Romance – Page 17 – My Good Reads

‘Shadow Kiss’ – Richelle Mead

Shadow Kiss

Third in the series, we begin the novel seeing the impact that Mason’s death has had on Rose and her peers. Everyone seemed to have lost their way, but with the Strigoi attacking in ways that nobody has seen before it was evident that something unusual would have to happen.

Watching Rose suffer the guilt she feels at surviving the attack was uncomfortable reading. Her flashbacks and visions suggests dark times are ahead. The only ‘fun’ that was apparent in this part of the series was the moments describing the field experience, where Rose is placed in charge of keeping Christian safe. There were some genuine laugh-out-loud moments here.

Of course, I was keen to see what would come of Rose’s crush on Dimitri. We already know that they fancy each other, but Dimitri is determined to show control and do the right thing. All I can say is I spent most of the novel hoping he would change his mind!

A number of characters were introduced, and it was interesting to see Rose’s relationship with her mother develop. While I understand the necessity of what happens towards the end of the novel, it did not make me happy…at all!

Part of me feels that as an adult I should know better than to get so caught up in a series such as this. However, it was a belter of a novel and Mead certainly delivers plenty to keep you interested and make you want to keep reading.

‘Misty Falls’ – Joss Stirling

Misty Falls

I chose to read this as part of a Reading Challenge, and didn’t realise that it was part of a series. I feel I may have been more invested in some of the characters if I’d read the earlier books, but it does still work as a stand-alone novel.

As a Savant, Misty is incapable of lying. This, inevitably, causes some issues – but her biggest problem at the start of the novel is the revelation that a serial killer is hunting down young Savants and murdering them.

There’s the somewhat inevitable romance between Misty and Alex, though his appearance is important for what comes later.

During the story I definitely felt that certain events were overly manipulated, but I think this would appeal to younger teenage readers.

‘A Step Toward Falling’ – Cammie McGovern

A Step Toward Falling

Published in October 2015, thanks to NetGalley for the digital copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

When Emily is at one of her school football games she sees someone being attacked and does nothing. Convincing herself that Lucas, one of the football team who comes onto the scene just after her, will do the right thing and call the police she leaves. Neither student says anything, and it is down to Belinda – a student with a learning disability – to save herself.

As a consequence for Emily and Lucas’s lack of action they are instructed to volunteer in a class for students with learning disabilities. Not that this really does anything to help Belinda deal with what happened to her, but it allows the writer to get her message across that we need to look beneath the surface of people and see what they’re really like rather than judge them on appearance/reputation.

Initially, it looked like the focus would be on the attack and its consequences but the writer seemed to skirt around this issue. It was never explicitly discussed and it seemed to be more of a device to get Emily and Lucas – who would never have ended up in the same room – together. For this reason I wonder if it was necessary.

We jump viewpoints and this is a little confusing at first, but it does allow us a clear insight into the minds of Emily and Belinda. Though their lives are very different, we come to see how similar they are.

The story itself is quite slow. There’s not a great plot here, but it is a thoughtful attempt to encourage people to consider others and how we often miss out on opportunities due to our tendency to prejudge others. Unfortunately, it all felt too earnest to really make me want to tell others to read it.

‘Eligible’ – Curtis Sittenfeld

Eligible

I love the satire of ‘Pride and Prejudice’ and I suppose that means I’m slightly more open to it being updated. In this fourth in the series of Jane Austen updates Sittenfeld gets to play with a great cast of characters.

The whole point of these characters is that we’re not meant to find them particularly appealing, but I find that intriguing. On the whole I think Sittenfeld is successful in transplanting the Bennets et al into modern American society. Bingley is now Chip, a reality TV star/doctor, and Darcy is a brain surgeon. The Bennets are a family obsessed with appearance, but Mrs Bennet has a shopping addiction and Mr Bennet is in denial about the state of the family fortune and his ailing health. Their relationships are fairly true to the original, while having the updates needed to reflect our modern obsessions/concerns.

Personally, from the first pages I was giggling away and laughing out loud on occasion. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

‘Frostbite’ – Richelle Mead

The second in the Vampire Academy series, I think this is one of those novels that you’ll either love or hate.

In some ways it reminded me of the House of Night series by P.C. and Kristin Cast. You have a tightly-knit group of students struggling to get on with their peers, a rather strong-minded female ‘leader’ and more than one or two males that she is interested in, vampires and problems with those in authority.

Ignoring the obvious similarities with other YA novels I have to say that I found the first in the series quite entertaining.

‘Frostbite’ picks up quite soon after the events of the first novel. Rose is still struggling to deal with her feelings for Dimitri, and she remains worried about Lissa. There are some nasty attacks by Strigori and the Moroi are worried – but nobody is quite sure what the best course of action will be.

Rose spends a large amount of the book sulking and being a bit of a bratty teenager. She resents her mother and the focus she has shown for her work. She dilsikes the fact that Dimitri seems immune to her charms and is talking about getting close to someone else. She is jealous of the closeness between Lissa and Christian, and she spends far too much time toying with the emotions of those around her.

However, once Rose gets to actually do something she is much more appealing. Not an awful lot actually happens in this novel, but there is a very real sense of lots of small pieces of a puzzle being put in place ready for what comes later. Rose gets the opportunity to show her potential towards the end of the novel, and you start to get a sense of how she will grow and develop over the course of the series. It also helped that Dimitri admitted to having feelings for her (which would definitely keep the majority of teen readers happy).

‘The Selection’ – Kiera Cass

Originally published in 2012, ‘The Selection’ is the first in a series that has been amazingly popular. I’ve steered clear for reasons I’m a little embarrassed to admit – the pictures of frilly dresses on the cover and the focus on romance just haven’t appealed to me. Needing a book to fulfil the requirements of a reading challenge meant I decided to pick up this ARC from NetGalley that had been languishing on my Kindle and see what all the fuss was about.

The premise is straightforward. In America of the future – now named Illea – society is divided into eight castes. The Selection is, for want of a better word, a game-show where thirty-five chosen girls compete to win the love of Prince Maxon. Slowly the numbers are whittled down, until the new queen is chosen.

Our heroine, America Singer, comes from Five so she is used to being hungry and feeling out of place. She is in love with Aspen, a family friend, but he convinces her to sign up for the Selection as he’s embarrassed at not being able to provide for her. Make no mistake, we’re in very familiar territory here, and there’s a lot of similarities with a number of popular YA novels of recent years.

Though the idea behind the novel is drawn straight from some awful reality dating show, Cass portrays the girls and their shifting relationships so well. America is a likeable character, and Prince Maxon was a lot more interesting than he first appeared. Watching their relationship develop provided plenty of amusing moments, and it was interesting to watch the process at play. I’m keen to know what role the rebels will play in the rest of the story, and I think there’s an interesting story behind the queen. Much as I was rooting for the romance, I liked the reappearance of Aspen – who I felt should have just got over his pride – and wonder what that will come to signify for America.

Reading this was akin to the experience of eating Haagen-Daazs ice-cream…you know it’s not a healthy treat, thoroughly enjoy it while you’re in the moment and then hope nobody notices what you’ve done! I’m going to have to read the rest of the series to satisfy my curiosity about what happens next.

‘Matched’ – Ally Condie

In this series we see a society where everything is organised for you in an attempt to keep things effective. What you eat, where you live and work, who you marry and even when you die is organised for you. While this brings security, for me it felt claustrophobic and intensely stifling.

The majority of people who live around Cassia and her family accept these interventions in their lives without question. Some cannot reconcile themselves to a world without choice, but for our narrator this realisation is a long time coming!

Cassia has always been someone who follows the rules. She does what she is supposed to and doesn’t question the things that don’t feel quite right. Cassia has known Xander a long time, and they are good friends, so she is pleased when they are Matched (yes, they even sort your relationships for you). However, she then sees a brief glimpse of a second face – another person she knows – and this rouses her curiosity. Who is to say which of the two would be the better match? Why can’t she decide for herself?

What follows was a rather typical story of someone questioning the status quo. Cassia wants to rebel, but is worried about breaking out from the confines she lives within. The love triangle doesn’t really bother anyone, since Cassia can’t make her mind up what she wants for the majority of the novel. It felt like events were rather dragged out on occasion. I would have liked to know more of the past and how this society came into being.

It’s not that I didn’t enjoy the book, but I felt it could have been a lot more powerful.

‘Vampire Academy’ series – Richelle Mead

Vampire Academy #1

This is the first in a series of six books. I’m a sucker for a vampire story (Dracula has a lot to answer for), and I was curious to see whether this lived up to the hype.

In this first novel we are introduced to the Moroi vampire princess, Lissa, and her dhampir half-vampire friend, Rose. They have been on the run from the Vampire Academy, convinced their lives are in danger. Early on in the novel the girls are found and returned to the Academy to continue their studies.

From the start, the bond between these two is clear. Rose certainly has plenty of attitude, but she acts with good intentions and you can’t help but feel respect for her determination to protect her friend. Lissa irritated me as she is suffering, and shuts people out – with disastrous consequences.

Inevitably – oh, I’m so predictable – I developed something of a book crush on Dimitri, the guardian put in charge of training Rose. If you read it, you’ll understand why.

While this is a curious mix of more traditional vampire elements and modern high-school story, it works and certainly ends on a high note.

‘Since You’ve Been Gone’ – Morgan Matson

Being a teenager can be awkward at times, particularly so when you’re best friends with someone who just seems to sail through life with no problems. That, at least, is how Emily feels prior to the summer that this novel is set.

We don’t get answers to this particular mystery until very near the end of the novel, but at the start of the summer Sloane, Emily’s best friend, has disappeared. Her family home is empty and nobody has any idea where she has gone. All Emily is left with is a letter, comprising a list of thirteen things that Sloane asks Emily to complete before finding her.

Rather than asking people what has happened to Sloane, Emily takes it upon herself to keep quiet about everything and try to work her way through the list of challenges. Some are harder than others – but they all push Emily’s boundaries in some way, forcing her to confront her fears and develop her own sense of self.

Along the way, Emily learns quite a lot about herself and her best friend. She also finds new friends, and the somewhat inevitable romance. While this didn’t really have me full of awe, it was a pleasant enough read and I can imagine it striking a chord with more than one or two readers.

‘The Next Together’ – Lauren James

The moment I saw the cover I knew this would be heavy on the romance (which is not a genre I’m overly fond of), but once I’d read the blurb I couldn’t wait to get started!

Katherine and Matthew are born over and over again. Each time they are born, they meet and fall in love. Something momentous takes place around them, and they die. Until the next time.

While Matthew and Katherine seem to have vague recollections of their shared histories, we are treated to seeing them interact in four very different periods in time. In 1745, they are involved in the Carlisle Uprising. In 1845, Matthew is a journalist sent to report on the conditions the soldiers fighting in the Crimea are experiencing. In 2019 – our closest future – they are scientists accused of terrorism and trying to manufacture a biological weapon. In 2039, they are lab partners who stumble across a link between themselves and them in the past (try not to think too much about the logistics) and they end up on the run.

Curiously, there is a very real sense of the characters being slightly different each time and this brought each period to life in a way that was fascinating. For me, the real pull was the little excerpts of what look like coding interspersed throughout the text which heavily suggest that someone/something is actually directly in charge of these characters’ experiences. The idea that they are being manipulated for some other purpose is intriguing, and there are definite hints that we will get some answers – and, no doubt, some new questions – in the sequel, due out in October 2016.