Forever Layla

Forever Layla by Melissa Turner Lee
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Ah, time travel. How you vex me so.

Here is a story which tries to avoid paradoxes and treat time travel incidentally. And yet it is a huge part of the plot. Although the book is largely character driven, there is still the backdrop of that pesky time travel going on.

This book actually does have a great story. Although it sets a circular time pattern in motion, it compensates for the general lack of scientific detail by concentrating on the characters. Layla is a woman out of her own time. Part of what drives the plot is her unwillingness to talk about herself - who she is, where she's from, how she got there. This is slowly revealed as the two main characters, Layla and David, forge their relationship.

The characters developed nicely. The relationships in the book changed realistically. David and Layla's relationship takes some turns that, were they happening in real life, seem a little farfetched. Not that it never happens, just that mostly it doesn't. But these things about their relationship were what endeared me to them. The author touches on some things momentarily, but doesn't dwell. Rather, she just gives them enough of a mention to accent the story.

What's interesting about this plot is that it seems predictable and yet it's not. The ending, while it went the direction I thought it would, still surprised me slightly. Things that were on the fringes of implausible were balanced with things that were completely what you'd expect in real life.

What did bother me about this novel was the writing. It reads very much like a first novel. There are a lot of informational statements interspersed with dialogue that just don't have that nuanced "between the lines" feel to them. It was fine; it just wasn't stellar. It didn't flow. The story progressed, but it felt a bit rough. Maybe it's just the author's style. She told the story well, but she didn't write exceptionally well. Again, the flow - this is what distinguishes an amazing writer from an average one.

I will be interested to see what Turner Lee does next. She can tell a good story. I'm sure she'll get better and better with the way she tells it as she continues to write.

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The Kiss of Deception

The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Let's face it, everyone loves a good fairytale. A reluctant prince or princess, kingdoms that need to be united, bad guys, horses, magic - these are the elements of good fantasy. And this book has those abundantly.

The plot here is one that has been done time and time again: headstrong princess runs away from an arranged marriage. Prince goes after her. Enemy country sends an assassin to kill the princess. Epic adventure ensues. Happily-ever-after results. The end.

However, it has some nice twists that make it interesting. The story is told from three points of view; the princess, the prince and the assassin. Two male characters are introduced, but it is not clear which is the assassin and which is the prince. Thankfully, the reveal is about midway through the story. And once the roles are defined, the characters continue to grow. Loyalties are questioned and feelings are never really declared. The tension is kept until the end, which is not so much a cliffhanger as a prime setup for the next book.

So suffice it to say that the plot is well done. It moves along with a slowdown here or there, but nothing to really weigh down the story or make it drag. There is magic here but it is not the focus. And it is gypsy magic, perhaps with a Native American influence, which is a nice change of pace. The bad guys felt like a cross between Celts and Comanche, replete with headdresses and body paint and mounted on horses.

Lia, the main character, underwent significant character development from story's beginning to end. She never seemed spoiled or shallow, but she did seem naive. It was nice to see her undergo a gritty confrontation with her own shortcomings. And the dramatic shift in the assassin, which begins at the reveal, is unclear and keeps him a mysterious figure. We are never sure where his loyalties lie.

The ending was dramatic and left me wanting the next book. It was the ending of a journey but definitely the start of a tricky negotiation. I am anxious to see where it goes.

All in all, this was a wonderfully written YA fantasy adventure with some interesting twists on the lore. It may well prove itself to hold a place with the best YA fantasy of its kind as the trilogy unfolds.

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Falling Into You

Falling Into You by Jasinda Wilder
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a book that felt like two books; two stories interwoven and loosely connected.

The first story revolves around two high-schoolers, best friends since birth, coming of age and discovering first love. It's a fairytale friendship that grows into a beautiful relationship. And then in a freak accident, the boy is killed.

Insert here the fact that the accident felt conjured up, a dramatic plot device for the sake of drama.

The second story revolves around the surviving girl and the dead boy's brother, their journey to survive the grief and pain caused by the freak accident - and other things. When we meet Nell again, she is two years older, in college and seriously emotionally damaged. Colton, who is the older brother of the dead Kyle, happens to run into her. He is also emotionally damaged, although in a better place than Nell.

Jasinda Wilder has done a couple of things very well in this book. Her characters are well fleshed-out with a fair amount of depth. Their self-destructive actions make sense. Their emotional turmoil is well written; in fact, the whole thing is well-written. Wilder manages to communicate the scope of guilt and loss in a gut-wrenching way that garners our empathy. Her characters are honest and raw. She also proves expert at writing steamy hot passion.

What this book does not have is a believable plot. The story really does require setting reality aside. There are so many problems in Colton's life that are just implausible, as well as Nell's inability to have dealt with her post-trauma emotional incapacities. The NA genre sometimes tries to deal with dark issues like self-mutilation, gangs, pregnancy and death and generally speaking it is done badly. Once in awhile it's done very well, and in this case it was somewhere in the middle. To her credit, Wilder does not attempt to explore many of these issues in depth. Simply touching on them was like adding flourishes to a painting; they enhanced the broader picture of overall grief rather than detracting from it.

The ending was very good. I'm not sure if I liked who the characters were when the story ended, but the ending itself took a step towards believability. It seemed a natural progression. At least it was hopeful.

All in all, it was on the up side of average. Points for seriously steamy scenes and for not trying to reach too far. It's a good balance for the genre.





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Delectable

Delectable by Adrianne Lee
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This book is about cherry pie. Seriously, it even has a recipe at the end.

It's also contemporary chick-lit romance. It was moderately entertaining, entirely predictable, and irritatingly simplistic in its scope. In a word, it was . . . meh.

It is important to note that while this book had its problems, they are generally problems with the genre in general and not this book specifically. The characters were stock and somewhat flat; their actions were questionable at best. Fictional real life should at least vaguely resemble real life, and this case it doesn't begin to do that. The idea that a failed marriage born out of neglect can be salvaged with a crisis and great sex is laughable. The happily-ever-after here should have taken a lot more effort. There was no tension or real plot. Really the only good thing about it was the pacing.

While many might consider this a great beach read, there really are much better choices out there. This book lacked substance and depth. There are far more stories out there that offer both.

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Fury

Fury by Charlotte McConaghy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was not was I thought it would be. It's hard to know what to expect from a relatively new author. In this case, the story quickly went from ambiguous to riveting. I couldn't put it down. It was, in fact, amazing.

This is the story of Josephine, whom we meet when she is speaking with a therapist in a mental health facility. She has tried to kill herself several times and her therapist is nearly at his wits end trying to figure out how to fix her. And apparently this is a facility for the criminally insane, since Josephine insists that she has killed several people.

The story then continues in flashbacks from three points of view: Josephine, her friend/lover Luke, and Anthony, the therapist. It also jumps the timeline, with each chapter dated. It sounds as if this would be difficult to track, but it's not. The tone and context of each chapter make sense with the jumps. It's never hard to figure out what's happening and when; it's not a complicated plot. It simply reveals itself bit by bit, grabbing you and leaving you hanging on for the next detail. It plays out like a very good action movie, complete with horrific murders and fighting scenes and shootouts. The whole package is very, very good.

Josephine and Luke, the main characters, are sympathetic and strong. Their relationship develops slowly and is a bit of a departure from the standard YA couple. This is what makes it somewhat believable; it was very easy to visualise these two as if watching them in a blockbuster movie. There is a marked age difference between them, but this plays well into the story as it develops. The scenes between them are wonderful as their relationship slowly grows and each one's strengths and weaknesses emerge.

The world building here is relatively sparse. Since the story ends on an uncertain note (not a true cliffhanger), it is assumed that will be explored in more detail in the next installment. There was enough to frame out the plot and give the characters context. And honestly, about 20% in I thought 'this is going to be just another werewolf book. You've gotta be kidding me.' I was never so glad to be never more wrong.

I will be anxiously awaiting the next book in this series. I hope this books gets the promotion and press it deserves, because it could well be the next in a long line of dystopian book-to-movie adaptations. 4.5 stars from me, and I highly recommend it.

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Tabula Rasa

Tabula Rasa by Kristen Lippert-Martin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wow. Just, wow. What a rush.

This book starts off with a bang and never lets up. It is a roller coaster ride that twists and turns and finally deposits you in a place you didn't expect.

Tabula Rasa means "a mind not yet affected by experiences." It is a fitting title. In this story, we meet Sarah as she's undergoing brain surgery. It is creepy and difficult not to feel the terrifying loss of control right along with her. She is a patient in a hospital, undergoing treatment which will enable her to rejoin society. The goal of the treatment is to erase memories, to give her a new start, a blank slate.

Turns out Sarah is also known as Angel, a nickname her mother gave her after finding her atop a tall building. Angel likes to climb, to be up high. And yet she has no memory of being up high, only the feelings that it evokes. This is true for several things she encounters through the course of the story - emotions associated with the thing, but no memory of the thing itself. At her foundation, Sarah doesn't even really know who she is.

Things start going awry when Angel gets back to her room. When she starts to hear things like explosions and gunfire, she finds that someone has provided a means for her escape. She takes it, and the action doesn't stop from then on. In fact, the plot is non-stop action, taking only a moment here and there for one character to sleep or recover from injury while another character works.

The characters here are believable and diverse. Angel as a protagonist is nicely balanced. She isn't drop-dead gorgeous, she's a bald hospital patient with metal clips in her head. She's compassionate but not to the point of stupidity or senseless martyrdom. She is resourceful without being a genius. And as things unfold, she gets angrier and angrier with good reason.

Pierce, whose name turns out to be Thomas, is a worthy companion. He is a no-nonsense hacker. Whether or not he's a genius is never really clear, but what is clear is that he's really smart. He errs on the side of caution but doesn't hold Angel back. Rather, he just steers her in the right direction. The two make a formidable team.

The secondary characters are interesting enough. Hodges makes a passable villain. But the real villain is the mystery and who's behind all the soldiers and guns. Other hospital patients are introduced with varying side effects of their treatments. It makes for a pretty crazy cast.

All this is set against a backdrop of intrigue, lots of things blowing up and being crushed and falling from great heights and being washed away. In a blizzard. It was hard not to shiver as I read this.

The plot is intricate but not difficult to follow. It unfolds amid all the action and things make sense in a timely fashion. There is the slightest hint of a romance, just a dash to make things interesting. And the witty dialogue between Angel and Thomas lightens things up and made me smile.

All in all, this was a page turner. I really couldn't put it down. It would make a terrific action movie. I'm rounding this one up from 4.5 stars.

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Plus One

Plus One by Elizabeth Fama
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was not what I expected, both in good and in bad ways.

First off, that cover! The cover of this book lends itself to an epic romance full of sweetness and depth, even hints at tragedy. I think a lot of people will purchase the book based on the cover alone. It is gorgeous.

The basic premise of this book rests on the idea that in an effort to cure the Spanish Flu Epidemic of 1918, the US government divided the population into two groups: people who live and work during the day and people who live and work during the night. This set up a dystopian society where people who work at night, "Smudges," tend to get the blue collar jobs. The white collar jobs - and better living conditions all around - went to the "Days."

While I'm not sure how this was the answer to a flu epidemic, it did set the stage for an interesting society. Basically, half the population is on third shift. They handle circadian rhythms with drugs and the Smudges have an appreciation for the world after dark. It is a fascinating setup. Throw in Hour Guard police who have more power than they should and another societal subset called Nomas and there you have the makings of a solid dystopia. This is a backdrop that, despite its flaws, works. And although the actual world building was sparse, it was just a tiny bit over the brink of enough.

The characters here were not what I expected. Soleil is a girl who tosses authority over her shoulder carelessly. A Smudge, her family is slowly falling apart, leaving her alone. Her response is simply not to care what happens to her. We watch her change over the course of the book to a person who might consider that she does deserve a better life. She is never so jaded that she isn't willing to dig deep past her pride for tender feelings. Although full of false bravado, she really is a brave girl with a tender heart. There is no sweetness here.

D'Arcy is solid as a love interest, but I found him predictable. Ciel, Sol's brother, is unexpected, but more because we have only seen him through Sol's eyes. Gigi the Noma was tragic, but really just a more vivid version of Sol. I wish Jean, D'Arcy's father, had been more involved; he was a bit of reason and softness in a world full of edges. The whole cast worked relatively well against the backdrop. I never understood the point of Minister Paulsen, the supposed villain..

And this brings me to the plot. The idea that Sol wants to steal a baby is ok. But her reasoning is questionable and her methods are pretty much ridiculous, even unbelievable. This felt like simply a device to bring Sol and D'Arcy together. It just didn't make any sense. We move from that into various conspiracies and more kidnappings and endless questions about who was on whose side and who the bad guys really were. It was further complicated by the familiar element of having Sol do things we don't know about but that she does. Gigi's behaviour came out of nowhere. It all seemed like a convoluted way to paint the romance as doomed. Having said that, these are all elements that would make a good story. They just didn't gel for me.

I have to mention that while some would say that this was insta-love, I didn't find that to be the case. The flashbacks (and premise) of the romance were inventive and happened slowly. When Sol and D'Arcy do come together it seemed to happen naturally and in a timely fashion. And while they were attractive people, they were not drop-dead gorgeous. I appreciated the realism there.

Fama's writing is beautiful. The imagery she uses was vivid and easy to see in my mind's eye. The flashbacks and views of the national park were done so well that I felt I was there. I could feel the sun and see the moon. I could easily picture Gigi and the Nomas. The French gave the story a nice romantic flair.

Overall, this is a good story with great elements. The writing is beautiful, the characters are varied and the setting is interesting. If only the plot were less complicated and more believable, it would be a stunning book. I've rated it 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. And the best thing about it? I want to read more of this author's work. If that writing is combined with a good plot in her other works, they will be exceptional.



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