Her Dark Curiosity by Megan Shepherd

Pages: 368

Genre: Gothic Literature/Sci-fi

Series: Madman's Daughter #2

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Release Date: Jan 28, 2014

Months have passed since Juliet Moreau returned to civilization after escaping her father's island—and the secrets she left behind. Now, back in London once more, she is rebuilding the life she once knew and trying to forget Dr. Moreau’s horrific legacy—though someone, or something, hasn’t forgotten her.As people close to Juliet fall victim one by one to a murderer who leaves a macabre calling card of three clawlike slashes, Juliet fears one of her father’s creations may have also escaped the island. She is determined to find the killer before Scotland Yard does, though it means awakening sides of herself she had thought long banished, and facing loves from her past she never expected to see again.As Juliet strives to stop a killer while searching for a serum to cure her own worsening illness, she finds herself once more in the midst of a world of scandal and danger. Her heart torn in two, past bubbling to the surface, life threatened by an obsessive killer—Juliet will be lucky to escape alive.

After the rather terrible (read: heartbreaking) ending in The Madman's Daughter, I was unbelievably anxious to read Her Dark Curiosity so I was ecstatic when I managed to get my grubby hands on an ARC! And then I started reading. And I was a bit disappointed.

My main issue was Juliet herself. She seemed absolutely ridiculous throughout the story and seemed...well, mad. And I suppose that may have been the point, but I just felt like it made her an annoying character rather than an interesting one. She kept repeating over and over and over that she wasn't like her father, would never be like her father, and then immediately turn and do something that's so obviously cruel and terrible, just like her father. (Spoiler at the end of the review) That and she made some obviously-not-right choices that made me twitch in agitation.

More than that, the romance. Unfortunately, our love triangle isn't completely finished (or, it is in the way that Juliet has chosen who she loved. But that doesn't stop a certain someone from pursuing her or her from kissing and other activities with said someone.) I hated how Juliet just seemed to go back and forth, despite her claim of love for Montgomery, and how she justified Edward's actions. Sure, he didn't deserve to die, but she didn't seem to think that much about the harm he's done besides one or two pages.

But despite all that, Her Dark Curiosity was a fascinating read, most especially because of Shepherd's talent with atmosphere and Gothic lit. And a 1800-1900s London? It's the perfect place to set a story of madness, murder, and mayhem! The drizzly ghostly city was creepy with everything that was going on and you have to hand it to Shepherd--she's a genius with her words, if not her characters.

The plot was absolutely spectacular with twists sprinkled throughout the story (the first less than 70 pages in!) and I found myself gaping at the book sometimes, just eager to discover what would happen next. And, like always, Megan Shepherd manages to leave us with a cliffhanger and clamoring for the third book, even if our character isn't how we hoped!

Gothic literature is one of my favorite kinds of stories, and the dark and haunting setting and atmosphere was beyond impressive and I had chills throughout most of the book, especially with murderers and secret, dark science cults.

***SPOILER: She freaking creates her own "creature" and unleashes it on her enemies, scientists, and murders every one of them in cold blood. Then hunts down the survivor and kills him. And she thinks that's justified?

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Hideous Love by Stephanie Hemphill

Goodreads Blurb

An all-consuming love affair.
A family torn apart by scandal.
A young author on the brink of greatness.
Hideous Love is the fascinating story of Gothic novelist Mary Shelley, who as a teen girl fled her restrictive home only to find herself in the shadow of a brilliant but moody boyfriend, famed poet Percy Shelley. It is the story of the mastermind behind one of the most iconic figures in all of literature: a monster constructed out of dead bodies and brought to life by the tragic Dr. Frankenstein.
Mary wrote Frankenstein at the age of nineteen, but inspiration for the monster came from her life-the atmospheric European settings she visited, the dramas swirling around her, and the stimulating philosophical discussions with the greatest minds of the period, like her close friend, Lord Byron.
This luminous verse novel from award-winning author Stephanie Hemphill reveals how Mary Shelley became one of the most celebrated authors in history.

There were a lot of things about Hideous Love I didn't quite expect, and I can't quite say that's a good thing.

Hideous Love was written in verse, something that surprised me, but pleased me. At first. But as I read on, it wasn't as well written as I'd hoped. Verse isn't something you can pull off easily, and I'm afraid Hemphill didn't manage to reach that level yet. While the writing was quite gorgeous and poetic (as it should be. Since--Mary Shelley!) and amazing, the characters came off as flat and it was a tad confusing. And, no matter how beautiful the writing, it couldn't really make the rest of the book interesting.

I really admire how Hemphill tried to make her life seem fascinating and interesting, but it just didn't really stand out to me. It was, essentially, an autobiography written in verse--and I'm not generally a fan of biographies. There wasn't enough to really keep me enthralled. She had a love affair, she had kids, she had money problems, family problems. But they were all just glossed over, the book written like it was. It may have been more interesting written in prose, maybe, but instead it came out as dull and boring.

And then the characters. That's another thing about writing in verse--it's hard to get a feel for the characters, and that's exactly what happened here. While Mary Shelley wasn't exactly a flat character, she was hypocritical, catty, and possessive, making her a distinctly unlikable character. While I did empathize with her at times, it still irritated me and I couldn't really get over that feeling.

But the main reason I disliked her, really was the romance. Twenty five pages in, the words "I love you" are pretty much spoken, and that's fast--even for insta-love. We didn't get to see the progression as they fell in love. It took maybe two poems for them to fall in love. Add to that the fact that he happens to married at the time...and, well, we get a jumble of hot mess.

It's an outstanding premise, really, but the book just doesn't have the same allure after a few chapters. It wore me down until I honestly didn't want to open the book. Something that really disappoints me, since I was so excited to start!

So while it does sound amazing, I wouldn't recommend this, though I will admit--it'd be a lot cooler to read as "research" since it does stick to the facts and is written in quite beautiful verse!

Pages: 320

Genre: Retelling/Historical

Series: Standalone

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Release Date: Oct 1, 2013

Rating: 1.5 stars

Asylum by Madeleine Roux

Goodreads Blurb

For sixteen-year-old Dan Crawford, New Hampshire College Prep is more than a summer program—it's a lifeline. An outcast at his high school, Dan is excited to finally make some friends in his last summer before college. But when he arrives at the program, Dan learns that his dorm for the summer used to be a sanatorium, more commonly known as an asylum. And not just any asylum—a last resort for the criminally insane.
As Dan and his new friends, Abby and Jordan, explore the hidden recesses of their creepy summer home, they soon discover it's no coincidence that the three of them ended up here. Because the asylum holds the key to a terrifying past. And there are some secrets that refuse to stay buried.
Featuring found photos of unsettling history and real abandoned asylums and filled with chilling mystery and page-turning suspense, Madeleine Roux's teen debut, Asylum, is a horror story that treads the line between genius and insanity.

So I was a bit wary starting in because of the mixed reviews I've been seeing and while Asylum wasn't exactly picture perfect, it was still a...decent read, I guess.

The beginning is absolutely creepy and chilling (It is not a good idea to read this at night alone in your house. I don't recommend it any time soon.) and I was enthralled, if not completely terrified, by the eerie descriptions and the ghostly writing. The pictures just doubled the creep factor and I absolutely loved it! But then, things sort of went downhill.

While the entire book did retain it's eerie atmosphere, the plot became dull about a quarter in. Almost nothing happened in the next two hundred pages(?) besides a few murders and...relationship problems. For a horror mystery, Asylum focused a lot on the awkward relationships formed throughout the story and the reveal was predictable. The last twenty pages were exciting, but they didn't really wrap up that many questions for me and I was still pretty confused on the worldbuilding and science of the story.

Our main character, Dan, was a flat character and he didn't have much of a personality. What character traits he did have were inconsistent and they changed to whatever the story line needed to progress (although by story line, I mean their relationship.) Jordan and Abby were pretty much the same and I honestly couldn't even begin to understand their actions.

The relationships were just as bad. For someone who was supposed to be antisocial, Dan made two best friends almost immediately and the romance between Abby and Dan seemed rushed and forced. Not to mention the relationships between all three of the characters were strained throughout the entire book and I had no idea how they could retain a relationship at all. What irritated me the most was that they'd just met each other and that they were so close, so quickly, and were nicknamed "The Hydra" in about a week.

While completely haunting and creepy, the rest of the book was pretty disappointing and confusing. It was sort of hard to understand everything that happened in the book and the characters were just flat and were pretty bland, besides the mysterious things that happened. I'm not quite sure if this is a series, but if it is, I don't think I'll be continuing it anytime.

Pages: 320

Genre: Horror/Thriller

Series: Asylum #1 (?)

Publisher: Harper Children's

Release Date: Aug 20, 2013

Rating: 2 stars

Wild Awake by Hilary T. Smith

Goodreads Blurb

Things you earnestly believe will happen while your parents are away:

1. You will remember to water the azaleas.

2. You will take detailed, accurate messages.

3. You will call your older brother, Denny, if even the slightest thing goes wrong.

4. You and your best friend/bandmate Lukas will win Battle of the Bands.

5. Amid the thrill of victory, Lukas will finally realize you are the girl of his dreams.

Things that actually happen:

1. A stranger calls who says he knew your sister.

2. He says he has her stuff.

3. What stuff? Her stuff.

4. You tell him your parents won’t be able to—

5. Sukey died five years ago; can’t he—

6. You pick up a pen.

7. You scribble down the address.

8. You get on your bike and go.

9. Things . . . get a little crazy after that.*

*also, you fall in love, but not with Lukas.

Both exhilarating and wrenching, Hilary T. Smith’s debut novel captures the messy glory of being alive, as seventeen-year-old Kiri Byrd discovers love, loss, chaos, and murder woven into a summer of music, madness, piercing heartbreak, and intoxicating joy.

Wild Awake was a...memorable book. It was interesting and I'm not quite sure how to write this review! I had a ton of mixed feelings about it and this book was like a roller coaster--wait. Isn't that how you describe a relationship? But it's an apt description. I would adore it one moment, hate it another, find it disgusting, go back to loving it, then starting to cry. It was weird, and I don't think I've ever felt this many emotions in a book before!

This story deals with a lot of issues and has that gritty feel to it. Kiri is all but abandoned, her sister dead, her dream boyfriend not interested, her brother estranged, and her parents leaving her alone for six whole weeks. There's a sense of loneliness around our character and she was far from perfect--she was flawed and had scars all over (in the metaphorical sense), but she was real and she was hurt. While I enjoyed her sarcasm and her own way of understanding heartbreaking and sorrowful things, she did get annoying whenever she gave up and drank, or did drugs, or anything like that. She was horrible as a person and I hated what she did a lot of times. She was pathetic at times, but other times, she was so...understanding and almost sweet.

I loved the romance in the book. In a lot of ways it reminded me of What Happens Next--so perfectly imperfect and so bittersweet. Kiri and Skunk both had their issues and they were both in desperate need of one another. And I found it so perfect how it was Kiri's dead sister who brought them together in a way. Almost like she was looking after Kiri even then, which is really just me being all Happy-Ever-After, but I'll stick with it.

But as much as it was great and amazing, it was horrible too. What couple, who lost one of their daughters, would let their only other daughter stay home alone for 6 weeks? What girl would visit a virtual stranger at near midnight? There were so many stupid decisions in this, but it was riveting at the same time. There was a lot of drinking and drugs and partying going on that made me want to smack my head--a lot of times, Kiri ended up being stoned in important scenes. The ending was just so awkward and I honestly didn't get it and I felt like there were a ton of questions left unanswered and there were so many abrupt scenes that just ended.

Wild Awake is a gritty book that made my heart race and mouth drop open in shock. But it was also one that made me want to hit something and just shake my head in pity. Wild Awake was unbelievable, in one word. Good or bad, I can't say. Though I'm almost 75% sure it's good.

Pages: 400
Genre: Mature/Contemporary
Series: Stand alone
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Release Date: May 28, 2013
Rating: UNKOWN

Uses for Boys by Erica Lorraine Scheidt

Goodreads Blurb

Anna remembers a time before boys, when she was little and everything made sense. When she and her mom were a family, just the two of them against the world. But now her mom is gone most of the time, chasing the next marriage, bringing home the next stepfather. Anna is left on her own—until she discovers that she can make boys her family. From Desmond to Joey, Todd to Sam, Anna learns that if you give boys what they want, you can get what you need. But the price is high—the other kids make fun of her; the girls call her a slut. Anna's new friend, Toy, seems to have found a way around the loneliness, but Toy has her own secrets that even Anna can't know.
Then comes Sam. When Anna actually meets a boy who is more than just useful, whose family eats dinner together, laughs, and tells stories, the truth about love becomes clear. And she finally learns how it feels to have something to lose—and something to offer. 

I went into this having no expectations whatsoever, so imagine my shock when it turned out to be an amazing novel that I ended up loving!

My only complaint was that this...was...graphic. Incredibly so at times. And for a YA book...that was just, a bit too much. Other than that, I don't really have any other negative feelings besides that at times it was slow.

In the beginning, you see how Anna was slowly broken down, without even knowing it. She didn't know what was different, what was wrong, not consciously at least. She was...a complicated character that while I couldn't really connect with her, I could understand her. And she really...she really was broken and she couldn't see it. It just...hurt in a way that can't be explained, but I sympathized with her, deeply so. She wasn't solving her problems in any way by doing what she did, and honestly that was a little annoying, but it was her way to cope. She just didn't learn any different.

The writing in this was completely beautiful and it was just stunning. The way this story unfolds is definitely like poetry (but no, it's not in those weird literal poetry form paragraphs!) and I just fell in love with the story. It was emotional in a way that it doesn't make you cry, but it makes you think about your place in your family and in society itself.

Sam, honestly, wasn't very important until 5/6 into the book, near the end. So what we read is really Anna's path towards the person she's wanted to be and the family she's always wanted. Sam was just there to push her on her way, and that wasn't necessary till the end. So no, this isn't really a love story at all, is it?

Honestly, if you're looking for a light fluff, this seriously isn't the book for you. This is a brutally honest book that will make you not only look at the world differently, but yourself. I think I'd recommend this for fans of 13 Reasons Why and even for those who didn't really love it (like I did...)

Pages: 240

Genre: Contemporary/Mature YA

Series: Stand alone

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Release Date: January 15, 2013

Rating: 3.5-->4 stars

Blog Tour: Tidal by Emily Snow

Goodreads Blurb

Now that Willow Avery is out of rehab, she's got one chance left to prove herself before she’s officially on every producer’s shit list. At least, that's what her parents and agent are claiming. She doesn't really give a damn if she never makes another movie or not—she just wants to get on with her life, get back to her friends, and find her next escape. But Willow is broke. And whether she likes it or not, acting is the only job she knows how to do.

When she accepts the lead in a beach drama, Willow finds herself in Hawaii. And in Hawaii, she finds Cooper, the gorgeous surfer hired to train her for her new role. With the bluest eyes she’s ever seen and the sexiest Australian accent she’s ever heard, Cooper’s different from the men she’s used to. He doesn’t want to use her. And he refuses to let her fail. But when an old friend re-enters Willow’s life—a friend whose toxicity she’s been drawn to time and time before and whose presence brings about the painful memories she's tried so hard to suppress—Willow will have to choose between the girl she was and the person she’s becoming. The lifestyle that helps her forget the pain and the guy she’s falling hard for.

Tidal, Tidal, Tidal. I first want to say that when starting this, I had no idea that it was a New Adult book. I probably should've suspected it, given the summary, but I didn't. So I was definitely surprised when some pretty...steamy sections popped up! Like, really. (Cue awkward cough)

I actually really enjoyed this contemporary though! In all it's fluffy and cheesiness. It was a fun read that I think I would've actually liked more if I read it during the summer, but without a doubt this was a great book! As a girl who loves chick flicks I absolutely adored this! As a reviewer and blogger, I didn't adore it, but I did enjoy it to a certain extent. So I would definitely recommend this for anyone who wants a break from the paranormal and hardcore contemporaries!

What I didn't like though was that the main point, the romance, wasn't very well developed and they seemed to fall in love (or rather, lust) at first sight. And that's when I really rolled my eyes. And the plot twist really wasn't surprising. Instead of the huge "OHEMGEE" it was more of a "Mhmm". But then, in these types of books not many people really care, do they?

I honestly think that anyone who goes on Wattpad (if you know it, you know it) will absolutely love this as well as any fans of Beautiful Disaster maybe? With a less dysfunctional relationship! It was written well, and I had tons of laughs and giggles reading this! Though, my advice--wait till summer maybe?

Author Bio

I'm the 26-year-old author of the forthcoming DEVOURED series (2012, 2013) and TIDAL (2012). I love books, sexy bad boys, and really loud rock music, so naturally, I write stories about all three.

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Bone Dressing by Michelle I. Brooks

Goodreads Blurb

Time is running out & the Dark that's been chasing Syd for many lifetimes has finally caught up with her.

Sydney Roberdeau lost her parents as a young girl. Waiting for her life to start and the freedom that will come with her eighteenth birthday, Syd spends much of her time haunting the local cemetery. It is there, stretched out among the dead, that she feels most alive, most at home. Until one rainy night when Beau, Sarah and T.J. crash her ghostly sanctuary, appearing out of nowhere, turning her already inside-out world one degree past upside down.

Syd must now revisit past lives, dressing in the bodies of her previous selves & bone dressing. Her only chance to outrun the evil breathing down her neck is to face her own worst nightmares and her strongest desires. But if she can't stay out of trouble in this life, how can she possibly fix mistakes from past lives? And just how many lives has she lived, loved and lost? What is Syd exactly, and what will she risk for the life of a man she doesn't remember, the man she spent a lifetime with, the man she loves? Everything including her very own life?

Bone Dressing, the first in a series of seven books, will carry Syd and Beau on an adventure that transcends life itself.

Okay, when a bloggy friend of mine recommends a book, I WILL read it! So when Shreya (Chocolate Coated Reviews) recommended this, I absolutely HAD to read it! The premise sounds interesting and dark and the cover had that creepy vibe to it...
but sadly, Bone Dressing just wasn't for me.

I'm not sure why, but I've actually been in a reading slump, so that may have something to do with this, but the things that I had a problem with was mainly the writing part. There were so many metaphors and while I'm not saying that's necessarily BAD, the metaphors were played on for an entire paragraph and after a while, it kind of got irritating. There were also a lot of description that was just too much sometimes and too little in other cases. It was kind of choppy in a few places, but that can be forgiven! Near the end, I also got a bit confused as to where the plot was going, but then again, that COULD be my fault lol.

Another thing was actually the romance. It was pretty insta-lovey in the beginning (even SYD realizes it!) and that kind of bothered me since they met in a graveyard, and not 4 chapters in she was confessing love.And that...that just really didn't seem right at the time. Later though? Sort of. i'm still trying to figure out that Jesse/Beau part!

What I DID love though, was Syd's sarcasm and how much voice there was! Syd was just a laugh out loud kind of character who just infected you with her emotions, positive or negative. And she was so, so, SO snarky and sarcastic! I absolutely loved it! She had these perfect responses and was so tough! she rarely backed down from anything and while her stubborness was a bit annoying at first, it quickly became endearing and something we'd fall in love with. 

The world-building...wasn't very thorough either. I had no idea where these powers came from, the history behind it, what Sarah an Beau really did, and how they knew about their destiny. It was just a lot of things thrown in in my opinion, so I think that the world-building could use a little work and have more xplanation as to why Syd could do this, why Beau knew that, why Sarah was SO DANG SMART.

Plot wise...I actually enjoyed it, but there was really no sign of the antagonist until the last 100 pages or so, and it felt like the book should've been a bit longer. But considering there are 7 books in this series, I can't really blame her! I just would've liked it to have a bit more current action and a lot less remembering-the-past. 

So while there were many great reviews for this, Bone Dressing just wasn't my type of book and I think I'll give it another chance one day, but we'll see. While the book had a lot of things going for it, I think it just needed an editor and would've been a great book that would've blown me away! But currently, I just didn't like it very much, I'm afraid.

Pages: 360
Series: Bone Dressing #1
Genre: Dark YA/Romance
Publisher: Savaage Enterprises
Release Date: April 20, 2011
Rating: 1.5 ---->  stars