REVIEW: Perfect Ruin by Lauren DeStefano

Title: Perfect Ruin
Author: Lauren DeStefano
Format: Hardback
Source: Giveaway
Publisher: Simon & Schuster

REVIEW: I have been sitting on this book review for a few months now. I have gone back and forth between what I liked and didn't like and I still am not sure how to go about doing this review. But here goes.

Upon starting this book I got the feeling that I was getting into something unlike anything I have ever read before. I was partially right. I also got the vibe of a reverse Jack and the Beanstalk. The humans are the ones stuck in the sky and we are trying to get down. The whole aspect of the book was very fairytale-ish.

Most of the characters in this book seemed like they were high to me, living on cloud 9, haha get it? They live on a cloud, oh whatever. They never questioned why they were so special that they lived on a chunk of earth ripped from the grown and thrust into the cloud. They just accepted life. That is a very unfortunate and sad way of living.

There were a few odd people who wanted more than Internment and attempted to jump only to be thrust back because of the high velocity of the winds.

I personally think EVERYONE should have been trying to get off this island in the clouds as opposed to just being content with what was going on.

I felt slightly bored throughout the book until the very end when all the real action started to happen. And when I say action what I really mean is a part that isn't entirely dull.

I loved the creativity of the book but I think it could have has a bit more action. A lot of bad things happened but they still felt dull. Oh this person died, pfft not a big deal. Zzzzz.

Out of everyone, Basil was probably my favorite character. Regardless of how insane or wacky Morgan was, Basil still stuck by her side. Even in the end when he had no legal reason to be attached to her he was still there.

I also get the feeling that the author is a tad bit obsessed with arranged marriages.

The writing was good and the world building was very unique but I found it hard to visualize Internment. The book made me feel like I was in old England where there is a king and if you didn't do what the king said then you ended up dead from unknown causes.

Overall, I gave the book 3/5 Kitties.

Goodreads | Amazon

Mini Review Monday[5] One of Those Hideous Books Where The Mother Dies by Sonya Sones

One of Those Hideous Books Where The Mother Dies

Sonya Sones

REVIEW

The first thing I want to say about this book is... Colette... UGH! The main character of To Be Perfectly Honest first appears in this book. Sooo... Read this book first! I mean, you don't really NEED to read this book first but I would have been very happy knowing that this book was connected with another book.

With that being said, I loved this book just like all Sonya Sones other books. This woman knows how to write in verse and make it very informative. I think she captures teenagers very well even though these books are complete works of fiction.

Speaking of fiction. I was looking through some reviews of the book and they slightly enraged me. I saw people saying the story wasn't believable. DUH! It's a work of FICTION. I admit that the stories the author writes are completely out there and highly unbelievable but that's what makes them good.

The author also touches on a lot of controversial subjects. Dead mothers, gay fathers, virginity, drugs, etc.

I enjoyed all of the characters. Even though this book was written in verse the characters still had a lot of depth and the book was full of emotions.

I do think that Ruby was a little harsh on her father. She didn't know what his story was and it seemed like she was brainwashed by her mother.

I loved getting to meet Colette. I definitely didn't picture her like the way this book portrays her.

Lizzie and Ray are dicks. I don't think I can be any nicer about that. Ruby's mother JUST DIED and those two are only thinking about themselves. I can understand that maybe they were just missing Ruby so bad and they turned to each other for comfort but it's still beyond wrong.

I loved the ending. Whip turned out to not be the bad guy and Ruby finally allowed herself to move on and be happy. Plus Lizzie attempted to redeem herself.

Overall, I gave the book 4/5 MiniKitties.

 

REVIEW: Pure Fake by Beverly Scudamore

Title: Pure Fake(SideStreets bk2)
Author: Beverly Scudamore
Format: ARC eBook
Source: NetGalley
Publisher: James Lorimer & Company
Publication Date: March 3rd 2014

REVIEW: This book is basically about Domestic Violence centered around one guy and it takes place in a high school setting. You might not think these kind of things can happen in High School but it happens a lot more than most people like to believe.

Colter is at it again. But this time the girl seems to be a little bit more naive.

Colter gets a new girlfriend, Gina, and she infuriates me. In the first book I actually liked Mel but I can't stand Gina. She is this All That girl with a terrible attitude and this idea that nothing bad can happen to her. WRONG. It's those girls that are normally the victims of these kind of situations.

Gina refuses to believe the "rumors" about what Colter did to Mel and that is part of what gets her into this horrible situation.

Unfortunately for Gina, Mel comes back and she soon realizes that she was just something to keep his mind off of Mel.

I do end up feeling bad for Gina because her mother forces diet pills on her and it doesn't seem like she can go to her parents for help with Colter or anything really. I'm not sure if the breast enhancement was forced on her by her mother or not but she doesn't seem excited about the situation.

This wasn't a very long book but it definitely gets the point across. Domestic violence can happen to anyone. Any age, race, gender, etc.

I loved the way the book ended though. Sadly, it was at the expense of Mel getting hurt but it really brought everything together. I am hoping for a third book that will let us readers know what happened to Colter.

I love Beverly Scudamore's writing. She is very blunt and straight forward. She doesn't sugar coat things and I think more authors need to be this way.

Overall, I gave the book 4/5 Kitties.

Mini Review Monday[4] The Distance Between Us by Kasie West

The Distance Between Us

Kasie West

REVIEW

I fricken adored this book. It was the perfect amount of mushy and sad. 

Caymen works in her moms doll shop, of which they happen to also live above. I am definitely with Caymen when she says that the dolls are creepy. But working here has given Caymen some good things in life. She has a pretty close relationship with her mother. She has a best friend that works next door and would not have met had it not been for her mothers doll store.

I've never had any sort of relationship with a rich person. Be it friendship, dating, or even acquaintances. Caymens life just seems to revolve around the rich folk. 

Xander is adorable. He has some snotty quirks but that is to be expected from someone who has grown up around money. 

I actually didn't like Mason/Tic very much. I have no idea what it was about him but he made me think of that guy, Kieffer, from Teen Mom.

Meeting the Meyers was an emotional part of the book. I felt it was wrong of Caymens mom to keep her grandparents from her but I do sort of understand her reasoning, no matter how selfish. Caymen still should have had the choice.

I am happy with the path the book took towards the end. And it couldn't have been a proper love story without someone getting sick or something bad happening.

My main question after devouring this entire book is what was the exact story with Caymens dad? I really would love to know what happened there. It's not like Caymens mom was poor white trash and her dad ran away because of that. 

Overall, I gave the book 5/5 Mini Kitties.

REVIEW: Ashes To Ashes by Melissa Walker

Title: Ashes To Ashes
Author: Melissa Walker
Format: Hardback
Source: Library
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

REVIEW: Ashes to Ashes isn't a very UNIQUE book but I did semi-enjoy it nonetheless. This book is If I Stay by Gale Forman meets Everafter by Amy Huntley. I'm pretty sure there are plenty of other books that can be compared to this as well. But these are the two that I have read that stick out to me.

Callie was a very annoying an stuck in her own way type of character. Someone could tell her something a hundred times but she would still want to do it her own way. And it's that attitude that makes her a little unlikable. Well, that, plus the fact that she gets everything she wants because her mother is gone and blah blah blah.

It was so cliche that Callie would get a fancy new car and then die. Yeah, that sounds pretty cliche to me. Or at least predictable.

I did like Carsons character. She was bubbly and tried to make everything positive. She also never stopped believe the Callie would come back to them.

Nick was a jerk. And I really want to know who "H" is. I got the whole cheating bastard vibe from him and that was before the whole "H" situation happened. He let himself get into a horrible depressive slump and drank himself almost to death. I have no sympathy or compassion for him. If I was Callie I would continue to let him think the accident was entirely his fault. He deserves all of the guilt he feels.

I adored Thatcher. He was a brooding, lost soul it seemed. He spent his afterlife helping others achieve something he could not. That has to be a very depressing existence. And of course Callie never listens to him and gets herself in a lot of trouble with the poltergeist.

I know the poltergeist are a pretty big part of the book but I really have no feelings towards them. The only thing that bothered me enough to point out was the fact that Callie actually trusted Reena. Callie was extremely naive to not believe that they were using her for her extraordinary energy.

The reason I compared this book to Everafter by Amy Huntley is because of the Prism. It makes me think of the afterlife in Everafter. The book was also compared to the movie Ghost but the only part I see that could be compared is the moving of objects.

The concept of haunting in order to help your loved ones move on was an interesting idea. Normally, when you think of haunting, you think of something bad or scary. Not something peaceful and helpful.

I was so sad to see Thatcher go. I think he did the right thing in order to save Callie but now they are both suffering from losing each other. I am team Thatcher for this book. Nick is just scum.

The ending was rather predictable. I mean, come on, what other reason would Callie have to be this ultra uber special soul?

After sitting down and really thinking about everything in this book and trying to form this review, I had to go back and change my rating for this book. I hadn't realized just how much I disliked a lot of things about this book. I will read the second, and final, book just to see if the author tells us who "H" is but that is about the only reason I will read the book.

Overall, I gave the book 3/5 Kitties.

Top 5 Wednesday[2]

This weeks Top 5 Wednesday is Top 5 Unread Authors. I have a lot of them... -ashamed-

Word of the Week Wednesday[5]

Word of the Week #5 - Juxtapose - Girl of Nightmares - Page 204
Meaning - To place side by side, unexpected combinations of colors, shapes and ideas.

READ ALL ABOUT IT!!!

Hello my lovelies! I just wanted to inform everyone that I will be changing my blogging name. When I first started blogging I picked a very generic name and I no longer wish to have such a plain name. I never expected to love blogging this much and I think it's time to make this a lot more personalized to me. So thank you very much for following me! I hope you guys will stick with me through all the changes I am going to make. I am also going to try to take my blogging more serious. Get more posts up each month, more reviews, etc.

I am also looking for someone who can make me a blog layout. My email is on the side or you can contact me any way you wish. I need personalized Hello Kitty EVERYTHING for my blog. I will probably add more to this post later.

Mini Review Monday[3] Absent by Katie Williams

Absent

Katie Williams

REVIEW

This book was fairly tiny. Only 180 pages I believe. But it was full of so much emotion and it always kept me guessing.

Paige was a fairly normal high school girl. She was a tad quirky but that is what made her unique. Her best friend Usha didn't seem like a very good friend after Paige died. But towards the end of the book Usha seemed to have turned around.

I love how this books shows that even after death people still talk about you, both good and bad. Unfortunately for Paige, it was bad. 

I felt that the "afterlife" of being stuck in the high school was crazy. Having to be stuck at seventeen and also be stuck watching other people get to grow up and graduate had to of been difficult. 

Lucas was a jerkbag. Brooke was a... I can't use that kind of language in a review. Evan was really cool and laid back and I'm so glad that he actually had a story as opposed to just being a sidenote character.

I liked the names for the different social groups. They were different from your average Prep, Jock, Nerd, Stoner, etc.

The ending shocked me! 

Overall I gave the book 4/5 Mini Kitties.

Word of the Week Wednesday[3&4]

I was way too exhausted and depressed last week and I completely forgot about this.

Word of the Week #3 - Coruscating - Cruel Beauty - Page 219
Meaning - Flashing; Sparkling

Word of the Week #4 - Mribas - Ashes to Ashes - Page 217
Meaning - Another term for Thumb Piano/s.

Mini Review Monday[2] Alice in the Country of Hearts 1-2 by QuinRose

I decided I wanted to try Manga so I can fill in the spots where I haven't read enough in a month or something so I can keep up with reviews and my 100 book reading goals. So this is the first book I have picked up.

Alice in the Country of Hearts

QuinroseXSoumei Hoshino

REVIEW

I can say for sure this is a very unique view on Alice in Wonderland. I don't really like the concept of everyone being in love with Alice. It makes it harder to differentiate between characters when they are all throwing themselves at her.

I found the "clock repairing" to be very interesting. It is a great take on a different way to being alive aside from having a heart. And the idea of repairing the clock and making a replacement carrier for it is kind of sad. I wouldn't want someone I love to be remade into a different person.

Alice brings a whole new lifestyle to these characters in Wonderland. They think that its okay to kill whoever you want because they will be replaced soon. But Alice is teaching them to have feelings and to understand that dying and getting hurt IS something to worry about.

I think if I had to choose a favorite character it would be Elliott, The March Hare. 

There was a few sexual innuendos that I found myself laughing out loud at. 

Overall, I gave this Manga 5/5 stars and I cannot wait to get my hands on the other books.