Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

Burn for Burn
by Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian

Wow. This is a pretty intense read. I mean...when I got done with the book, I sort of stared at it for a little while, digesting what I had just finished. The ending of this book is a head-rush of drama, action, mystery and terror; questions are answered but more are raised. While I think this particular book could have been wrapped up if it had just been a little longer, it seems like there are going to be more, turning it into a series. I don’t know if I’ll read them or not.

While Burn for Burn held my attention thanks to the engaging writing style of the authors, I wasn’t exactly in love with the story. I don’t think revenge is ever a good way to handle being hurt by others, since it usually brings you down to their level or even lower. I was glad to see that the characters seeking revenge sometimes felt guilty or the acts of revenge didn’t go entirely as they had planned. It helped make the story realistic, and it showed that revenge might not actually be the best way to handle horrible things that happen to you.

Out of the three main girls, I think Kat is probably my favorite. She’s very rough around the edges, but she has a soft side too, even though she doesn't really acknowledge it. I didn’t really understand what was going on with Mary…I’m not going to say much about what happens so I can avoid spoilers, but there are certain events surrounding Mary that are strange and paranormal-ish. I really wish the authors had gone into more detail or explanation about the things that occur around Mary; it was just a little frustrating to not be given many hints. But since there are probably going to be more books in the series judging by the ending, I’m guessing we’ll hear more about that later.

The story has good pacing and the alternating POVs are handled expertly, but I didn't really connect with Burn for Burn. I just couldn’t get into the idea of taking revenge to levels where real damage is done. However, some people may really enjoy this well-written tale of revenge, scheming and consequences.

Thank you to NetGalley.com and Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for letting me read the ARC for this book. 

My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century by Rachel Harris

Lively and funny, My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century is a pick-me-up read for anyone who is feeling a little blue or like they’ve been reading too many murder mysteries or dystopians. It’s the story of soon-to-be-sixteen-year-old Hollywood teen, Caterina Crawford. She is plagued by the reputations of her famous parents, her over-friendly stepmother who wants to throw her an undesired mega MTV Super Sweet Sixteen party, and her own need to control everything around her. As a treat for Cat, she, her dad and her stepmom-to-be go to Italy, where Cat’s mother’s family is originally from. Cat goes off to soak up the sights of Italy on her own, enters in a gypsy’s tent on a whim and then finds herself in 16th century Italy in full Renaissance garb. At first Cat is excited about the spell but soon she learns that it’s not as temporary as she thought. Which is totally not cool when you have no idea how to get home. Cat learns valuable life lessons in friendship, family and love as she navigates the 16th century.

This is a very cute, light story but it also has deeper messages that some teens will really be able to relate to. Cat is dealing with an absent mother and a father whose is now dividing his attention between her and his fiancé; Cat also wants nothing to do with her stepmom-to-be and wants to go back to being just her and her dad. Universal themes such as family and freedom can be found in this book, but Harris resists being pedantic or dull with great success. Cat is a very good main character, easy to enjoy and be sympathetic toward, and I think she reacts to her problems and the situation in a realistic manner. The rest of the cast of characters are somewhat predictable, but I like all of them, besides creepy Niccolo. But that’s what Niccolo is there for: the ick factor. I wish we could have gotten to see more of Cipriano, since I think he is interesting with his double nature: standoffish to strangers but warm and open with friends. The settings were wonderfully described, and Harris uses all of the five senses to bring the Renaissance alive for the reader.

This is an awesome light read where you can let your mind go and enjoy the antics of modern-day Cat in Renaissance Italy. It offers tidbits of historical culture, clothing and cuisine, so I think it’s great for teenage girls who have a fascination with the Renaissance Period as well as anyone who wants to pick up an enjoyable, quick book.

Thank you to NetGalley.com and Entangled Publishing for letting me read the ARC of this book!

Story Time: Aaargh, Here be Pirates!

And pirate books! I love pirates, so when I was reminded that International Talk Like a Pirate Day is this Wednesday, I knew I had to do a story time in preparation. What kind of story time lady would I be if I didn’t keep the children informed of important cultural events?! So I dressed up like a pirate, grabbed the plastic treasure chest from the back room, piled it full of literary treasure and had a pirate-themed story time!

Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan

“Noo! It couldn’t just end! NO!” This incredulous exclamation, followed by a lot of hopeful scrolling, was what happened immediately after I finished Unspoken. It was a great read, and I truly, TRULY wanted it to continue. The end of the novel is a fantastic cliffhanger, but I cannot wait until the next book in the series comes out. I must say this: one should think twice before moving to a place called Sorry-in-the-Vale!

Unspoken revolves around Kami Glass, a curiosity-driven teen with ambitions to be an investigative newspaper reporter, who has lived in Sorry-in-the-Vale her whole life but has never truly fit into the town. She’s something of an oddball to the other inhabitants thanks to her Japanese ancestry and the fact that she’s had an imaginary friend, a boy named Jared, her entire life. Sorry-in-the-Vale becomes a much darker and stranger place as the mysterious and intimidating Lynburn family moves back into town. Before they all left, the Lynburns were the leading family in the town, the wealthiest and the most powerful...in more ways than one. There are two younger Lynburns: polite, chivalrous Ash and shadowed, sharp Jared. Yes. That Jared. It turns out that Kami’s imaginary friend isn’t so ephemeral after all, and he’s just as surprised to see that she exists outside his head as she is to realize he’s in-the-flesh real. Once the Lynburns return, dark secrets begin to bubble up from beneath the town’s surface, and murder and magic create a twisted mystery that Kami feels a deep need to uncover.

On a purely aesthetic note, the cover of this book snagged me before anything else. It’s simple, elegant and intriguing, and judging by my reaction to it, it has the potential to make readers want to snatch it off the shelf. Plus, I totally love the type font they used and the colors go so well together. Awesome job, cover designer! Huzzah!

Unspoken is one of those books that grabbed my attention and demanded that I read it, even when I was already reading other books. I stayed up super late reading it more than once, and even though some parts of the book seriously creeped me out, I just couldn’t put it down. The characters were fantastic, the storyline was captivating, and oh my gosh, magical forests of awesome! Plus, it's funny. I know, murder, death and gore don't always go along with funny, but in this instance, it works, mainly because most of the humor is in the witty dialogue. Some of it literally had me giggling and reading it outloud to my co-workers and friends, who had no idea what was going on...but it made me laugh!

As for the characters, I am seriously attached to them. Kami in particular is a great character; I think she's realistic, clever, insanely curious, a little selfish (in a good, character-flaw way!), confused and delightfully human. Jared is an awesome male lead; personally, he isn’t my pick for boyfriend of the year because of his internal angst and possessiveness, but I love his attitude and his personality. Most of the other characters seem well-rounded as well, and I liked that everyone seems to have faults; gotta love the characters who aren’t the epitome of perfection, they’re so much more interesting that way. There were just a couple character growth choices that I didn’t particularly like, but they didn’t ruin the book for me, and most people will probably be fine with those choices. I liked the flow of the story and Brennan’s good mix of dialogue and description. I’m very curious to know more about the magic in this book; it wasn't really explained except for the idea that it seems to be a nature-based kind of magic. I’d love to learn more about it in future books in the series. All in all, I really enjoyed this book, and I will impatiently wait for the next one to be published!

I received the ARC copy of Unspoken through NetGalley.com thanks to the publisher Random House Children's Books. Thank you!

Story Time Fridays: Apples are Amazing

Sorry that this one is late! There were a lot of unfortuante circumstances that led to the lateness, but it's all better now.

We're heading toward Fall, and perhaps I'm a tad over-excited about the cool weather that is bound to come in any day now. Right? Of course! And to celebrate the coming of Fall and all of its colder, crisper goodness, we had a story time today that was focused on apples. Which in hindsight probably was a funny jump from cookies the previous week...Balance! Life needs balance!