Review: The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

Published: Published May 2008 by Walker
Pages: 479 (11 hours 55 minutes)
Audio Performance: I don't think I would have read this book. The written dialogue is not one I
 could imagine well, and that would have been a shame because it is a wonderful story. I am very glad for this performance.
Part of a Series: Chaos Walking #1
Read For a Challenge: No
Recommended By: Forever Young Adult
Teaser: "Early one morning, just as the sun was rising, I heard a maiden call from the valley below. "Oh, don't deceive me. Oh, never leave me. How could you use a poor maiden so?""
In a sentence or so: In a world where Todd can hear everyone's thoughts, even his dog's, a sudden silence surprises him. A month before an integral birthday Todd's discovery turns his world upside down and he is now out running an army made of men he thought he knew.
*Rating: 9/10 (9.5 for the Audio version)
GoodReads Description:
Prentisstown isn't like other towns. Everyone can hear everyone else's thoughts in an overwhelming, never-ending stream of Noise. Just a month away from the birthday that will make him a man, Todd and his dog, Manchee -- whose thoughts Todd can hear too, whether he wants to or not -- stumble upon an area of complete silence. They find that in a town where privacy is impossible, something terrible has been hidden -- a secret so awful that Todd and Manchee must run for their lives.

But how do you escape when your pursuers can hear your every thought?
1. Type of story YA Dystopia/Fantasy (Free 1 point)
2.Consistency: Flawless. I am starting to fall in love with Mr. Ness (or at least his writing) because I don't even think about it when I'm reading. (1 point)
3. Flesh: Heart strings get plucked. Oh my, the passion I felt for the dog  is enough to tell you how powerfully these characters were written. Manchee! I love you, you are the best dog ever. Who doesn't wish they could talk to their dog? And Manchee thinks like a real dog: loyal, protective, easily distracted and a little simple ("Poo, Todd?"). Characters to hate, to fear, and to adore. (1 point)
4. Flow: Fast! There are very few slow scenes in this story. All action here, and when there isn't action you'll be anticipating the running because, you know, THEY ARE BEING CHASED BY AN ARMY! (1 point)
5. Character Growth: Todd is waiting for his thirteenth birthday to become a man, a tradition in his town, we all know though that age is just a number. On his journey Todd learns what being a man is, the tough choices of being a good man and many other lessons. This book is intense, and it is only the first part of a trilogy. (1 point)
6. A Point/ Purpose/ Journey: Todd is running away from an Army and towards truth and hope, hope against horrible odds. (1 point)
7. Witty Dialogue: The dialogue is indicative of Todd's up bringing. He didn't get to finish school because the schools were all abolished. I had the audiobook and was glad for it because I got to live in the emotions of characters instead of their dialogue. Of course there was a little wit, these characters are fully formed people, you'll care about them like they're your real friends. (1/2 point)
8. Love: Family love, inklings of love, learning about how people fall in love, grief of love lost, love in the caring of strangers, and the love you will feel these people. (1 point)
9. Evoke Realistic Images: The imagery was minimalist in the description but in a good way. It was just enough to spark the interest and let your own imagination run. I could see New World very clearly. (1 point)
10. Writing/Story telling: You know how I said I falling in love? This guy knows how to capture an audience. He will torture you in this story but you will never turn away. Very character driven (phonetically written to truly express the voice of Todd). (1/2 point)

Reread Worthy: Eff yeah!
Recommendation: Can you handle the pain? Well then this is don't miss. And if you have a hard time getting in the groove with grammatically loose books may I suggest the audio which will blow your mind, make you swoon and bring you to tears.
*Click Rating to see post about my 10 aspects of a great book.

Review: Ditched by Robin Mellom

Published: January 10th 2012, Disney-Hyperion
Pages: 288
Part of a Series: Stand Alone
Setting: Small town America
Read For a Challenge: 2012 Debut Author's Challenge
Recommended By: Allison at Reading Everywhere
Teaser: "You must be a scumbag too, Ian. You took me to prom and I ended up in a ditch!"
In a sentence or so: Justina is retracing a prom night gone awry by following the map on her dress: it's literally stained with bad memories.
*Rating: 9.5/10
GoodReads Description:
High school senior Justina Griffith was never the girl who dreamed of going to prom. Designer dresses and strappy heels? Not her thing. So she never expected her best friend, Ian Clark, to ask her.
Ian, who always passed her the baseball bat handle first.
Ian, who knew exactly when she needed red licorice.
Ian, who promised her the most amazing night at prom.
And then ditched her.
Now, as the sun rises over her small town, and with only the help of some opinionated ladies at the 7-Eleven, Justina must piece together — stain by stain on her thrift-store dress — exactly how she ended up dateless. A three-legged Chihuahua was involved. Along with a demolition derby-ready Cadillac. And there was that incident at the tattoo parlor. Plus the flying leap from Brian Sontag's moving car...


1. Type of story: YA Contemporary/Romance (Free 1 point)
2.Consistency: Flawless, so much so I didn't even think about it until writing this review. No chinks in the story, nothing that pulled me out. (1 point)
3. Flesh:This book wasn't trying to break any stereotypes. These are all characters we've loved before, friendly stoners, full of themselves popular people, great boy-next-door best-friend, etc. Then there is Justina, who narrates her way through the night sprinkling in bits of her reputation as "The girl at that party" a former make-out queen. All imaginable together and fun. (1 point)
4. Flow: Perfect for making me want more. I had to keep reading to find out how the story would all end. This story ebbs and flows, rushing to tell you some juicy bit then pausing as the main character analyzes and hesitates with the next truth of her prom night.  (1 point)
5. Character Growth: Justina starts off with a very assumptive nature and grows by connecting the truth of the night's events. (1 point)
6. A Point/ Purpose/ Journey: An oldie but goody: when you assume what do you make? (1 point)
7. Witty Dialogue: The dialogue was more straightforward. Each character's speech matching their archetype. There were a couple moments, though. (1/2 point)
8. Love: Oh Yeah.... Chicka, chick-aahhhh.Prom night could turn Justina's Boy-next-door BFF into her own professional boyfriend. But everything goes awry and she has to figure out how her plans failed so badly. (1 point)
9. Evoke Realistic Images: This book has a few black and white photos to assist, but they really just back the narrator as she recalls her night by recalling how she got each stain on her dress. This tie to her dress made the recounting very visual and easily imaginable. (1 point)
10. Writing/Story telling: Sometimes corny and totally predictable, but oh so sweet and irresistible. This story is like a Cinnabon, only better (healthier) for you. The writing is simple, minimalist, conversational, and un-distracting. (1 point)

Reread Worthy: Definitely, anytime I'm in need of losing myself in something sweet. This book isn't life changing, but it is perfect at being what it is: dessert. And who doesn't need something  nice, easy, and fun to bring us out of the dark every once in a while.
Recommendation: For fans of the movie She's All That, Never Been Kissed, or Grease; or the book You Are So Undead To Me, Princess Diaries, or Something, Maybe.
*Click Rating to see post about my 10 aspects of a great book.

Review: Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to NOT Reading by Tommy Greenwald

Published: July 5th 2011, Roaring Brook Press
Pages: 224 pages
Part of a Series: Recurring main character
Read For a Challenge: 2011 Debut Author's Challenge**
Teaser: "Reading can ruin friendships. The thing I noticed about reading is it can become a habit, a bad habit, like smoking or forgetting to put on deodorant...
In a sentence or so: The good, the bad, and the ugly of avoiding reading -- The result of getting caught, the impossibility of keeping it up, and the hilarity of the results.
*Rating: 9.5/10
GoodReads Description:

1. Type of story: MG, Humor -- with a male narrator! (Free 1 point)
2.Consistency: Very well executed. No slips in the timeline or erroneous details. I felt I was really listening to a pre-teen boy describe a year in his life. (1 point)
3. Flesh: Real Characters: great,caring family and mature best friend who is just what Charlie Joe needs (if only he would take her advice) (1 point)
4. Flow: A typical middle school environment and a believable middle grade narrator. It feels like a boy telling the story of his past year with the right amount of enthusiasm and detail for him. (1 point)
5. Character Growth: A little, reluctantly.. (1/2 point)
6. A Point/ Purpose/ Journey: The inescapable necessity, effect and power of the written word. (1 point)
7. Witty Dialogue: Opinionated, crafty, great friend, grateful of his friends and family, hilarious, supporting. (1 point)
8. Love: This is at the beginning age for romance so there isn't any serious couple time. BUT there is friendship and family and even school faculty that is full of genuine caring for and from this boy. (1 point)
9. Evoke Realistic Images: The setting is very much this modern day. There wasn't time spent on world building, instead this world was used and words were well spent on the characters. (1 point)
10. Writing/Story telling: Hilarious and age appropriate. The main character seemed real. AND, as I ironically listened to, instead of read, this story I must mention the performance was amazing. The narrator gave just the right inflection to Charlie Joe Jackson. He was believable as this kid, wonderfully unexpected. (1 point)

Reread Worthy: most definitely! I already started re-listening while writing this review.
Recommendation: EVERYONE. This is so funny and sweet. Great for anyone who loves books, anyone who has a child who doesn't, and any of those children who are mature enough to get the message about the power of words no matter how much you try to avoid them.
*Click Rating to see post about my 10 aspects of a great book.
***Full disclosure I am tipsy so.. if anything doesn't make sense... Happy New Year's Eve!***

Review: Hourglass by Myra McEntire

Can we say Cover Love?

This is my favorite cover of the year!

Published: April 2011, Egmont USA 
Pages: 390
Part of a Series: Hourglass #1
Read For a Challenge: 2011 Debut Author's Challenge**
Teaser: "Sighing , I stuck my hand through her stomach to turn the knob, meeting no resistance. I rolled my eyes as she gasped, fluttered her eyelashes, and disappeared in a puff of air."
In a sentence or so: Crazy or a time-traveling hero?
*Rating: 9/10
GoodReads Description:
One hour to rewrite the past . . .

For seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, life is about seeing what isn’t there: swooning Southern Belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents’ death, she just wants the apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She’s tried everything, but the visions keep coming back.

So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson’s willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future, it may change her past.
Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy, barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she says? Why does an electric charge seem to run through the room whenever he’s around? And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death that never should have happened?


1. Type of story: YA Paranormal/ Sci-fi (Free 1 point)
2.Consistency: Mostly. Though the reason Michael is introduced seems to be solved by his very presence, which is a little too convenient. (1/2 point)
3. Flesh: Connected through their gifts and destined to be close, Emerson is being driven crazy by Michael's insistence to be professional and her suspension of another woman vying for his attention. (1/2 point)
4. Flow: Hourglass was actually written to be a series! I could get excited about reading the series as opposed to feeling an obligation to finish what I've started. Anyhow, in the first half of Hourglass we learn all about Emerson and, to a lesser degree, Michael. The second half is superhero stuff and building an enemy who is charming an manipulative -- he has the power to gain minions and be a Nemesis that last. (1 point)
5. Character Growth: Emerson must go from thinking she is crazy, to accepting her visions as part of an amazing gift, and then build that gift into a power she can use to help others. (1 point)
6. A Point/ Purpose/ Journey: Getting through the grief of losing her parents, Emerson must decide to live again and accept her gift.  (1 point)
7. Witty Dialogue: In a defensive way. Emerson thinks he's crazy because of the things she sees and it makes her guarded. So to keep herself going she makes sharp quips and enjoys her surprising "ninja" skills by expressing small out bursts of  violence that are more amusing than hurtful. But when she opens up she knocks more people off their feet than martial arts ever could. (1 point)
8. Love: Two gorgeous young adults that literally make sparks when they come into contact (OK, that's kind of corny) star in this story. It is no wonder they can't keep apart. Em and Michael are as inseparable as time -- they flow together, it is the way they were made. (1 point)
9. Evoke Realistic Images: The story-telling is amazing. I feel like a by-stander to the journey. It's like being close enough to give a first hand account but enough in the background not to effect the outcome. (1 point)
10. Writing/Story telling: The writing was simplistic, leaving the focus, appropriately, on the characters. (1 point)

Reread Worthy: Yes. Not soon, but maybe when the series is finished and I want to read something I know is easily enjoyable.

Recommendation: Anyone who wants to believe in time travel.

*Click Rating to see post about my 10 aspects of a great book.

Review: Anna Dressed In Blood by Kendare Blake

Published: September 2011, Tor Teen
Pages: 316
Part of a Series: #1
Read For a Challenge: 2011 Debut Author's Challenge**
Teaser: "Smashing. You'll be just like those four chaps in the movie. You know the one, with the over sized marshmallow."
In a sentence or so: Cas kills dangerous ghosts, and Anna is a very dangerous ghost who has been killing anyone who enters her former abode for the past sixty years, but when they meet something is different. Cas's world turns upside down the night he doesn't kill Anna Dressed in Blood.
*Rating: 9.5/10 (-.5 point for potentially pointless sequel)
GoodReads Description:
Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.

So did his father before him, until he was gruesomely murdered by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father's mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.
When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn't expect anything outside of the ordinary: track, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he's never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, now stained red and dripping with blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.
But she, for whatever reason, spares Cas's life.

1. YA -- Fantasy/Paranormal, Horror (Free 1 point)
2.Consistency -- The mythology that built this world was encompassing, Anna was one bad B until she met Cas and is able to explore her new level of control growing and discovering along the same timeline as Cas's growth. (1 point)
3. Flesh -- The narration by Cas is amazing in this story, with his dark humor and inquisitive nature I can't think there could be a better character to lead the way through this story. Anna's snark collides with Cas's wit in a way that makes this story unforgettable. (1 point)
4. Flow --This was my most anticipated read this year and it definitely delivered. From beginning to end it was thrilling, enthralling, captivating. I was never bored with the pacing and I was satisfied at the end. (Even though this is growing into a series this volume was good enough to stand on its own.) (1 point)
5. Character Growth -- Cas grows to remember his father as a man; not an infallible being, and be truly grateful of the people that are in his present life. He has a great journey. (1 point)
6. A Point/ Purpose/ Journey -- This has all the elements of a great YA paranormal: supernatural beings and a strong set of mythologies; shocking appearances, dangers, and reveals; and all capped off with the classic coming of age -- finding self and first love. (1 point)
7. Witty Dialogue*** I was trapped by the first paragraph. Cas is witty, digging, in-your-face, and just everything I love in a narrator. (1 point)
8. Love -- The synopsis hints at the love story, and at first I was weary of a budding ghost-ghost killer star-crossed lover thing. I had no reason to worry. It turns out Anna and Cas are perfectly matched in maturity and personal development. Ms. Blake unfolds the relationship hesitantly and it paints a beautiful couple that fits the world she built. (1 point)
9. Evoke Realistic Images -- I got completely lost in this story. I wouldn't say the story is actually scary but it is creepy enough that when your in the middle of a scene you jump at any movement your peripheral vision catches. (1 point)
10. Writing/Story telling -- Right off the bat funny, witty, and strait-forward and darkness and gruesome murder -- no, for the killers. AND there are some great story drops, references to novels, myths, and movies.The kind of things that let you know the author is a bookish type and proud when you recognise the tales. (1 point)


Reread Worthy: Definitely, I loved it, but it was over so fast. It would be interesting to see if it stands the test of time.
Recommendation: Anyone who enjoys coming of age novels and isn't easily scared.

*Click Rating to see post about my 10 aspects of a great book.