January 6, 2015: 'Cruel Beauty'

Welcome to Book City

Date: January 6, 2015

Spoilers Ahead

Headline

Cruel Beauty

Rosamund Hodge

Graceling meets Beauty and the Beast in this sweeping fantasy about one girl's journey to fulfill her destiny and the monster who gets in her way-by stealing her heart.

Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.

Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him.

With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she's ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, destroy his enchanted castle, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.

But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle-a shifting maze of magical rooms-enthralls her.

As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex's secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love. 

City Calendar:

This is what happened during the week.

Nyx has a marriage ceremony to a statue that represents the Gentle Lord. She goes to his house. She falls asleep there and wakes with the Gentle Lord draped over her. She changed for dinner and leaves dinner early. The Gentle Lord during dinner asks her to call him Ignifex. His servant Shade turns into a human and shows Nyx where the Heart of Water is located. They kiss, letting Shade talk. Nyx explores the house. The next day, she sees Ignifex making a bargain with a childhood friend. She has to be held down while her friend makes the bargain. She finds the room that has her virgin knife. She falls when trying to get it. Ignifex catches her. They kiss. Nyx takes some keys from his neck. Nyx explores, finding a mini replica of Arcadia. Ignifex finds her in the room and locks her up with his dead wives. Shade finds Nyx and sets her free. Nyx finds a door and is hurt by the Children of Typhon until Ignifex finds her and rescues her. Nyx goes to the library. She finds Ignifex there. He takes her to an illusion of the outside world. She makes a deal with him to find his real name. She is shown the Heart of Fire by Shade. Shade makes her discover the truth. Ignifex saves her. He shows her the Heart of Air. The two kiss and have sex. Ignifex takes Nyx to her mother's grave. He gives her his ring which holds part of his power. She goes to see Astraia. Astraia makes her promise to kill her husband Ignifex. Nyx frees Shade. Nyx gets the Children of Typhon to attack Ignifex. She finds out the truth about Ignifex and Shade. She forgets when they join. She remembers before marrying Tom-a-Lone. She makes a deal with the Kindly Ones. She gets Ignifex and Nyx wander the world of the Children of Typhon. They leave and return to the real world. 

And that's what happened this week.

Personal Ads:

Nyx.

Sacrifice. Sister. Daughter. Niece. Wife. Hermetic. Came to kill Ignifex to avenge her mother and save Arcadia. Least cared for daughter. Loves Ignifex. 

Ignifex/Shade.

The Gentle Lord. Demon. Protects Arcadia from the Children of Typhon. Bargain maker. Husband. Kind. Funny. Shade knows the truth but can't act. Ignifex can act but doesn't know the truth. The Last Prince. Loves Nyx. 

Opinions:

I like the retelling. The way the story of Beauty and the Beast is weaved into the story. I didn't expect the Last Prince twist. (I expected Shade and Ignifex to be the same person. It seemed to make sense because of the exact same face. The beauty isn't pure. The beast isn't always kind but typically is. The prince. (If you know the story of Beauty and the Beast, the beast is actually a prince turned beast.) This is weaved into the story. The way the author adds in these elements, without you knowing it, is amazing. It's seamless and fluid. You don't see the commonalities until you really think. 

The folklore is interesting. I liked how the Roman/Greek gods were added in. I'm a big fan of the Greek gods. (Percy Jackson, thank you.) I love the mythology. I can recognize enough myths. (The Persephone story. The Pandora one.) The mythology was weaved in. It wasn't rough but smooth. You weren't roughly jerked into these myths. You got enough of it but not overloaded with Greek/Roman mythology. We get the folklore of the area instead. Brigit. Nanny-Anna. Tom-a-Lone. We get these amazing folk stories. This book isn't exclusively one or the other. (Not that one or the other is bad or anything...) The folklore was different. But interesting all the same. It was different. I wonder if they are actual folk stories or not. 

Shade/Ignifex is an interesting character. He's complex. He has more sides to him. He's the dark and brooding Ignifex. Then a happy Shade. Then a funny, childish Ignifex. And a rough, forceful Shade. Both sides of this character has more layers. He has secrets he tries to keep. And a past. I love how he is two halves of the same whole. I love that. It is like separating the bad from the good, and vice versa. His back story is also really interesting. The last prince. The destroyer of the world. But also a silent watcher of the people. How this last prince turned into someone more dark and devious yet still caring about his people even though his people don't see it. 

The darkness in the characters' hearts is fascinating. They are both spiteful people. They aren't happy-go-lucky. (I would hate that, actually.) To me, their pain and past is what makes them lovable. Even if it seems the opposite. They have poison in their hearts. Most do. You want to see how they heal, if they ever do. You want to heal them. Not out of the challenge. Or the pity. But you want to change them, make them love and care. 

I didn't really like the ending. The ending seemed rushed. The ending seemed to rush over the truth. I wanted more back story. I wanted more of the world where Nyx is not a sacrifice. I wanted to see that. Also. When Nyx remembers Ignifex, I feel like that part was glazed over. How did she remember? Why? How did she know when to show up? It seems like perfect coincidence that Ignifex is returning from the stroll to see his subjects when Nyx is there. And I feel like the author didn't want a series, so she got the Kindly Ones killed. (Not to insult what she did write.) I didn't like that the overpowering was rushed. It should have been fleshed out and had more descriptions. 

Nor did I really the romance. While the two canceled out the poison in their hearts by being together, I don't like how the relationship formed. I will admit how I liked the two being together changed them. That's all I like really. The relationship seems to be formed over, not physical attraction, but something else. Nyx wanted to kill Ignifex, but she loved him for...what? Why did Nyx love him? His willingness to see her darkness and ignore it? Even though she threw knives his way? I'm confused. Is Ignifex one of those guys who enjoys being tortured by his loved ones? I'm not sure. Ignifex...I can't see what he sees in Nyx. Nor why Nyx fell for him. There is chemistry, though. I don't like it. It's the stereotypical heat you read about. Not gentle touches. Not cautious brushes. (Rhyming, I know.) I am a fan of cautious relationships. When the two don't throw themselves into the relationship. When they're friends first. (Or enemies. But it all depends.) 

Weather:

Sunny with a 20% chance of rain

4/5

2015 Challenges

Challenges:

As a person who enjoys a challenge, I've decided to take on THREE. 

Here they are: 

LGBT Challenge hosted by: Niji Feels

For this challenge, you pick a level.

I'm an Omnivorous Bookglutton. (10+ LGBT books from any genre.) I take that as, if it has LGBT in it, it's good enough for me. 

The Details:

• The challenge runs from 1 January through 31 December 2015
• Like last year, each month there will be a mini challenge/theme/list/thingy
• This year, there is no form/genre restriction (you can read whatever you want – young adult, new adult, adult, erotica, nonfiction, manga – as long as its LGBT)
• And the LGBT in the challenge’s name does not mean just LGBT, you can read any book that falls under the L(esbian) G(ay) B(isexual) T(ransexual) T(ransgender) Q(ueer) Q(uestioning) I(ntersex) A(sexual)+ spectrum
• There will be link ups throughout the year (but the setup is going to be a little different from last year)
• All formats (print books, ebooks, audiobooks, comics) are eligible
• Books can overlap with other challenges 

I'm not a major LGBT reader. I am a supporter, though, and perhaps a member. (Questioning, dear readers. I am Cecil without knowing he likes Carlos.) 

________________________________________________________________________

Hosted by: Rather Be Reading

I am Asian American. And questioning. And atheist. I am a minority in some cases. (Minority in the USA, folks. Not Asia.) I am one of those people. I live in a diverse world. This should not be hard for many to admit, but it is. 

I want to branch out from the majority and read more of the minority. 

the details.

Dive Into Diversity officially kicks off on January 1, 2015 and will run through December 31. Each month, Rebecca and RBR will publish a diverse post  with a Linky. Simply add a review or post you wrote about diverse books to the Linky, and that’s it!

what does diverse mean exactly?

We loved this explanation from the We Need Diverse Books Tumblr: “We recognize all diverse experiences, including (but not limited to) LGBTQIA, people of color, gender diversity, people with disabilities, and ethnic, cultural, and religious minorities.”

the good stuff.

There are no numbers of books associated with this challenge. Nope. (Though we do hope you challenge yourself to reading at least one diverse book a month.) There is an incentive for those of you who participate each month and also use our hashtag #DiversityDive to spread the word. You know what this means… giveaways and more.

________________________________________________________________________________________

Hosted by: All About Books

As a world-class traveler (not) and a fan of different cultures, I am excited for this one. I love traveling. Always have. I've been to London and parts of Asia. I've explored the Great Wall (thrown snowballs down it as well.) I've been to Greenwich and seen the line that divides the world. I've seen a lot.

But I haven't read a lot. 

My books are mostly based in these amazing (or not) United States. 

I want to branch out and read more.

This challenge will help me do that.

If you want to participate all you have to do is:

• Create a google map
  (A google map is optional. If you have some other map you can embed, you can use that one of course!)
• Embed that map somewhere on your blog
• Grab the button if you want and link to this challenge
• Enter the link to your blog post/page with the map
• Optional: choose one or more of the mini-challenges listed below

The “Rules”:

• There is no start and/or end date for when to join the challenge (latest date to enter a link is Dec 31th, 2015)
• A book counts if you’ve read it in 2015 (= started AND finished in 2015), no matter when you joined the challenge
• If characters travel to different places in the book, every place counts
  Tip: you can connect places on a google map! ;)
• One book can count for multiple mini challenges

The mini-challenges:

These mini-challenges are optional! The main goal is just to have a map full of dots that are hopefully spread all over the world. Some of these mini-challenges are rather easy, others not so much. For some you can set your own goal of books you want to read.

• Read one book for each continent
• Read one book for each state in the US
• Read one book for each ocean (the character travels across the ocean, no matter how)
• The mountaineering challenge: climb the Seven Summits
• Three Poles Challenge: visit North Pole, South Pole and Mount Everest
• Visit a certain number of extreme points of Earth
• Read a certain number of books set in capital cities 
• Read a certain number of books set in at least 5 different places (e.g. road trip books)
• Read a certain number of books that are set in two places from different continents
• Read a certain number of books within a 100km/1.5 Mile radius of where you live
• Visit a certain number of the most famous landmarks in the world
• A to Z challenge: Find a place for each letter in the alphabet
• Visit a certain number of countries.
• Read books from authors from a certain number of different countries.
• Read a certain number of books set in places you’ve visited yourself.

Parched Launch

A themed tour with Prism Book Tours.

We're LAUNCHING the BOOK TOUR for

Parched

By Georgia Clark

Robots, renewable resources, and romance get tangled together in this thrilling futuristic adventure novel about a utopian city struggling to keep its peace.

January Tour Schedule

6 - Hope To Read & Book N Blog

7 - Kelly P's Blog & Coffee Books & Art

8 - Book-Marks the Spot, The Written Adventure & Mel's Shelves

9 - I Am A Reader & Katy's Krazy Books

11 - Welcome to Book City

12 - My Life Loves and Passion & Literally Jen

13 - Bookish Events

14 - Typical Distractions

15 - Lilac Reviews & Wishful Endings

16 - The Review Notes & Deal Sharing Aunt

More About the Author and Parched

1. What is your motivation behind Parched? Why did you want to write it?

I suppose most writers answer this question with something like, ?X was a deeply personal story I just had to write? or ?Y is an important topic more people should be taking about?. But here is the truth: I wrote Parched because I was unemployed and didn?t have a lot of friends. It was 2010, I had just moved to New York from Sydney with all the bright-eyed optimism of a pilgrim. Getting a great job, finding a lovely apartment with lots of natural light and making some good friends would be a piece of cake, I thought. Cut to me, one year later, living in a rickety Williamsburg apartment with part-time nudists and full-time cat hair, writing this book because I have two friends, and both of them are nudists. I distracted myself from this by writing a great, big action-adventure story with equal parts action, romance, and drama. I also wanted an excuse to explore the ethics of artificial intelligence and alternative economic systems, because, quite frankly, ethics of artificial intelligence and alternative economic systems are important topics more people should be taking about.

2. What do you hope readers take with them when they read your book?

An umbrella, enough change for a taxi, and if you?re wearing shoes with heels, a pair of flats that fold up. If you mean this question less literally, then I?d say, Parched is about a girl who joins a rebel underground group to fight for what she believes in. I hope this book inspires readers to do the same. Either join an actual rebel underground group and let me know when your meetings are, or find people who are passionate about what you?re passionate about, and make something together.

3. Do you have a favorite scene?

In my book, I like the scene in Part Two where Tess and Hunter talk in the florist. It?s tense and sexy and dramatic. In someone else?s book, I love the scene where Katniss first enters the arena. It was so exciting, I was practically frothing at the mouth.

4. Share something about you that is unique - maybe about how/where you write... or favorite snack foods?

As I was writing this novel, I was reading it aloud to my mum over Skype. I live in Brooklyn and she lives in a tiny beach town in Australia. Not only was it good for me to read it aloud to hear how everything was working, but Mum?s a very enthusiastic audience. Whenever I asked if there was anything I should change, she?d reply in a bewildered voice, ?No! It?s just so good!? and I?d smile smugly and pour myself a glass of wine.

Georgia is gearing up to teach a short, online writing class about writing sci-fi through a Lit Reactor course. Want to go check it out and join? Go HERE! Begins January 14th.

Parched

by Georgia Clark
YA Romantic Sci-Fi
Hardcover, 312 Pages
March 14th 2014 by Holiday House

"A gutsy teen living on an arid, depleted Earth two centuries in the future faces danger and shocking revelations when she covertly joins a subversive group.

Sixteen-year-old Tess lived in Eden, a seemingly idyllic, domed city where access to information and water is regulated by the governing Trust. After a rogue robot killed her scientist mother, Tess fled with a terrible secret to the desperate, arid Badlands, where she?s recruited by Kudzu, explained to her as a ?nonviolent collective working to undermine the Trust and free the Badlands.? Learning Kudzu plans to destroy Aevum, the Trust?s latest advanced robot, Tess reluctantly returns to Eden, where she finds the luxurious life morally unconscionable and secretly trains with Kudzu. Living with her uncle, who?s involved with Aevum, Tess is strangely attracted to his sympathetic assistant, Hunter. During a Kudzu raid on the Trust?s lab, Tess discovers that Aevum will be used to eradicate all inhabitants of the Badlands?and that Hunter?s not what he seems to be.

Tess? first-person, present-tense voice lends chilling immediacy to her no-nonsense story of mixed loyalty, disturbing secrets, and ethical dilemmas associated with diminishing natural resources and scientific experimentation.

Bold futurist adventure with unusual romance, riveting action and ominous ecological red flags." ?Kirkus Reviews

Amazon - Barnes & Noble - Indie Bound

Georgia Clark is an award-winning Australian author and performer currently living in Brooklyn, New York.

While allegedly studying a BA in Communications (Media Arts & Production) at the University of technology, Sydney, she instead became an activist in the student movement and spent too much money making terrible short films.

After graduating, she became a professional hipster as Editor of The Brag, a free, weekly music magazine. This lead to her starting a band, the not-at-all seminal electro pop trio, Dead Dead Girls. This experience formed the basis of her first novel, SHE?S WITH THE BAND, published by Australia?s largest independent publisher, Allen & Unwin in 2008. SHE?S WITH THE BAND was distributed in the U.S. and the U.K. in 2011 and attracted five-star reviews.
In 2007, Georgia won a national pitching competition at SPAA, the Screen Producer Association?s annual conference, for Starts At Sunset, a one-hour drama/comedy about vampires who play in a band.

Georgia has worked as an acclaimed freelance teen and lifestyle journalist for over ten years. She is published in Girl?s Life, Cosmo, CLEO, Daily Life, Sunday Life and more. She has worked as the acting Features Editor and senior contributor for Australia?s number one teen magazine, Girlfriend. She has also attended writers? residencies in Martha?s Vineyard, California and Portugal, and received grants for her work.

Georgia moved to New York from Sydney in 2009. Here, she performs improv comedy and writes from the New York Writers Room, which involves eating macaroons and drinking many, many cups of tea. A play she co-wrote and performs in, PICKLES & HARGRAVES, AND THE CURSE OF THE TANZANIAN GLIMMERFISH, will be on in the 2014 New York International Fringe Festival.

Website - Goodreads - Facebook - Twitter

Tour-Wide Giveaway

$20 Amazon Gift Card (INT)
Signed copy of Parched (US only)
Ends January 25th

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Special Report: 'Second Impact'

Special Report

Second Impact

David Klass and Perri Klass

Kendall is football town, and Jerry Downing is the high school's star quarterback, working to redeem himself after he nearly killed a girl in a drunk driving accident last year. Carla Jenson, lead reporter for the school newspaper's sports section, has recruited Jerry to co-author a blog chronicling the season from each of their perspectives. When Jerry's best friend on the team takes a hit too hard and gets hurt, Carla wonders publicly if injury in the game comes at too high a cost in a player's life—but not everyone in Kendall wants to hear it...

I liked Jerry's character. He was kind and caring. You could tell he cared for his friends and teammates. Stereotypically, you think quarterbacks are stuck-up jerks. In this case, Jerry is anything bit that. (The stuck-up one would be Carla really. I really don't like her.) Jerry cared for Danny. He made sure Danny didn't play when he had the signs of a concussion. That shows his kindness. You start to like Jerry. You feel for him. His rage. His delight. 

The themes of this story was good. Teamwork. Sportsmanship. You read this book and feel those themes in the writing. I like those themes. People need to band together to be stronger. As one person, you can only do so much. You need to be together with other people. Also, there is the question of taking things too far. Not a theme but something I still wanted to mention. Carla takes things too far. Is her punishment just? Did she take it too far? What could she have done to stop? 

There didn't seem to be much plot, though. There are only a few points. But then it's babbling for most of the beginning and middle. Only when we get Carla doing terrible things we have something. I feel like there could have been more changes. The plot seemed slow. And it wasn't very interesting. It could have been better. 

I didn't like the drama. Ah. It was annoying. Carla was just too crazy. She took things too far. She forced drama to happen. When drama wasn't there. At all. Everyone in the book tried to avoid drama. But she just caused it left and right. I didn't like that. She could have left things. But she had to be nosy and find secrets. 

And Carla was annoying. Really annoying. She was nosy. And spoiled. She stuck her head in things she shouldn't have. She was crazy. She was acting stupid. She didn't need to do that. She caused things. She acting very annoying. Whiny. She kept acting that way. She didn't change. Sure. She learned a lesson about pushing limits. I'm happy she learned a lesson. But she didn't change.

Weather:

Sunny with 50% chance of rain

3/5

2015 LGBT Challenge

The Amazing Niji Feels has created a LGBT Challenge for 2015! 

I'm excited. I typically don't read LGBT. Not that I'm against it or anything. I just don't read those things often. I just read like most everyone else out there in the world. Straight, Caucasian. (And as an Asian, might I add, that I'm trying to be diverse and open-minded.) With close friends and confidants that are bisexual, as well as my own misadventures with the same sex, I have decided that sexuality is not worth my time. (Because, honestly, why does it matter if you're female or male? As long as you give me books, I'm perfectly fine with you.) I could care less about sexuality honestly. That's might be just me. But I've read enough LGBT books in my time. ('Will Grayson, Will Grayon'. 'Ash'. You know...the works. I've also read Cassandra Clare's 'The Mortal Instruments'.) LGBT has never really been my genre. I like it in books, but romance in books is, as you may have noticed, infuriating, annoying, and downright hair-ripping-ly painful for me to read. Guess that's how I can be open-minded. 

Enough about that, though. 

Here's a cat picture to keep you reading my blabbing: 

Meow meow. I like tummy scratches. 

Look at me! I'm so cute!

Moving on from the random cat pictures! 

I have chosen to be an: 

• OMNIVOROUS BOOKGLUTTON: 10+ LGBT books from any genre
• (Aka I'm a glutton for punishment.)

I'll update you as I go along. I might even do a really cool wrap-up thingy. 

But I'll keep track of all my LGBT books. (Or books that have LGBT main characters. I don't often read just LGBT books. I'm an action/dystopian/urban fantasy type of girl.)

The Details:

• The challenge runs from 1 January through 31 December 2015
• Like last year, each month there will be a mini challenge/theme/list/thingy
• This year, there is no form/genre restriction (you can read whatever you want – young adult, new adult, adult, erotica, nonfiction, manga – as long as its LGBT)
• And the LGBT in the challenge’s name does not mean just LGBT, you can read any book that falls under the L(esbian) G(ay) B(isexual) T(ransexual) T(ransgender) Q(ueer) Q(uestioning) I(ntersex) A(sexual)+ spectrum
• There will be link ups throughout the year (but the setup is going to be a little different from last year)
• All formats (print books, ebooks, audiobooks, comics) are eligible
• Books can overlap with other challenges
• (At… certain times) there will be surprise giveaways, as well as one big giveaway at the end of the year ;)

And if you want to sign up yourself, dear readers... Sign Up Here!

January 1, 2015: 'The Naturals'

Welcome to Book City

Date: January 1, 2015

Spoilers Ahead

Headline

The Naturals

Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Seventeen-year-old Cassie is a natural at reading people. Piecing together the tiniest details, she can tell you who you are and what you want. But it’s not a skill that she’s ever taken seriously. That is, until the FBI come knocking: they’ve begun a classified program that uses exceptional teenagers to crack infamous cold cases, and they need Cassie.

What Cassie doesn’t realize is that there’s more at risk than a few unsolved homicides—especially when she’s sent to live with a group of teens whose gifts are as unusual as her own. Sarcastic, privileged Michael has a knack for reading emotions, which he uses to get inside Cassie’s head—and under her skin. Brooding Dean shares Cassie’s gift for profiling, but keeps her at arm’s length.

Soon, it becomes clear that no one in the Naturals program is what they seem. And when a new killer strikes, danger looms closer than Cassie could ever have imagined. Caught in a lethal game of cat and mouse with a killer, the Naturals are going to have to use all of their gifts just to survive.

City Calendar:

This is what happened during the week.

Cassie gets a business card from a stranger at her job at the diner.  She meets Agent Briggs. She agrees to be in the Naturals program. She goes to the house where the other Naturals are. She meets Lia a human lie detector, Sloane a fact checker, and Dean another profiler like her. She profiles people at a mall with Dean and Agent Locke a FBI profiler. She gets into the head of a killer for the first time. Lia gives Sloane coffee, making her spew facts like nothing. Judd the owner of the house goes out, leaving the teens alone. They play truth or dare. Cassie ends up kissing Dean. Michael and Cassie kiss within a day of her kiss with Dean. Cassie reads interviews. She finds out that Dean's dad is a serial killer. Cassie and Michael blow things up after Cassie has a fight with Dean. Sloane reveals she has stolen an USB from the FBI agents. Cassie sees the file and determines the UNSUB (unidentified subject) is killing people who are either red heads or in the same type of profession as her mother. She fronts Agent Briggs. She asks to be on the case but  is denied. She gets a present supposedly from the UNSUB. Cassie and Dean get into the UNSUB's mind. Cassie's put under watch. She gets another gift, revealing a girl is kept alive but hurt. Cassie goes to the scene where this girl Genevieve was last scene. She finds a clue to where to go next. Cassie and Michael kiss again. Cassie figures out UNSUB has reached the house. Dean and Cassie flee the house by Agent Locke's instructions. They find Michael when they try to leave by the basement. Michael is shot. Agent Locke reveals herself. She hits Dean and knocks him out. Agent Locke tries to make Cassie kill Genevieve. Agent Locke is the UNSUB. She reveals that she is Cassie's aunt and that Cassie's mother had abandoned her. Michael comes to and shoots Agent Locke, killing her. Michael heals up. Cassie still doesn't know who killed her mother. And doesn't mind but will find out. 

And that's what happened this week.

Personal Ads:

Cassandra 'Cassie' 

Seventeen. Profiler. Part Italian. Dead psychic mother. Part of the Naturals. Big paternal family. 

Opinions:

I was surprised how much I liked this book. I typically don't like mysteries. 

I liked the mystery. The mystery is amazing. I really liked it. The clues kept you going. Who did it? Male? Female? Someone they know? Someone they don't? You don't know. You want to know, though. You feel for Cassie. She has the curiosity. She has the interest. You want her to figure it out. You don't get enough. And I'm not good with these things anyways. I'm not a profiler. I don't solve mysteries. So I follow along. I started guessing. Or making assumptions. 

And the teen geniuses. I typically don't like teen geniuses. Why? They rub it in someone's face. But it isn't the case here. You don't feel like they're rubbing it into someone's face. They can't help it. They are born, or taught young, to be who they are. They have gifts. I don't feel jealous. Well...I am, but I'm not too jealous. I would hate to be gifted in those areas.You might end up working crime scenes. I can't stomach those things. But these gifts were amazing. They could apply things. Not just know the steps. 

The romance was surprisingly...good. I was surprised. I don't typically like romance. The romance was interesting. The girl didn't seem clingy. Nor did she really try. She was focused on the mystery. Dean and Michael seemed to chase after her. Why? I'm not sure. Physical attraction? Dean may like that she is a profiler. Michael might like that she can't label him. I don't know. Both like her in their own way. It's interesting. I don't love these romances. I'm not rooting for anyone. But they are interesting. I want to know who Cassie chooses. 

And the secrets! They were hidden. Surprising. You would never guess them. Things are hidden from you. You don't get a hint. You're surprised as Cassie is. I like these secrets. They're something the characters try to hide. And they're not obvious. 

I didn't like the cliffhanger. I want to know more. What happens? Does she figure out who killed her mother? What about Dean and Michael? Does she choose? I like the story. But the cliffhanger is driving me crazy. I want to know. I really do. I want to know. The questions are driving me crazy. Things aren't explained. And there is more to know. 

Or the lack of backstory to some of the characters. I wanted more on their backstory. It wasn't that it wasn't enough. For Lia and Sloane, there wasn't enough backstory. I wanted their story. Their pasts. They have to have a past. Dean did. Cassie did. Michael did. We also didn't see a lot of backstory for the people who got backstory. The most backstory came from Agent Locke. A girl whose sister abandoned her to an abusive father. We don't get much period.  

Weather:

Sunny with a 20% chance of rain 

4/5

Special Report: 'Fifteen'

Special Report

Fifteen, by Jen Estes

Genre: Contemporary Fantasy, Paranormal, Science Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Young Adult

Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press

Date of Release: January 15, 2015

Cover Artist: Conzpiracy Digital Arts

Goodreads

Legend has it if you die in your dreams, you die in real life. Fifteen-year-old Ashling Campbell knows that’s not true because when she closes her eyes each night, she doesn’t dream about public nudity or Prom dates. Instead, she’s catapulted to the front row of her future self’s execution - fifteen years from now - where monsters have taken control of her hometown and she, or rather, her 30-year-old counterpart, is their public enemy number one.

For three months and counting, it’s been the same dream… until an encounter with an antique dreamcatcher. Ash falls asleep to discover she’s no longer a mere spectator in these dreams - now she’s astral-projecting into the body of her future self. Each night, she goes on the run with a ragtag group of rebels - who have no idea she’s really a high school sophomore and not their noble warrior. She has to make it through each night so that she can wake up and find a way to change the future. For every action she does in the present day, she falls asleep to discover it had an equal impact fifteen years later. It’s up to her to manage her two worlds and make sure she’s still got a place in both.

This book was surprisingly okay. I looked at the first chapter or so and got simply annoyed. 

I like the action. Wow. There were a bunch of chase scenes. I liked those. They were fun to read. Fast paced without being too fast. Your heart would race. It seemed odd to have so many chase scenes. The characters didn't really fight back. They typically ran away. With guns. I don't think that counts for action. But still. The scenes when they did were pretty good. I liked those.

And the supernatural thing. The Lakota legend. The dream walking. They were intriguing. Wow. I liked this. I haven't read stories like this before. Real-life legends becoming true? No. I don't think I've read something like that before. Gods and goddesses reincarnated. Demigods. But not this. I think this is interesting. How the fantastical elements are weaved into the realistic ones. Man. That's amazing. It was seamless. I like the dreams. The future and the present that are limited by how long you're in REM sleep. The physical world breaking through the supernatural one. 

The cliffhanger! I think the cliffhanger makes you really want to continue the series. I want to know more. Who dream walked? Why? When? Where? The questions buzz through my head. The cliffhanger made me excited. Not feel like this was a bad thing. I want more. That is good for the author. Sure. It's a great cliffhanger. But it also makes me hate for the next book. I really can't wait. 

The changes when the characters change the future are amazing. You don't expect them. They seem surprising. Living instead of dying. Being in a normal world compared to running from the jums. The changes seemed drastic. You wouldn't expect what would happen next. Her mom dying. Her aunt dying. These things happen because of what Ash knows. Because of what she learns and does. Ash's choices change the world in the future. And she sees what happens when she changes the future. I like that. Seeing the results of what you did. 

I don't like the romance. We have almost two couples. Old Ash and Coop. And Tate and Young Ash. I honestly like Tate better than Coop. Coop seemed...too cocky. Too annoying. He acted too childish. Even though he's older than Tate. Tate seemed reasonable in the future. Why did he chose Nadette? Nadette is only alluring. And beautiful. That's it. Why did either form? Why? What does Coop see in Future Ash? What? Her looks? Her smarts? We don't see Future Ash. No peek at who she is. We don't get her personality. Is she the same? We know she is still suspicious. But we don't get really anything else. That's another thing. I would like more on Future Ash. That would be good. See how Ash grows and all. 

Or Ash. She annoys me. I really didn't like her. At all. She acts all stereotypical teenage girl-y. I'm not a bit fan of stereotypical teenage girls. I don't need that. I have enough of stereotypical teenage girls already. They obsess over themselves. Groom themselves like dog owners groom dogs. I don't want to read that. It's annoying. At least be tougher. She grows a bit. Not that I really enjoy who she grows into...

Mostly this book impressed me. Ash, though, disappointed me. I do think this is a good book. But it could have been better.

Weather:

Sunny with a 50% chance of rain

3/5

About the Author

Jen Estes is the author of the Cat McDaniel Mystery Series and the forthcoming FIFTEEN (The 

Born and raised in the Midwest, Jen had to choose between staring at corn or reading books. 

Corn husks just didn’t have the appeal of the Baby-Sitters Club, and so a bookworm was born. 

Reading later turned into writing and in 2011, Jen published her first novel. After releasing four 

books in the mystery genre, Jen finally gave in to the literary demands of her inner teenager 

with her YA debut, FIFTEEN (The Dreamwalker Diaries) with Curiosity Quills. Jen lives in 

Illinois with her husband Nathan under the tyranny of their three cats: Wrigley, Ivy and Captain Moo.

She is an active member of the National Writers Union. When she isn’t writing, Jen enjoys sci-fi 

in all its mediums, attempting yoga, using her passport, watching baseball, and reading a good 

book. You can find Jen on the web at www.jenestes.com, on Tumblr

tweeting under @jenestesdotcom

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