Perchance to Dream by Lisa Mantchev

Title: Perchance to Dream
Author: Lisa Mantchev
Published: May 2010
Source: Around the World Tours
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Act Two, Scene One


Growing up in the enchanted Thèâtre Illuminata, Beatrice Shakespeare Smith learned everything about every play ever written. She knew the Players and their parts, but she didn’t know that she, too, had magic. Now, she is the Mistress of Revels, the Teller of Tales, and determined to follow her stars. She is ready for the outside world.

Enter BERTIE AND COMPANY

But the outside world soon proves more topsy-turvy than any stage production. Bertie can make things happen by writing them, but outside the protective walls of the Thèâtre, nothing goes as planned. And her magic cannot help her make a decision between—

Nate: Her suave and swashbuckling pirate, now in mortal peril.

Ariel: A brooding, yet seductive, air spirit whose true motives remain unclear.

When Nate is kidnapped and taken prisoner by the Sea Goddess, only Bertie can free him. She and her fairy sidekicks embark on a journey aboard the Thèâtre’s caravan, using Bertie’s word magic to guide them. Along the way, they collect a sneak-thief, who has in his possession something most valuable, and meet The Mysterious Stranger, Bertie’s father—and the creator of the scrimshaw medallion. Bertie’s dreams are haunted by Nate, whose love for Bertie is keeping him alive, but in the daytime, it’s Ariel who is tantalizingly close, and the one she is falling for. Who does Bertie love the most? And will her magic be powerful enough to save her once she enters the Sea Goddess’s lair?

I liked Eyes Like Stars, but I love Perchance to Dream! Everything great about Eyes Like Stars was in this book, but with more romance! Yay! I was team Nate, but now I'm just as torn as Bertie! How is a girl to choose?

I absolutely adore the writing style. It's a mix of Shakesperean and modern, and it's absolutely gorgeous. The imagination the Lisa Mantchev must have is spectacular! The things that happen in this book are ridiculously awesome, and yet what really steals the show are the characters. I have absolutely no idea how she does it.

Bertie meets some new people on this trip, and they are easily folded into the storyline and become part of the cast with no qualms. The old characters are just as charming, especially the fairies. Ariel is so much more than I thought he was, and Nate is just the same. I'm anxious to see how the love triangle works out.

When Bertie uses her book in the outside world things tend to go hilariously awry, which is part of the reason why I love this book so much. Bertie not being able to rely on her just writing how she wants things to be makes her develop and use her resources and skills that she probably wouldn't have otherwise.

Basically I adored this book! The only problem that I had was that sometimes things got a bit confusing.

Characters: 10/10
Writing: 10/10
Originality: 10/10
Plot: 9/10
Ending: 10/10
Overall: 49/50 A+

Waiting On Wednesday (24)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine where we showcase the books that we just can't wait to be released!

This week:

Rosebush by Michelle Jaffe

Release Date: December 14th, 2010

Synopsis from Goodreads:

See Jane run. See Jane die.

Instead of celebrating Memorial Day weekend on the Jersey shore, Jane is in the hospital surrounded by teddy bears, trying to piece together what happened last night. One minute she was at a party, wearing fairy wings and cuddling with her boyfriend. The next, she was lying near-dead in a rosebush after a hit and run.

Everyone thinks it was an accident, despite the phone threats Jane swears were real. But the truth is a thorny thing. As Jane's boyfriend, friends, and admirers come to visit, more memories surface--not just from the party, but from deeper in her past...including the night her best friend Bonnie died.

With nearly everyone in her life a suspect now, Jane must unravel the mystery before her killer attacks again. Along the way, she is forced to examine the consequences of her life choices in this compulsively readable thriller.

I love Jaffe's Bad Kitty books, and though this looks completely different, it looks great! I love mysteries and I love thrillers, so I think that this fits the bill! Plus, the cover is gorgeous!

What are you waiting on?

The Dark Divine by Bree Despain

Title: The Dark Divine

Author: Bree Despain

Published: December 2009

Source: Bought

Synopsis from Goodreads:

A Prodigal Son

A Dangerous Love

A Deadly Secret

Grace Divine—daughter of the local pastor—always knew something terrible happened the night Daniel Kalbi disappearedand her brother Jude came home covered in his own blood.

Now that Daniel's returned, Grace mus choose between her growing attraction to him and her loyalty to her brother.

As Grace gets closer to Daniel, she learns the truth about that mysterious night and how to save the ones she loves, but it might cost her the one thing she cherishes most: her soul.

I'm not sure what I was expecting from this, but it sure wasn't what it was! This book exceeded my expectations in a big way, and I definitely want more! The paranormal aspect of this book is very original, though there are familiar things threaded through.

I have to give props to Bree Despain for writing about a pastors daughter without being preachy at all, even though their faith was interwoven with the story line. There's a fine line, and it was walked with ease. Grace is a typical teenager in most ways, except everyone looks at her to be the good example. She's a typical good girl, though she longs to do something more dangerous. Enter Daniel, very dangerous. He was once a practical part of Grace's family, but after a terrible incident that no one beside him and Grace's brother seems to know the details of, he disappeared. He's back, and with him mysterious, gruesome things.

From the first page of this book I didn't want to put it down. I was compelled to read it, and to know Daniel's secret. Like I mentioned earlier, the paranormal aspect is so completely original that it blew me away. I'm not going to tell you what it is, because I wish that I hadn't know when I read it. The romance could seem like it came too fast, but considering their history it really didn't.

I loved the way that Grace's family played a big role in things. I really got to know and understand her parents and brother, and they were very multi dimensional, not just there for show. You don't see that every day.

Basically I loved this book!

Characters: 10/10
Writing: 9/10
Originality: 10/10
Plot: 9/10
Ending: 10/10
Overall: 48/50 A
Title/Cover Comments: The cover is gorgeous! And actually more relevant then you might think. The title fits.

Indiana by N.C. Weyl

Title: Indiana
Author: N.C. Weyl
Published: February 2010
Source: Received from author for review
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Indiana, by N.C. Weyl, is an intimate and often unsettling view into the heart of middle America in the 1930s. In a community where poverty and racism are a sub-theme of existence, readers are introduced to Samantha (Sam), a child who witnesses a terrible crime and must decide between revealing the shooter—the kindly, slow-witted Mr. Purdy who acted out of a need to protect—or letting an innocent man—the brutal and racist father of the woman attacked—go to prison for a crime he did not commit. Thrown into the mix of this drama-based-on-reality is the role of the Ku Klux Klan, the attitudes toward intermarriage and mixed-race children, and one community’s ability to change with the times…or remain inert and provincial. This is a compelling story, told from the viewpoints of multiple characters—primarily innocent children forced to make courageous decisions—and how injustice and intolerance can affect a family…and an entire community.

If I hadn't received this book for review, I probably wouldn't have finished it. The first half of the book is very slow, despite the alternating view points. I would have missed out, because I tore through the second half of the book in half the time it took me to get through the first.

I think that a problem that I had with this book is that not much really happened until a certain point. I suppose that I was supposed to get to know the characters, but I wish that it had been a little more interesting. The main viewpoints are of Sam, a teenage girl, her father the pastor, and her little brother Tyler. I really liked it when Tyler was narrating, he was a very smart kid.

This book doesn't flinch away from graphic things, but there's nothing too out of hand. I thought that the author portrayed racism in the 1930's well, and made it just as sickening as I have no doubt it was. There's little bit of romance, but not much. I could have gone for more, especially in the first half. The ending had me staring at the page in almost shock because that is definitely not how I expected it to end.

Basically, there's a slow start, but once you get about halfway it picks up and is hard to put down. I enjoyed a lot of it.

Characters: 8/10
Writing: 7/10
Originality: 8/10
Plot: 6/10
Ending: 7/10
Overall: 36/50 C-
Cover/Title: I like them both. The cover fits well with the story and sets the mood, and the title fits also.

In My Mailbox (22) Vlog!

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren where we post what books we bought, received, borrowed, etc the previous week.

Another VLOG! Still crappy quality, but I like to think that I'm getting a little better at it...



Won:
Restoring Harmony by Joelle Anthony (Thanks Kelsey!)

From Around the World Tours:
Perchance to Dream by Lisa Mantchev

For Review:
Nevermore by Kelly Creagh
Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel

Peaple Mentioned:
Kelsey at The Book Scout

Thank you Simon and Schuster and MacMillan!

So, let me know what you got this week in the comments and I'll check it out!

Scarlett Fever by Maureen Johnson

Title: Scarlett Fever
Author: Maureen Johnson
Published: February 2010
Source: Bought
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Ever since Mrs. Amberson, the former-aspiring-actress-turned-agent, entered Scarlett Martin's life, nothing has been the same.


She's still in charge of the Empire Suite in her family's hotel, but she's now also Mrs. Amberson's assistant, running around town for her star client, Chelsea - a Broadway star Scarlett's age with a knack for making her feel insignificant.

Scarlett's also trying to juggle sophomore year classes, her lab partner who is being just a little TOO nice, and getting over the boy who broke her heart.

In the midst of all this, her parents drop a bombshell that threatens to change her New York life forever...

Let me start off this review by saying that the above synopsis is completely inaccurate. Reason 1) Scarlett being in charge of the Empire Suite is maybe mentioned once. It has nothing to do with the book at all, so why put it in the synopsis? 2) Scarlett does not run around for Chelsea, she runs around for Mrs. Amberson. They make Chelsea seem like a bitch, but she's not. 3) Scarlett's lab partner is not being too nice, in fact, he's rather rude. 4) Scarlett's parents are not the bombshell droppers, Scarlett's sister Lola is, and it has nothing to do with them living in New York. I really don't understand why they lie, I mean it's a SEQUEL, it's not like they have to convince people to read it.

Anyway, this book will not disappoint you if you liked Suite Scarlett. It's fun and hilarious, and will have you shaking your head at the crazy Martin family. Spencer is still my favorite character, despite his being pretty down in the dumps for a lot of the book. Mrs. Amberson is, if it's possible, even crazier, and the new characters are full of personality.

I love that this book is set in New York City. It's such a perfect backdrop for all of the crazy things that happen, and has so much possibility. There really isn't an exact plot to this book, more like a sliver of Scarlett's life, which is interesting and different. Something that I found interesting was that Scarlett is funny, but what's more funny are the descriptions and observations that are made by the outside narrator.

The romance in this book takes a bit of a backseat. It's there, but it's not a main point. I found this a bit frustrating at times when I wanted to read an interaction between Scarlett and a certain male character that I was certain were bound to get together. The thing about Maureen Johnson is that she can't do things the usual way, she has to be different. Which is awesome, except when you're looking for two characters to get together and then it's not what you're expecting, and then she leaves you with that ending!  Maureen, can you please write faster?

Basically this was a perfect sequel to Suite Scarlett that I enjoyed immensely. I'm only upset with the synopsis writer.

Characters: 9/10
Writing: 10/10
Originality: 10/10
Plot: 9/10
Ending: 8/10
Overall: 46/50 A-
Cover/Title Comments: I love the Scarlett theme, but the Fever isn't relevant. This cover is cute, but I prefer the old theme.

Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink

Title: Prophecy of the Sisters
Author: Michelle Zink
Published: August 2009
Source: Bought
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Sixteen-year-old Lia Milthorpe and her twin sister Alice have just become orphans, and, as Lia discovers, they have also become enemies. The twins are part of an ancient prophecy that has turned generations of sisters against each other. To escape from a dark fate and to remain in the arms of her beloved boyfriend James, Lia must end the prophecy before her sister does. Only then will she understand the mysterious circumstances of her parents' deaths, the true meaning of the strange mark branded on her wrist, and the lengths to which her sister will go to defeat her. Debut novelist Michelle Zink takes readers on an unforgettable journey where one sister's fateful decision could have an impact of Biblical proportions. Prophecy of the Sisters is the first of three books.

This book was a slight disappointment for me. It moved a lot slower than I thought it would, and for some reason I was expecting it to be alternating POV between the two sisters. I think that I probably would have liked it more if it had been, just because it would shake things up a bit. One thing that I loved was how well the historical elements were used. Zink really did her research, and I loved how detailed everything was without her describing every little thing.

The writing style that Zink used was engrossing, and I found myself thinking like Lia when I put the book down. There is a sense of mystery throughout the entire book, which kept me reading. As the narrator I liked Lia, she wasn't a push over but knew when to back off.I felt a connection to all of the characters, and when tragedy strikes towards the end of the book I found myself staring at the pages in disbelief, shocked and sad.

I thought that this book was pretty obviously the set up for the next two. We spend a lot of time learning things, not very much actual doing something about them. I think that the next book, Guardian of the Gate will have more doing. If you want a neatly tied up ending, don't come looking here, it leaves you with more questions asked than answered.

Basically this book moved a lot slower than I thought it would, but the rich historical setting and overwhelming sense of mystery kept me reading.

Characters: 9/10
Plot: 7/10
Originality: 9/10
Writing: 9/10
Ending: 8/10
Overall: 42/50 B
Cover/Title: I LOVE this cover, and the title is perfect. I'm not a big fan of the new paperback cover.