. But Kat won't let him go that easily, especially after she gets tipped off that his grandmother's will might have been altered in an elaborate con to steal the company's fortune. So instead of being the heir--this time, Hale might be the mark. Forced to keep a level head as she and her crew fight for one of their own, Kat comes up with an ambitious and far-reaching plan that only the Bishop family would dare attempt. To pull it off, Kat is prepared to do the impossible, but first, she has to decide if she's willing to save her boyfriend's company if it means losing the boy
**

My Thoughts

Hale? HALE! This is a HALE book, much to my excitement. There is plenty of Hale, and not just the one you're thinking (have I mentioned Hale's name enough? Because really, what more of an excuse do you need? One more time? HALE!)

...

Right.

The Heist Society series is honestly just pure escapism and fun times for me, and that's why I adore it so much. Teens planning and executing cons could not possibly be more entertaining, especially with such a kick-butt protagonist and a loveable supporting cast. It's the type of book where I don't give a crap that there's one too many tropes, I'm gonna enjoy the hell out of it anyway.

My only issue with this book (because as usual, I love the delightful characters and smooth writing) is that I felt the plot lost the "it" factor towards the end. I ended up questioning the author's decision to "trick" the reader for a page or two, and the shift (BEING VERY VERY VAGUE HERE) between the 'bridge' and the 'train' was really.. confusing? The transition felt very clunky, so my suspension of disbelief shattered a wee bit.

There were also parts of the plot that I wasn't a huge fan of (we know the antagonist's plan too early on), or that the heist was underwhelming (it was sneaky, but not... heist-y enough for me, or imaginative enough). I have a selfish wish that there could have been more Kat and Hale  moments, despite a lovely sum of them already... and more Bagshaws and Simon and Gabrielle. They were all so happiness-inducing.

Essentially: fun book, escapism, heists, HALE, okay-villain, Scooter!, maybe could have been a better heist, but overall entertaining.

8.5/10 - because although there were some parts I wasn't the most pleased with, I still had and wonderful time reading it and escaping into Kat's world. I thought Carter dealt with so many heartfelt themes in an impacting way (I really adored the way she wrote about Kat stealing Hale), the themes of family and friendship really stood out and I greatly enjoyed it.

And I went to her signing and here's a picture of the very sweet and lovely author Ally Carter and myself :)

source: bought
author twitter / website

my reviews of Heist Society and Uncommon Criminals