Mortal Danger by Ann Aguirre

 

Revenge is a dish best served cold.

Edie Kramer has a score to settle with the beautiful people at Blackbriar Academy. Their cruelty drove her to the brink of despair, and four months ago, she couldn’t imagine being strong enough to face her senior year. But thanks to a Faustian compact with the enigmatic Kian, she has the power to make the bullies pay. She’s not supposed to think about Kian once the deal is done, but devastating pain burns behind his unearthly beauty, making him impossible to forget. 

In one short summer, her entire life changes, and she sweeps through Blackbriar, prepped to take the beautiful people down from the inside. A whisper here, a look there, and suddenly . . . bad things are happening. It’s a head rush, seeing her tormentors get what they deserve, but things that seem too good to be true usually are, and soon, the pranks and payback turn from delicious to deadly. Edie is alone in a world teeming with secrets and fiends lurking in the shadows. In this murky morass of devil’s bargains, she isn’t sure who—or what—she can trust. Not even her own mind . . .

Ruth's Journey by Donald McCaig

 

Authorized by the Margaret Mitchell Estate, here is the first-ever prequel to one of the most beloved and bestselling novels of all time,Gone with the Wind. The critically acclaimed author of Rhett Butler’s People magnificently recounts the life of Mammy, one of literature’s greatest supporting characters, from her days as a slave girl to the outbreak of the Civil War.

“Her story began with a miracle.” On the Caribbean island of Saint Domingue, an island consumed by the flames of revolution, a senseless attack leaves only one survivor—an infant girl. She falls into the hands of two French émigrés, Henri and Solange Fournier, who take the beautiful child they call Ruth to the bustling American city of Savannah.

What follows is the sweeping tale of Ruth’s life as shaped by her strong-willed mistress and other larger-than-life personalities she encounters in the South: Jehu Glen, a free black man with whom Ruth falls madly in love; the shabbily genteel family that first hires Ruth as Mammy; Solange’s daughter Ellen and the rough Irishman, Gerald O’Hara, whom Ellen chooses to marry; the Butler family of Charleston and their shocking connection to Mammy Ruth; and finally Scarlett O’Hara—the irrepressible Southern belle Mammy raises from birth. As we witness the difficult coming of age felt by three generations of women, gifted storyteller Donald McCaig reveals a portrait of Mammy that is both nuanced and poignant, at once a proud woman and a captive, and a strict disciplinarian who has never experienced freedom herself. But despite the cruelties of a world that has decreed her a slave, Mammy endures, a rock in the river of time. She loves with a ferocity that would astonish those around her if they knew it. And she holds tight even to those who have been lost in the ravages of her days.

Set against the backdrop of the South from the 1820s until the dawn of the Civil War, here is a remarkable story of fortitude, heartbreak, and indomitable will—and a tale that will forever illuminate your reading of Margaret Mitchell’s unforgettable classic, Gone with the Wind.

 

A Sudden Light by Garth Stein

 

When a boy tries to save his parents’ marriage, he uncovers a legacy of family secrets in a coming-of-age ghost story by the author of the internationally bestselling phenomenon, The Art of Racing in the Rain.

In the summer of 1990, fourteen-year-old Trevor Riddell gets his first glimpse of Riddell House. Built from the spoils of a massive timber fortune, the legendary family mansion is constructed of giant, whole trees, and is set on a huge estate overlooking Puget Sound. Trevor’s bankrupt parents have begun a trial separation, and his father, Jones Riddell, has brought Trevor to Riddell House with a goal: to join forces with his sister, Serena, dispatch Grandpa Samuel—who is flickering in and out of dementia—to a graduated living facility, sell off the house and property for development into “tract housing for millionaires,” divide up the profits, and live happily ever after.

But Trevor soon discovers there’s someone else living in Riddell House: a ghost with an agenda of his own. For while the land holds tremendous value, it is also burdened by the final wishes of the family patriarch, Elijah, who mandated it be allowed to return to untamed forestland as a penance for the millions of trees harvested over the decades by the Riddell Timber company. The ghost will not rest until Elijah’s wish is fulfilled, and Trevor’s willingness to face the past holds the key to his family’s future.

A Sudden Light is a rich, atmospheric work that is at once a multigenerational family saga, a historical novel, a ghost story, and the story of a contemporary family’s struggle to connect with each other. A tribute to the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest, it reflects Garth Stein’s outsized capacity for empathy and keen understanding of human motivation, and his rare ability to see the unseen: the universal threads that connect us all.

 

***Descriptions used from Netgalley

Stand-alone

Also known as: Pretty much every single YA dystopian/ARC I've ever read.

 

This is one of those lists where I really, really have to limit myself, or else my list would end up taking several weeks to write and list.

 

WHY? WHY DID THIS SERIES END SO BADLY? This series was the equivalent of hearing Yo Yo Ma, as he is eventually joined by the Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, accompanied by Nine Inch Nails. It was so unnecessarily complicated. The longer the series went on, the more confused I became, until the words on the page didn't even make sense. It started off as a somewhat more sophisticated version of children's fantasy. It ended off trying to be The Return of the King. I barely understood what I read.

 

DIS. FUCKING. BOOK. Cory knows what I'm talking about. Jack needs to be castrated without anesthetics. That fucking asshole. That misogynistic, abusive asshole. And quit it with your faux-Creole accent. That shit ain't accurate or cute. I'd call Evie a few names, too, but I'm trying to refrain from too much anger (it is a Friday night).

 

Also known as The Book That Shouldn't Be. Seriously, the Survivors series would have been so much better for me had this book never existed. I watched Jonny as he grew up from a little 12 year old, then in this latest installment, found out that the little boy I knew grew up into a asshole of a fucking sex offender. I wish I could erase this book from my memories. I don't know who I find more despicable, Jack or Jon.

 

Twilight. It was Twilight set in Ireland. Only it was fanfiction of Twilight, which makes it 1000000000x worse.

 

Need I say more?

 

Mary Sue of an MC and her sycophantic boyfriend. Bethany Church is an angel (literally). But she's the stupidest angel ever, sent to live on Earth to bring joy, goodness, and humanity to the dredges that is humanity. She falls in love with a human boy and naturally there's a love triangle when the Big Bad Boy from Hell falls in love with her too. Naturally, she resists all his Big Bad Temptations and maintains her Virtue. Fucking shove it.

 

To see full review click here: http://yalbookbriefs.blogspot.com/2012/11/heaven-alexandra-adornetto.htmlOh, dear lord. Let's just say I'm thankful that this is the last installment of this train wreck. I have lots to discuss and rant about so if you like positive and up beat reviews this is not the review for you.I will say this though, this will be my first and last positive thing to say about this installment besides the fact that it's over. This was an improvement to Hades. But how could it not be? That being said, let's get down to business.1. Bethany Church is still the most shallow and undeveloped character ever:I'm not joking. There is no character development here. The character never really accepts the fact that she's a screw up and she still gets everything she wants. Not to mention she's a total self insert character for Adornetto. You know what, I really don't understand how anyone is suppose to identify with this character let alone like her. She is so self centered, so self involved it's ridiculous. In the first chapter of the book she kills a guy. Indirectly. But still she kills him and does she feel no remorse...no. Rather, she acts like this is all a big mistake on her part.Look, she knew the consequences of marrying a human. It's been talked about time after time that her relationship with Xavier was dangerous. Why did she think marrying him was a good idea? It just doesn't make sense. In fact, in the human world if you indirectly caused the death of another in the course of another crime (and marrying a human is a crime in Bethany's world) you could potentially be charged with felony murder which in Texas at least could get you the death penalty. Furthermore, Father Mel isn't even the only person she kills or injures. Or for that matter there's that crappy ending where she doesn't think of her heavenly duty and....well, I just want to see her chatting with God when she dies. I bet that's going to be nice (evil laughs). Honestly, I really think this series would've been better had Bethany become a fallen angel and repented. Maybe came to realize that, hey, I'm not the only person that matters. And try to make due with her new realty with no help from her super powerful friends.2. Adorentto has never heard of the term pacing:This book pacing is whacked. The beginning takes place in a cabin. And although, the reader gets a sense that Bethie and Xavier were only in the cabin for a few days. They were there for months. Likewise, when they go to school. The reader only feels like they were there for a few days and months have really gone by (despite the fact that the first football game just happened when they left school, that just really doesn't make sense). This really would've been a pretty easy fix on Adornetto's part. Just have some transitions showing that time has passed and if she wouldn't have contradict herself every other page.3. Adornetto has no idea of how college life is for the general masses:Having attended college recently and attending law school right now, I can tell you that Adornetto does not give a realistic portrayal of how college in in the US. Which is weird considering the fact that she's a college student.College, for of you who are ill informed, is not about partying or football. It's about getting your degree so that you can become a support yourself. Sure, sororities, parties, and football might play a role in campus life. But that isn't the reason one goes to college. Furthermore, mentioning that one is only there for a Mrs. Degree is stupid and archaic. Plus, most college students I know can't afford an interior decorator or Lexis.4. When writing about abusive relationships. It is not wise to rely on Lifetime as your primary research source:Abusive relationships are complex things. Dumbing them down, making them one dimensional, and essentially blaming the victim isn't going to make the storyline realistic or compelling. Furthermore, adding in a almost as stereotypical religious cult isn't going to help matters either. Or for that matter, not giving this subplot any proper resolution. The point is, if you're going to do a subplot involving serious subject matter like domestic violence, do your homework. And please for the love of love don't victim bash. I really do feel for the character, Molly, in this book. She gets the brunt of Adornetto's hate. She's always judged poorly just because...well, she's not Bethany. And her relationship with Gabriel is made trivial and condoned by Bethany when really, well, Bethany has just about as much to say about her relationship with Xavier.5. When deciding to incorporate Christianity into your novel it might be wise to actually check Wikipedia so that you don't totally bastardize the religion:Oh, deary me. The lack of research that went on here concerning the Christian religion is pretty bad. Even some things that are pretty simple, like Catholic marriage are mishandled. Fact, the Catholic Church requires anyone who wants to be married in the church to take a marriage class. Furthermore, it would've been impossible for these two dingbats to get married in the first place considering that most states require both parties to be there to get a valid marriage license. Grant it, there are some exceptions. But Bethie and Xavier meet none of those. 6. Being continuity is important. You can't change your mind halfway through the story and expect readers to go with it.There were constant problems when it came to continuity with this book. It wasn't just that details in the past book were fluffed over, but details in this book were forgotten mere moments after being mentioned. For example, Gabriel loses his wings in this book and is supposedly Earth bond for several-hundreds of years-but he visits Bethany in heaven. Furthermore, there are irrelevant plot twists that have no purpose. Like, Xavier being a halfing (a.k.a. Captain Planet). The point is, with these little inconstancies and irrelevant plot twists the novel almost felt like a first draft rather than the final version.7. Just because you tell us your characters are star-crossed lovers doesn't mean they are.Xavier and Bethany are suppose to be soul mates. We are told this all the time. But quite honestly, I don't see it. While Bethany can go on about his bottomless blue eyes and nut colored hair that doesn't mean anything. It's their interactions that should show their love. And I guess, there's a sad attempt to do this when the two of them are stuck in a cabin together for months, but the dialogue comes off very forced. And quite honestly, I think Xavier got annoyed at Bethany. Case in point, the baby name scene.8. Don't make your characters a supernatural creature unless they can actually do something.I really don't know what the point was having Bethany be a supernatural creature. She doesn't do anything. Yes, she has wings and that makes her love to Xavier forbidden. But other than that, she does nothing. She can't even defend herself against the Sevens. While Xavier can because he's.....9. Telling your readers that a character is manly doesn't make a character manly. In the previous books Adornetto used excessive nut similes. In this installment she decided to do something different, making sure that the reader knows just how manly Xavier is. Um, no. That doesn't work. In fact, I often thought Adornetto did this to reassure her characters that Xavier was a man. Weird I know, considering he's a fictional character but....Furthermore, what was with all of the evil male characters in this book being described as effeminate. Seriously? Manly men can be evil too, you know. And it also has me wondering....no, I'm not going to go there.10. Excessive descriptions are not your friends.The purple prose is horrid. I really wonder how Adornetto is fairing in school especially if she's a Creative Writing major. I remember that these sort of descriptions were frowned upon in workshop, i.e. descriptions that made no sense. For example, can you taste sunshine? I can't but there are several awful descriptions that state things about how people taste like sunshine. Also there are some weird similes and descriptions used during sex. Take it for what it's worth.Best Feature: It's over. I really think this is it. She could quite possibly make another book, a companion to this turd of a book in Gabriel or Molly's POV but I doubt it since her self insert character wouldn't be the star of the show. Plus, Bethie and Xavier are living bland and happily ever after. Though I do wonder what will happen to Bethie after she....oh, who cares.Worst Feature: I don't know? Really, I don't. The whole book is a train wreck. If I had to pinpoint the one thing that bothered me about this installment. I'd probably say the lack of continuity. Because it showed just how much disrespect Adornetto and Feiwel and Friends had for their readers. Look, I get that the publishing industry is a very time oriented industry. But would it really take that long to copy edit this book? I was merely skimming a good chunk of this one and I was able to pick up on numerous continuity mistakes. These sort of things shouldn't be happening. She has an entire team of people to back her and it's not like this is her first book to be published. Furthermore, a lot of the mistakes I saw were very easy to spot. There's really no excuse. None at all.Appropriateness: Um, no. There is some cussing here, some violence, oh and there's even some sex. Weird sex. Not like Fifty Shades of Grey weird but really bad use of metaphors sex. Oh, and they don't use protection and claim they don't need to. Which really makes no sense to anyone who actually paid attention to sex ed. However, the worst thing about this book is the way it objectifies relationships, women, and people whose don't have WASP beliefs. Look, I get it. I was hoping that by this point in her writing career and life Adornetto would realize some things about the real world. However, three years is not enough for the girl to realize that: 1) Codependent relationships are not healthy, 2) A wife is not a man's responsibility when she gets married she's still an individual who is just in a relationship with another human being, and 3) Just because a person's beliefs are different than yours that doesn't mean they're going to hell.