Review: The Fall by Bethany Griffin

The Fall by Bethany Griffin

Release Date: October 7^th 2014
Publisher:  Greenwillow Books
Format: eArc
Pages: 400
Genre: Young Adult – Horror, Historical fiction
Source: Edelweiss
Author: Website | Twitter | Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | The BookDepository
Add it: Goodreads

Madeline Usher is doomed.

She has spent her life fighting fate, and she thought she was succeeding. Until she woke up in a coffin.

Ushers die young. Ushers are cursed. Ushers can never leave their house, a house that haunts and is haunted, a house that almost seems to have a mind of its own. Madeline’s life—revealed through short bursts of memory—has hinged around her desperate plan to escape, to save herself and her brother. Her only chance lies in destroying the house.

In the end, can Madeline keep her own sanity and bring the house down? The Fall is a literary psychological thriller, reimagining Edgar Allan Poe’s classic The Fall of the House of Usher.

*This book was provided by Edelweiss and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Madeline Usher and her twin brother are cursed. They live in a house that is cursed. Only people who have Usher blood are drawn to the house all the way down to the servants and cooks. The house is falling apart and everyday something new is breaking, fraying, or covered in dust. The house chooses a new person to pass the curse onto. Madeline has always been close with the house. She feels what the house feels. She would fly high on the swing without her legs moving. Her father was slowly slipping into madness, her mother was an evil woman with a love for her brother, and her brother was afraid of the dark but never believed in the house. Her brother is sent off to a boarding school to protect him leaving Madaline with the relentless doctors that poke and proud her. All the while she is slowly slipping into the sickness.

The Fall is a retelling of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” and it was wonderfully written. As for accuracy compared to Poe’s story, I don’t know because I haven’t read it but the settings were eerie (especially the attic) and I was totally pulled in by the prologue.  The chapters of the book jump time frames from when Madeline was a young girl to pages in a diary she found and then to her present day. This continues until about half way through the book and then it just stays in the present time. Since there is so much time jumping this results in a ton of short chapters. I am all for short chapters because I feel like I am reading really fast, which was good because I felt sort of just blah throughout the book. Now don’t get me wrong, it was a good book, but for some reason I just wasn’t feeling it as much as I had hoped I would. There were definitely some good parts but it wasn’t everything I thought it would be. I did read Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin and I had really enjoyed that one so I’m not sure what it was about this.

I recommend picking this one up If you enjoy Poe retellings, historical fiction, or if you have read Griffin’s books before. It was a quick read, even for the length. Now this is classified as horror but I wouldn’t put it quite that far. I was never scared while reading this book so don’t let that put you off. Even though this wasn't my favorite book I still plan on picking up whatever else Bethany Griffin writes next.

Review: Of Monsters and Madness by Jessica Verday

Of Monsters and Madness by Jessica Verday

Release Date: September 9th 2014
Publisher:  EgmontUSA
Format: eArc
Pages: 288
Genre: Young Adult – Historical Fiction, Horror, Retelling
Source: Edelweiss
Author: Website | Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | The Book Depository
Add it: Goodreads

A romantic, historical retelling of classic Gothic horror featuring Edgar Allan Poe and his character Annabel Lee, from a New York Times best-selling author.

Summoned to her father's home in 1820's Philadelphia, a girl finds herself in the midst of a rash of gruesome murders in which he might be implicated. She is torn romantically between her father's assistants-one kind and proper, one mysterious and brooding-who share a dark secret and may have more to do with the violent events than they're letting on.

*This book was provided by Edelweiss and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Annabel Lee has just traveled half way across the world to Philadelphia, PA to live with her father, whom she has never met. Her mother has passed away and she is an only child so she is doing this all on her own. While walking to the carriage that will take her to her new home something happens and she is rescued from drowning by her father’s assistant Allan Poe. There is instant attraction between the two of them. She soon finds out that there is a murderer loose in Philadelphia but everyone insists that she has nothing to worry about as long as she stays by her house and doesn’t go out at night. There are many secrets floating around the large old house that she is now living in.

I did think the writing in this book flowed nicely, which is probably what kept me from DNFing it but nothing really happened for about 70% of the book. I would say more than half the book was character development. The plot is very slow and when I hit about 80% I was thinking to myself that there wasn’t much left in the book and I was wondering if or when anything was going to happen. I was waiting for the shocker. However, there isn’t really a shocker moment in this book. I pretty much figured out what was going on right away and I’m sure everyone else will be able to also. Oh and not to mention this book is part of a series, at least I hope that wasn’t how it was going to end. There is no indication, at least on Goodreads, that this was going to be a series.  

I really don’t have too much else to say on the book but not too much happened. Anything really worth talking about would only lead to a spoiler, which I try my hardest to avoid while writing reviews. Also, I am not completely familiar with Poe, I need to work on that, but I really thought there was going to be more. The names are obviously connected and some of his work is thrown in but that was really all I got out of it. This was more of a story of how Annabel Lee and Poe met and not a “retelling” of anything. I am not sure if I will be picking up the next book, if it is indeed a series. 

On a separate note, Jessica Verday's website is pretty neat.

(Closer to a 2.5)

Mini Review: Poisoned Apples: Poems For You, My Pretty by Christine Hepperman

Poisoned Apples: Poems For You, My Pretty by Christine Heppermann

Release Date: September 23rd 2014
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Format: e-galley
Genre: Young Adult – Poetry, Fairy Tales
Source: Edelweiss
Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | The Book Depository
Add it: Goodreads

Every little girl goes through her princess phase, whether she wants to be Snow White or Cinderella, Belle or Ariel. But then we grow up. And life is not a fairy tale.

Christine Heppermann's collection of fifty poems puts the ideals of fairy tales right beside the life of the modern teenage girl. With piercing truths reminiscent of Laurie Halse Anderson and Ellen Hopkins, this is a powerful and provocative book for every young woman. E. Lockhart, author of We Were Liars, calls it "a bloody poetic attack on the beauty myth that's caustic, funny, and heartbreaking."

Cruelties come not just from wicked stepmothers, but also from ourselves. There are expectations, pressures, judgment, and criticism. Self-doubt and self-confidence. But there are also friends, and sisters, and a whole hell of a lot of power there for the taking. In fifty poems, Christine Heppermann confronts society head on. Using fairy tale characters and tropes, Poisoned Apples explores how girls are taught to think about themselves, their bodies, and their friends. The poems range from contemporary retellings to first-person accounts set within the original tales, and from deadly funny to deadly serious. Complemented throughout with black-and-white photographs from up-and-coming artists, this is a stunning and sophisticated book to be treasured, shared, and paged through again and again.

*This book was provided by Edelweiss and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Okay, a few things I have to say right off the bat. I swear on my life I have already written this review, even my master list of books says that I have but I can’t seem to find it anywhere. It’s not showing up on my blog when I search and it’s not in my computer so I must be crazy. If I am not crazy though and this is the second time you are seeing this then I apologize. Another thing is that I did not take notes on this book and I read it back in May so this is going to be going off of my memory so I’m going to go ahead and make this a mini review (which it probably would have been anyway), but again my apologies. Alright, enough of that… on to the review!

Poisoned Apples is a book of poetry that is fairy tale based. It is also very feminist. I am very picky when it comes to poetry that I like and I wasn’t really crazy about this book. There were a couple good ones thrown in but nothing really screamed at me. There are 50 poems that are all about the same things. Really they were kind of repetitive. They were about the pressures that are put on girls. On how they should look, act, eat, etc, according to society.

The writing was fine and I did like how each poem had a tie in to a fairy tale but that was pretty much it for me. Overall, it was the cover and the title that pulled me in to read the book. The synopsis compares her writing to Laurie Halse Anderson and Ellen Hopkins but I think that is stretching it a bit. I can see how some people would really like this book and some people could be like me and just not be into it. If you are someone that is really into poetry or really into feminism then by all means pick this book up, you will probably one of the ones that loves it! If you’re not into those things then I would say pass on this one.  

Review: Nil by Lynne Matson

Nil by Lynne Matson

Series: Nil, #1
Release Date: March 4th 2014
Publisher: Henry Holt
Format: e-galley
Pages: 384
Genre: Young Adult – Science Fiction,
Source: Netgalley
Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | The Book Depository
Add it: Goodreads

On the mysterious island of Nil, the rules are set. You have one year. Exactly 365 days--to escape, or you die.

Seventeen-year-old Charley doesn’t know the rules. She doesn’t even know where she is. The last thing she remembers is blacking out, and when she wakes up, she’s lying naked in an empty rock field.

Lost and alone, Charley finds no sign of other people until she meets Thad, the gorgeous leader of a clan of teenage refugees. Soon Charley learns that leaving the island is harder than she thought . . . and so is falling in love. With Thad’s time running out, Charley realizes that to save their future, Charley must first save him. And on an island rife with dangers, their greatest threat is time.

*This book was provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Charley was just minding her own business while walking through a parking lot when all of a sudden she she’s a bright flash of light and searing heat. Then everything goes black. Then Charley is awake in a different location, and she’s naked and terrified. Finally finding clothes and eventually finding people, she finds out she is on a island that they call Nil. When you are on Nil you have 365 days to get back home. Those who find the portals in time get to leave, those that don’t never come back. Not only human’s come through the portals either. Thad is view point number two. He has been on the island for 266 days. Naturally, the two hit it off and the rest of the book is the two of them trying to save each other.

I always like books more when they have two viewpoints. I really like it when one is a boy and one is a girl so this was a plus for me during the book. Thad and Charley are two of the very few constants in this book since so many people are coming and going throughout the story. This is very much a survival based story since it is just a bunch of teens that are thrown onto an unknown island. All the information they have is passed down from person to person. There are obviously no older people here and because of all that there is pretty much no world building. You just have to kind of accept it all.

Another thing I liked about the book was that at the beginning of each chapter it showed how many days each of them had been there. This added a sort of urgency to find out whether they were going to make it or not. The further along the book went the less days they had and the more you started to wander. However, since I write non-spoiler reviews I won’t go into too much description but the ending was sort of silly for me. I’m not sure how I would have done it differently since I’m not a writer but I felt it was a little unbelievable, even if you had to throw out your believability at the beginning of the book.  

This was a quick, easy, book; I read the majority of it in one day (although my Goodreads doesn’t say that). I have seen that some people thought it was a long boring read though so I recommend picking it up and at least giving it a try.  I have to give this book some props because it was the only book that I picked up and read during the month of June so that has to say something. I think I will pick up the next book from the library if I remember. Goodread's says it comes out in May of 2015 and it looks to be about two different people on the Island.

Review: Nick & Tesla’s Secret Agent Battle by Bob Pflugfelder & Steve Hockensmith

Nick & Tesla’s Secret Agent Battle by Bob Pflugfelder & Steve Hockensmith

Series: Nick & Tesla’s, #3
Release Date: May 6th 2014
Publisher: Quirk Books
Format: ARC
Genre: Middle Grade – Science Fiction
Source: Publisher – Quirk Books
Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | The Book Depository
Add it: Goodreads

In this third installment of the series, 11-year-old whiz-kids Nick and Tesla discover that someone in the quiet town of Half Moon Bay has placed their beloved Uncle Newt under electronic surveillance—but who is spying on him, and why? To expose the secret agent, Nick and Tesla build all kinds of outrageous contraptions. Throughout the book, the narrative is interrupted by blueprints and instructions so that budding young inventors can follow along. Science and electronics have never been so much fun!

I would like to start off this review by saying that this is the third book in a series and that I did not read the first two before reading this one. There were a couple mentioning about things that had happened before but I do think you can jump right in a start reading one. I didn’t find myself confused or anything like that. It would obviously be better, like with any series, to read them in the order they were written. 

Nick and Tesla were sent to their Uncle Newt’s house for their summer break because their parents were being snet to Uzbekistan. However, the soon received a message from their parents saying that they were in danger and that people were after them. Being the smart children that Nick and Tesla are, they are determined to find out what is going on and are immediately on guard to everyone around them. Soon after this strange message from their parents an “apprentice” named Oli shows up and is acting very suspicious, then two maids and an exterminator also show up.

They are sure that someone is up to no good. After Tesla’s special necklace from their parents disappears while she is showering, she is sure that it is one of those people and they start working on traps to catch them in the act by using Nick’s matching necklace as bait. It is just one crazy thing after another at this point.

This book is a very easy, fast paced, read that includes pictures and experiments that would be fun for a child to do (with an adults help of course). The experiments seem to be fairly easy ones to do.  I think this series would be a fun read for elementary and middle grade kids. I definitely recommend checking it out!

Review: Emily and the Strangers Vol. 1 by Rob Reger

Emily and the Strangers Vol. 1 by Rob Reger & Mariah Huehner
Illustrated by Emily Ivie

Series: Emily the Strange Dark Horse Comics Book Series, #13-16
Release Date: May 20^th 2014
Publisher:  Dark Horse Comics
Format: egalley
Pages: 96
Genre: Young Adult – Graphic Novel,
Source: NetGalley
Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | The Book Depository
Add it: Goodreads

In order to win a legendary haunted guitar, Emily is determined to create the most rockin' song the world has ever known! But can she do it solo? Emily isn't known for playing well with others, but she's going to have to rely on the help of some strangers if she's going to succeed on her musical journey to the true heart of rock 'n' roll! Emily the Strange creator Rob Reger teams up with co-writer Mariah Huehner (True Blood, Angel) and artist Emily Ivie (The Locked Maze, Rotsterarsil) for a brand-new, full-color Emily the Strange mini-series full of troublemaking cats, mad science, new friends, and killer guitar riffs!

Over the course of the book Emily is in an inventing slump. A couple of her inventions aren’t working and she can’t seem to come up with any new ideas. When one of her cats (there are a ton and they just keep showing up) turns on the radio Emily hears a song from her favorite deceased musician. She also finds out about a contest to win his haunted guitar. All she has to do is write a song. She tweaks a bunch of her inventions to make a band out of them and then writes an awesome song. Emily wants to do everything solo, and is known for not working well with others. In this book though, she just might have to.

This book is a volume of three different issues from a comic book series that Dark Horse put out. I didn’t even know that they existed. I also didn’t realize that this book was also technically in the middle of a series. This doesn’t matter when you read it though because it is technically the start of a new story line and this is the first book in the volumes. I believe this is still an ongoing series so I am not sure how many volues this is going to contain. If you are going to check out this book then most likely you are already familiar with Emily the Strange. If you aren’t then I would recommend checking out the books first. I currently own three of the books and I enjoy reading them. They are written in Diary form.

Emily is a very dark and mysterious character that tends to hang out with only cats, so the artwork in this book is heavy dark pictures. Definitely gives off a good feel for Emily. There are some extra posters included in the back of the book that are pretty cool, along with some sketches and explanations of each one. I really enjoy it when a graphic novel includes things like that at the end of the book.

I recommend checking this book out, especially if you have already read some of the Emily the Strange stuff.

My Rating:

*This book was provided by the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. 

Review: Hide and Seek by Catherine MacPhail

Hide and Seek by Catherine MacPhail

Release Date: June 1st 2009
Publisher:  Barrington Stoke
Format: egalley
Pages: 128
Genre: Middle Grade - Thriller
Source: NetGalley
Author: Website | Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | The Book Depository
Add it: Goodreads

A cruel prank backfires in this spooky chiller

This book is told from a 3rd person pov from the popular bully of the school, Nicole. Her plan is to play a trick on the new girl in school. So Nicole and a bunch of her friends decide to sneak into their school to try and scare her. The new girl wants to know if the school is really haunted. The kids plan to take the ghost story and play it off as real. Everything seems different in the dark though and soon Nicole starts to wonder whether the joke might not be a joke anymore.

The characters are ok. I wasn’t a super fan of them. Nicole was the standard bully and I always hate them but that’s just the way her character is supposed to be. The twist at the end was a good one that I really didn’t see coming. This is a decent thriller that could give you creeps if you aren’t big into reading books like that.  I would not consider it horror but I read Stephen King so… yea…

This book was created for kids with dyslexia. The paragraphs are very short, with simple writing, which makes this book an easy read. I would suggest anyone read the book, not just ones with dyslexia. I am interested in picking up more books by the author and possibly letting my son read this because he is starting to read chapter books now and I think this one would be a good one for him.

My Rating:

*This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. 

Blog Tour Review: Soul Control by C. Elizabeth

Soul Control by C. Elizabeth

Release Date: December 1st 2012
Publisher: Wings ePress
Format: eBook
Pages: 456
Genre: Young Adult – Fantasy, Paranormal
Source: Author
Author: Website | Twitter | Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | Barnes & Noble 

Add it: Goodreads

Young Adult Paranormal Romance of love, loss and reconnection.

“Lead us not into temptation, deliver us from evil.”

Words of truth for seventeen-year-old Saydi Gardiner upon discovering her ancestry. But if she has doubts, further confirmation is forthcoming and it comes in the form of a wickedly gorgeous Nathanael Braxton, when he steals her heart and cuddles into her soul – the last place the boy should be.

Nineteen-year-old Nathanael’s unrelenting good looks aren’t the only thing that make him dangerous – and he knows it! However, his caring human self struggles with a loyalty – a loyalty that binds him to the hunt for the soul that will give his family the power they seek. There’s only one problem: When he finds her, Nathanael falls in love with his prey – Saydi.

Saydi is a 17 year girl living in a very small town. Everyone knows everyone and hardly anyone leaves. She goes to school, gets good grades, and goes to church on Sundays. Then one day some new people move into an abandon house. This is great gossip for everyone because no one ever moves there. Not only are they new people but it is a set of triplets that are Saydi’s age. Her and her group of friends are immediately drawn to them. Saydi’s mom has always told her she was special and that she needed to be extra careful.

Nathaniel, Job, and Joshua Braxton are the new boys in town. You can tell pretty much right away that something isn’t quite right. Saydi starts acting funny and has a weird dream that she decides to quickly blow off. Saydi falls pretty hard for Nathaniel. I would consider it insta-love, which I hate, but I pushed through it. I do have to say that I loved Nathaniel’s gentlemanly behavior.

This is a book between good and evil, demons vs the gods. Saydi and the destiny she is supposed to fulfill. Soon after Nathaniel and his brother’s move in strange things start happening around town and Saydi finds out something she would have never guessed about her father, herself, and the Braxton family!

I really enjoyed the way the book was written and there was some pretty good action. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys fantasy, paranormal books. Paranormal books are not always my thing but I usually like demon and god books a little more than say vampires and werewolves. So this book gets thumbs up from me.

My Rating:

This book was provided for a blog tour for free in exchange for an honest review. 

{About C. Elizabeth}

C. Elizabeth lives in St. Albert,  Alberta, Canada and during her short writing career she’s learned a lot about herself, sometimes to the point that she wonders how the heck she got this far in life and know so little about herself.

For the majority of her life she dabbled in many things, such as drawing, photography, sewing, only to find that after a while, she would lose interest, but writing is a different story — it found her and continues to be an addiction, as well as a most wonderful, incredible passion.

Not only does she write novels, but she does whatever she can to hone her craft.  Such as attending the New York Pitch Conference, seminars and the like, as well, she writes for online magazines on the topic of… you guessed it, writing.

Her latest book is the YA paranormal romance, Soul Control.

Blog Tour and Giveaway: The Polaris Uprising by Jennifer Ibarra

The Polaris Uprising by Jennifer Ibarra

Series: Polaris, #1
Release Date: October 30^th 2013
Publisher:  Tiwala Books
Format: ebook
Pages: 328
Genre: Young Adult – Sci-fi, Dystopia
Source: Blog Tour – Xpresso Reads
Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | The Book Depository
Add it: Goodreads

In less than seven years, eighteen-year-old Ryla Jensen will succeed her father as the president of Neress, a nation where all citizens are cared for from the moment they’re born. Fed, sheltered, even educated—every need of theirs is met.

The only price they pay is their free will.

Groomed since childhood to take on a role she’s not even sure she wants, Ryla’s only escape from the pressures of duty is her sister, Alanna. But when her eyes are opened to the oppressive regime her father built, she begins to question everything she’s set to inherit—and finds herself at odds with her sister’s blind allegiance to their father.

Torn between loyalty to her family and the fight for freedom, Ryla must decide just how far she’s willing to go to make a stand and risk losing the person she loves most in the world: Alanna.

Ryla and Alanna Jensen are the daughters of the President of Neress. Those who love in Neress are taken care of from birth. “No citizen shall be left behind.” However, everything is not as great as it seems. Ryla is set to take over for her father in the next few years. She is not even sure she wants this job. Alanna is a doctor and has opened her own practice. In Neress every citizen’s occupation is chosen for them based on aptitude tests and other factors. Even the president’s daughters aren’t exempt from this. So after Alanna is passed over for taking over the presidency, she is chosen as Doctor.

The prolog of the story talks about a scary scene at a factory that has just had a horrendous accident. Lots of people are either dead or injured. Groups have gathered around to find out about their relatives. One person in particular is looking for his son. When he finds him he finds out he can’t feel his legs. He is trying to reassure him that the government will help them and everything will be fine. The deal is that they do what they are supposed to and the government takes care of them. Ryla’s father tells her that everything will be taken care of and they don’t want the press to talk about the factory.  During a very important event to honor Alanna’s arranged engagement, Ryla is confronted by a crazed man who is claiming that the president has failed them. The man is quickly taken care of and Ryla is told to not worry about what she has heard.

Ryla asks her father to tell her when important things happen so that she can know how to react to them when it is her turn. Soon she is pulled into the world of her father and she finds out there are riots ensuing. This goes against everything she thought about her world.

This book was just ok to me. I can see that according to other reviews I am definitely different but I really just thought it was ok. This is a science fiction, dystopian novel and I have been reading some dystopian novels lately so this book had a lot to live up too. If I had read this at some other time then I might have a totally different take on it. It wasn’t because it was bad, I just couldn’t get into it and I will be picking it again at some point when I am in the mood for it. There could be a good chance that my rating could change.  

The beginning, the first 50 pages or so, was a little slow for me but after that it picked up a little more. The conversations were nicely paced and I had no problems with the writing style. The fact that this dystopian takes place on a different planet and not in US makes it easier to examine why the world the way it is. There is no “how did the US ge this way” which is what I struggle with sometimes. I enjoyed reading the scenes between the sisters. Their relationship was really well written.

If you enjoy science fiction and dystopian then this would be a good book for you to try out.

My Rating:

 *This book was provided for free in exchange for an honest review. 

If you would like to check out other stops on the blog tour click HERE!

{About the Author}

Jennifer Ibarra grew up on a steady diet of books, Star Wars, and other fantastic feats of the imagination. Her debut novel, The Polaris Uprising, is the first book in a trilogy and mixes dystopia with family drama, romance, and political intrigue.

She lives in Silicon Valley, where she does marketing for a tech company and spends her time running, cooking, baking, and keeping up with celebrity gossip.

{Giveaway Details} 

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-25$ Amazon GC, Signed ARC + Swag

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