Hopeless

I'll admit that I read this book because Colleen Hoover is the author. I love her. Not only does she write excellent, all consuming books, but she's also funny (via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram). Hopeless did not disappoint me. 

Sky is a high school senior and is about to attend her first day of public school. She has been home schooled by her technology banning, adoptive mother, Karen. After her first day of school she has an awkward run in with Dean Holder at the grocery store and is left feeling confused and emotional. Not only does he have a reputation, but she feels a connection with him from the beginning. Together they deal with serious issues (rape, suicide, adoption) and realize that there may be more to their connection than they originally believed. 

I truly enjoyed this book. It dealt with very heavy issues, but also had the romantic aspect that Hoover does so well. It was a quick and easy read. There were a few things in the book that I had not seen coming, at least not right from the start. I think the only thing that bothered me was that it seemed as though Holder and Sky were touching one another constantly- cool it guys! With that being said, I cannot wait to read Losing Hope and see what the future holds for Sky and Holder.

Origin

Origin is the fourth novel in the Lux series. Jennifer L. Armentrout definitely did not disappoint her fans. Origin picks up where Opal left off. Katy has been captured by Daedalus. Daemon is heart broken and does everything in his power to get back to her. 

"I'll burn the world down to save her."

Katy has to go through painful tests, meidcal treatments, and confinement while under Daedalus conrol. Ultimately, Dameon gives himself up to Daedalus and the couple devise an escape plan. Little do they know that they're escape will not only afffect their lives, but will change the world forever. 

I will admit that I am a huge Lux fan! I love Katy and Daemon, and I was thrilled that this book focused so much on their relationship. You see a much softer (although still bad ass) side of Daemon, as he opens up more and shares his feelings with Katy. I was glad to see that the Daedalus captivity, while life changing, seemed to bring them even closer together. I was worried that Katy might become damaged and unstable, like Bethany. 

I thought the premise of the "origins," offspring of Luxen and hybrids, was brilliant. I saw it coming, but I think it was a great plot twist. Thankfully, Luc and Archer are likeable origin characters. The origin children under the Daedalus control were down right creepy. I'm hoping that origin babies can grow up fairly "normal" without any Daedalus interference (for Bethany and Dawson's sake).

The ending.... ugh! It was a big cliff hanger and leaves you wanting to have Opposition in your hands   right now. More Luxen are coming to Earth. Will Daemon, Dawson, and Dee abandon their families and friends and join their species? Will there be a war? So many questions... Come on Opposition!

Gone Girl

 

 

I will admit, I had difficulty getting through this book at times. It was interesting and the writing style was phenomenal, but there were a lot of times that I just wanted the story to end. Amy and Nick met at a party, fell in love, and had a great marriage (or so it seems) for two years. They fall into a financial hardship and Nick decides they should move from Amy's hometown of New York City to Nick's childhood home in Carthage, Missouri, to aid his ailing parents. They both grow distant from one another, keep secrets, and tell numerous lies; ultimately destroying their relationship. On the morning of their fifth wedding anniversary, Amy goes missing. There are signs of a struggle, and Nick becomes the prime suspect. The book revolves around the case and their relationship in alternating points of view.

 

The characters of the book were kind of annoying. They were not ever very happy and were twisted, sadistic, and even psychotic. I do think that Nick and Amy both, had glimmering moments where you empathized or understood them, but for the most part they were not relatable characters, which adds to their intrigue, in my opinion. I don't think the author meant for Amy and Nick to be "likeable."

 

"Our kind of love can go into remission, but it's always waiting to return. Like the world's sweetest cancer."

 

Many readers have complained about the ending. I'll admit that I believe this book could have been fifty to one hundred pages shorter, but I kind of liked the ending. The book, while psychotic (yet not surprising), had you constantly thinking and discovering new clues and twists, so why wouldn't the ending leave you with some unanswered questions and loose ends. Overall, I liked the plot and writing style, but it was not one of my favorites. I will definitely read another Gillian Flynn novel in the future.

 





22 Britannia Road

 



 

This novel starts with the reunion of the Nowak family after the end of World War II. They are originally from Poland, but were separated by the war. Janusz joined the allied forces fight against the Germans. Silvana, his wife, and Aurek, their infant son, stayed in Warsaw. Janusz was able to get to Great Britain and decided to start a new life for his family. Silvana and Aurek were able to survive the war by living and hiding in the forest.

 

While Janusz and Silvana want to forget the war, memories of the past haunt them. They are both keeping secrets that could ruin their relationship and the new life that they are struggling to maintain. Janusz is so set on becoming a British gentleman. He is so determined for he, Silvana, and Aurek to fit in that he does every thing he can to escape his past. It isn't that easy for Silvana and Aurek, who struggle adapting back into society, let alone living in a new country.

 

I really enjoyed this novel. Most of the historical fiction that I have read in the past don't grab your attention so early. I think my favorite part of the whole book was the relationship between Silvana and Aurek. She is fiercely protective of him and he clings to her. At times it was heartbreaking and endearing. Janusz is a sensitive man. He seems to get lonely quickly whenever he is apart from his loved ones. Through most of the book Janusz was so preoccupied with fitting in and becoming British that he didn't notice his wife's unhappiness. He could be cruel at times when insisting that Aurek behave and blend in with children his age. I was thrilled that, in the end, Janusz was able to have a loving, paternal relationship with Aurek. This story is displays the unique bond between mother and child, the devastation of war on families, and ultimately redemption and forgiveness.

 

"The way they looked at him makes him feel safe; it's like he's everything they ever wanted."

 

 





Raven Girl

 

 

A friend on my Goodreads feed finished this book and gave it a great review, which piqued my interest enough to read it. The author, Audrey Niffenegger, actually wrote this short, illustrated novel per request of the Royal Ballet in London. They wanted a "modern fairytale" to choreograph. The fairytale is about a postman who discovers a letter with an address that he has never seen before. His supervisor seems to know of the address, tells him it is on his route, she says they don't receive much mail, and that he needed to deliver it. When he gets there he discovers the address leads to a raven's nest. There is a small raven on the ground, he picks her up, assumes she is hurt and sick, and takes her home with him. The postman spoils the baby raven with delicious food and all of his attention. She grows and eventually she learns to fly, despite having another raven to teach her. The postman is happily surprised when she flies back to him and stays. The postman and the raven fall in love and he proposes to her; she eagerly accepts. The raven becomes pregnant, lays a large egg, and hatches a human, baby girl. 

 

The Raven Girl has jet black hair and eyes and she doesn't cry, but squawks like a bird. She grows up happy, but believes that she should have been born a raven. She can't communicate with her father or other humans, but she can speak raven. She realizes that she is different once she starts school and is surrounded by other children her age.

 

"The games the children played did not make sense to her, and no one wanted to play at flying or nest building or road kill for very long."

 

She later attends University, where she meets a doctor who agrees to turn her into a raven; finally turning her dream into a reality.

 

I will be the first to admit that the plot is odd, but I think that's what makes people interested enough to read it. The illustrations are dark, but go great with the narration. Every page is full of symbolism, which is why I was so drawn in and taken by it. What I love about the symbols and issues that she uses, is that it can be interpreted in so many different ways by different readers. What teenage girl or boy has not felt uncomfortable in their own skin? Sure, I didn't grow up dreaming that I would or should become a raven, but I, as most others dreamt of a future. I think the only way I can describe this story is that it was beautifully strange. I think the author explains the book best in her "Acknowledgements" at the end,

 

"'Raven Girl,' like many much older tales, is about the education and transformation of a young girl. It also concerns unlikely lovers, metamorphoses, dark justice, and a prince, as well as the modern magic of technology and medicine."

 

 





Red Hill

 

 

 



I wasn't really sure what to expect when I started this book. I was pleasantly surprised by the end of it. The author, Jamie McGuire, proved that she no longer has to limit herself to one genre of writing. Not only does she write wonderful romance novels, but her debut horror novel has also been a success. I am a big fan of The Walking Dead and this definitely had that kind of feel to it. The book starts with Scarlet at work as an x-ray technician in a hospital just as the "zombie apocalypse" begins. She is able to escape the chaos and is frantically trying to reach her daughters, Jenna and Halle, who are with her ex-husband, Andrew, listening to the Governor give a speech. She makes it to Anderson, where her daughters are supposed to be, only to find that it is over run by a trigger happy militia. Scarlet is able to leave a message for her daughters to meet her at Red Hill, a secluded ranch in the country.

 

Nathan is in an unhappy marriage. He comes home every day on pins and needles waiting to gauge his wife's mood. Aubrey, his wife, is distant and doesn't enjoy being a wife or mother to their young daughter, Zoe. Ironically, Aubrey chooses to leave her family the day of the "virus outbreak." Nathan leaves with Zoe and heads to his NRA supporting brother-in-law, Skeeter. They hole up in a church for awhile, but eventually Nathan and Zoe leave and meet with a group that leads them to Red Hill. I loved Nathan's interactions with Zoe, and how he handled her "episodes." She has a sensory disorder and she would have outbursts when she was overly stimulated. My daughter has some sensory issues as well, and I could totally relate to some of the scenes in the book (minus the zombies).

 

Miranda and Ashley, along with their boyfriends, are headed to their dad's ranch, Red Hill, when the outbreak occurs. They have to take several detours to get there. Eventually they arrive, only to learn that their father is dead. They are able to cope, move on, co-exist, and survive together.

 

 

There were some plot twists that I found shocking. I know during the zombie apocalypse people will be die, but there were certain characters that I wanted to scream, "REALLY?! Why him/her?!" What really set the book apart from your average apocalyptic nightmare, was the message of hope and enjoying what you have while it's still here. I can only hope for a sequel.

 

 

"If the last year had taught me anything, it was that the end only lead to one thing-- a beginning."



"The Killer in the Pool" & CNN Film, "Blackfish"

I was one of many viewers last week tuned into the CNN film, Blackfish. I was moved by the documentary and watched the interviews afterwards. I learned that the flame that ignited the film was the article, The Killer in the Pool, by Tim Zimmerman in 2010 after the death of SeaWorld's killer whale trainer, Dawn Brancheau. The article centers around a killer whale named Tilikum, which ironically means "friend" in Chinook. Both the article and the documentary start by mentioning the death of Brancheau and then working back through Tilikum's life. Essentially, both pieces raise the questions, why did Tilikum kill Dawn Brancheau?, and should killer whales be kept in captivity?

Dawn Brancheau's safety spotter on the day of her death claimed that Tilikum had grabbed her ponytail while she was lying next to him during a routine show. Once she pulled back it became almost like a game of tug-of-war for him. According to the scientists that both Zimmerman and the production crew for the documentary interviewed, Orcas in captivity tend to become restless rather easily. They are used to swimming up to and sometimes more than 70 miles a day in search of food. The whales at SeaWorld and other marine parks around the world are not given that opportunity. These killer whales are expected to perform like circus animals for a large crowd of people several times a day. After awhile this becomes boring and frustrating for the animals. While they aren't sure what triggered Tilikum's attack on Dawn, many believe that the orcas are able to sense and know just how far they are going. Trainers think that they know if they take it too far that they can kill them and so there is a possibility that Tilikum meant to kill Brancheau that day. It still doesn't explain what motivated the attack, but boredom seems to be the main factor.

Zimmerman raises the question to readers and viewers of the documentary, "should killer whales be kept in captivity?" Knowing what we know now, that there are no documented cases of killer whales attacking, hurting, or killing a human being in the wild, and yet we have one whale with a death toll up to three in captivity. Some scientists believe that keeping the killer whales in such a small "pool" with limited stimulation drives them to become psychotic. The documentary focused on how the killer whale's brain is very complex and it has a certain portion dedicated to socialization and emotions. The orcas live in pods of 20 to 50 and within those pods they have families. It's a matriarchal society and the babies stay with their mothers even after they're grown. There's a scene in the documentary where SeaWorld decides to remove the baby from the mother. She just sits in the corner of the enclosure and cries. The scientist explaining what was going on said that she was using long range vocals because she was trying to search for her baby. As a mother, that was heart breaking. If these whales stay connected to their babies and families than why would it be in their best interest to separate them? The article has a quote from Jean-Michel Cousteau, president of the Ocean Futures Society, that I think sums up the articles findings,

"Maybe we as a species have outgrown the need to keep such wild, enormous, complex, intelligent, and free-ranging animals in captivity, where their behavior is not only unnatural; it can become pathological... Maybe we have learned all we can from keeping them captive."

I respected that Zimmerman did praise SeaWorld for some of the things that they do for the marine animals. They have excellent breeding techniques, advanced veterinary care for their animals, they preserve the species, and they also play a major role with non-profit conservation organizations. He acknowledged that SeaWorld and other marine parks around the world have given this species awareness to the public. Before the 1960s killer whales were used as target practice and the United States has come a long way in order to protect these mammals since then. I do think that Zimmerman and the crew of Blackfish has opened the eyes to many of the kind of life that these killer whales lead. It's sad, lonely, and can be a death trap waiting to happen. They have definitely raised many questions and hopefully will make a difference.

City of Fallen Angels

 After reading City of Fallen Angels I was a little surprised that the author did not stick to her original plan and end the series with the third book, City of Glass. In this book the group all has returned from Alicante and is back home for about six weeks. Every single person seems to have been paired off; Clary and Jace, Alec and Magnus Bane, Jocelyn and Luke, and Simon, Maia, and Isabelle (yep, Simon has two girls for a bit). Shadowhunters from the old "circle" are being murdered and no one seems to know who is behind it. Their throats are cut and they are being placed in other Downworlder's territories, leaving a lot of finger pointing. The murders eventually lead to Camille, the world's oldest vampire. She is cunning and not to be trusted, but swears to the Shadowhunters and Magnus Bane that she is not acting of her own volition. She was summoned to commit these crimes. The Clave (along with Simon, Clary, Isabelle, Alec, Maia, Jordan, and Jace) soon find out that Camille is the least of their worries. The dead Shadowhunters, dead and deformed babies, hooded cult followers, and the resurrection of Sebastian/Jonathan all lead to the world's oldest greater demon, Lilith. There is definitely a struggle between good and evil in this novel and it seems as though evil may be the victor.
 I think one of the things that really bothered me with this book was the relationship between Jace and Clary. He was isolating himself from her just as they first became an official couple. He was having bad dreams and they were running into his personal life. It almost seemed as though Clare had reincarnated Twilight's Edward through Jace. He had the mentality that if I love her, I have to stay away so she doesn't get hurt.
"I can't talk to you, I can't be with you, I can't even look at you." - A little harsh, huh?!
While it ended up making sense in the end (kind of), it was really annoying.

Clary, for me, is just an irritating character. She seems clueless most of the time and puts herself into situations that could easily be avoided. One scene that I just found ridiculous was in Jace's bedroom at the Institute. Jace and Clary were being intimate, Jace grabs a knife, and almost stabs Clary. It was just odd that Clary gets extremely upset when Jace ignores her, but if he almost stabs her she's not freaking out and quick to forgive  him.

While I do think The Mortal Instrument series should have ended a book ago, I will do my best to finish. It was a quick, easy, and interesting read. I'll be interested to see where the series goes from here.

My thoughts on "Saving June"

I will admit that I had to lay this book down and come back to it because it took me awhile to get into it. Saving June follows the narrator and main character, Harper Scott. Her sister, June, has just committed suicide, seemingly out of the blue. June was the "perfect" sibling, while Harper is considered a disappointment. June had always wanted to go to California, but never got the chance. Harper and her best friend, Laney, devise a plan to take June's ashes to California and spread them in the Pacific. Just as Harper and Laney think that their trip may be impossible, in comes Jake Tolan in shining armor and riding in a black creeper van named "Joplin." Jake definitely has some connection to June that Harper can't quite figure out, but agrees to Jake's offer to drive the trio to California. Together the three of them trek across the country, find themselves, and ultimately learn that life is worth living.

I would only give this book 3 out of 5 stars because the author could have done so much more with this story. It had a good, but somewhat predictable and cliché plot. It just left me a little disappointed at the end. I think the one thing that really annoyed me was the characters- especially Harper.

Harper: She's made out to be this strong, confident, and stubborn girl, but I just didn't see that at all. She didn't cry after her sister's death, but then she is almost bragging about the fact that she didn't cry. I felt that the author was portraying Harper as "strong" by showing that she doesn't cry. She does end up having a few emotional break downs later in the book.
  She also doesn't really seem to have her own tastes or beliefs. Jake, who is obsessed with music, asks her what type of music she likes to listen to, but she can't really answer him. She starts naming music that Laney listens to. As she starts to fall for Jake, she ends up liking his music. Also, the topic of religion is thrown around throughout the book. Harper doesn't believe in God or organized religion, but she doesn't have a good reason as to why. It seems she chooses not to believe because she doesn't want to be like her bible-thumping Aunt Helen.
  I did, however, enjoy Harper's self discovery throughout the road trip to California and her return home. She realized that she wasn't as much of a disappointment as she had thought. My favorite scene with Harper is on the boat and she says,

     "I'm sorry... For everything I did. For everything I didn't. I wish you were here. I know it's not enough, but this is the closest I'm going to get, to saving you."

Laney: She was probably my favorite character throughout the whole book. She was funny and optimistic. She had her own opinions and didn't let others sway her decisions. She wasn't afraid to try new things. She loved adventure. I think the only issue I had with her is that she didn't tend to stick up for herself. She kind of let comments and put-downs slide off her back instead of becoming defensive. She always ran to Harper's defense, but at times she seemed to allow others to walk all over her.

Jake: He was kind of your cliché dark, mysterious, asshole-at-times, and sexy love interest. Throughout the book you wonder how deep the connection between Jake and June went, and are once again disappointed because that isn't really explained. He admits to her playing a significant role in his lifestyle changes, but you don't really get to see any glimpse or flashback of the two of them. I think that would have been a really important scene for readers. I knew from the moment that Harper saw Jake at June's wake that they would become "involved," but I had hoped for more of a connection.
  Jake is really into music, which is great and all, but also very annoying at times. They act like enjoying music like, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, The Beach Boys, ABBA, and Johnny Cash (among others) is a rarity and is supposed to add to his "mysterious" charm. I found that to be a little ridiculous. All of the music he liked is readily available and still widely played. It made them seem much younger than they were.
  I did really enjoy how he interacted with Harper. He didn't pity her. He was honest and told her what he was thinking. She always knew that she could trust the things that he told her. I think through Jake she started to realize that she wasn't as much of a failure as she had previously believed. My favorite quote from Jake is during a conversation where Harper is expressing that June was better at everything.

              "Well, you're better at living," he reasons. "You're the one still here, aren't you?"

June: While she is dead throughout the entire book, she does play an important role. she is the one that kind of binds Jake and Harper together. I think that this is where the author really dropped the ball. June is a well-liked, intelligent, and seemingly "perfect" girl. I find it hard to believe that NO ONE saw anything wrong. I also think that the author should have delved farther into why she committed suicide. I really thought the book would eventually reveal that (especially the letter), but it did not.