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BOOK REVIEW – The Avery Shaw Experiment by Kelly Oram

December 31, 2014 / Anna

The Avery Shaw Experiment by Kelly Oram
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
When Avery Shaw’s heart is shattered by her life-long best friend, she chooses to deal with it the only way she knows how—scientifically.

The state science fair is coming up and Avery decides to use her broken heart as the topic of her experiment. She’s going to find the cure. By forcing herself to experience the seven stages of grief through a series of social tests, she believes she will be able to get over Aiden Kennedy and make herself ready to love again. But she can’t do this experiment alone, and her partner (ex partner!) is the one who broke her heart.

Avery finds the solution to her troubles in the form of Aiden’s older brother Grayson. The gorgeous womanizer is about to be kicked off the school basketball team for failing physics. He’s in need of a good tutor and some serious extra credit. But when Avery recruits the lovable Grayson to be her “objective outside observer,” she gets a whole lot more than she bargained for, because Grayson has a theory of his own: Avery doesn’t need to grieve. She needs to live. And if there’s one thing Grayson Kennedy is good at, it’s living life to the fullest.

Theory : The Avery Shaw Experiment isn’t a contemporary romance but a fairy tale.

Hypothesis : She is the perfect picture of a Damsel in Distress.

Evidence #1
She doesn’t know how to deal with emotions and loss alone. Like, at all. She needs everyone all the time. Of course I understand she has issues with social interactions. I get it, really. However I’d have appreciated if she had less seemed like a bag others must carry. If I’m totally fair, she does improve toward the end, I must admit.

Evidence #2
She’d never been kissed and has big pleading eyes. Plus her scent is fruity mouth-watering. Oh, and she blushes! All the freaking time. I’m pretty sure that’s her number one occupation. Blushing.

Evidence #3
She’s smart, yet beautiful in a doll way (aka all cute and soft) and of course she hasn’t any clue about it. She’s different and special.

Evidence #4
She’s annoying. I wanted to slap her at some point. Yes, that’s totally a proof, duh.

Consequences : I had a hard time connecting with her and wasn’t either keen on her personality or her behavior.

Hypothesis : He’s Prince Charming.

Evidence #1
He falls for the damsel in distress mentioned above faster than I read. Okay, I know what you think : he knew her before and hadn’t fall for her but let’s face it : the first time he sees her all heart-broken he’s completely charmed.

Evidence #2
He’s such a symbol of acceptance and understanding. Seriously. Even when Avery abandon him in the middle of their date, he stands here, all adorable. Kind of wanted to both kiss and shake him. The guy spends the whole book helping Avery without never ever complaining while the girl is seriously aggravating sometimes.

Evidence #3
He’s perfectly handsome in a golden boy way. How boring. I’m sorry but golden boys without any freckles (yes, Avery says that) are only so damn dull in my opinion.

Here’s how I picture him :

Yep. Frightening, I know.

Evidence #4
He used to be a womanizer. Okay, we’re never told about Prince Charming’s love lives before they met the princesses but let’s face it. Seriously. Handsome. Rich. Powerful. Duh.
Bonus point! He’s called “the King of the school”. Of course that’s a clue, isn’t it?

Consequences : I’m not saying Grayson wasn’t cute or adorable or swoon-worthy. He was. But he was also completely unbelievable and well, he looks like Ken.

It was a cute read but certainly a fairy tale disguised as a contemporary romance. I wanted to read the later that’s why I’m disappointed. And who says fairy tale also says more clichés.

And more clichés mean –

BOOK REVIEW – Me, Earl and the dying girl by Jesse Andrews

December 30, 2014 / Anna

Me, Earl and the dying girl by Jesse Andrews
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Greg Gaines is the last master of high school espionage, able to disappear at will into any social environment. He has only one friend, Earl, and together they spend their time making movies, their own incomprehensible versions of Coppola and Herzog cult classics.

Until Greg’s mother forces him to rekindle his childhood friendship with Rachel.

Rachel has been diagnosed with leukemia—-cue extreme adolescent awkwardness—-but a parental mandate has been issued and must be obeyed. When Rachel stops treatment, Greg and Earl decide the thing to do is to make a film for her, which turns into the Worst Film Ever Made and becomes a turning point in each of their lives.

And all at once Greg must abandon invisibility and stand in the spotlight.

To read this book was the best and the worst idea I could have :
– Perfect because I couldn’t stop laughing.
– Not-so-perfect because I couldn’t stop laughing in public. Out loud.

Of course I earned a lot of weird glances. Merry Christmas, that’s so nice of you!

✔ Therefore, I laughed out loud during the whole book : in the train, in the park, in front of my family. Well, the whole time. Mostly, because of Greg, the main character and narrator of the book, the Me of the title, my buddy Greg.

“Music really only interested me as a soundtrack to a movie, and as for sports, I mean, come on. It’s some guys throwing some balls around, or trying to knock each other over, and you’re supposed to watch them for three hours at a time, and it just sort of seems like a waste. I dunno.”

Greg was such a relatable character! In my opinion, one of the most credible and believable teenager’s voice I’ve had the opportunity to hear for years. Oh, if you’re weird. I was undeniably odd in high-school. Maybe I’m still a bit. So Greg?

Here’s what I loved about him :

✔ The highly entertaining movies he makes with his ~~friend~~ coworker Earl. At first, when I became aware that we’d have to go through the description of every single movie they made, I kind of freaked out. I mean, I’m not a movie-hater, but I’m not a movie-lover either. But you know what? It became one of my favorite parts of the book, because those summaries? Awesome. What? You’re not taking my word on it? See for yourself! That’s free!

Astonishing movie #1 : I though the exact same thing!

“Apocalypse Later (dir G. Gaines and E. Jackson, 2007). Again, not our best title. Once we found out what the apocalypse was, we thought that it was ridiculous that Apocalypse Now was not, in fact, about the End of the World. This movie can best be summed up like this :

1. Earl, wearing a bandanna and holding a Super Soaker, demands to know when the apocalypse is happening.
2. Offscreen, I tell Earl that the apocalypse is not for a while.
3. Earl sits in a chair and does a lot of cussing.
4. Repeat.”

Astonishing movie #2 : Tested and approved by my cats!

“Cat-ablanca (dir G. Gaines and E. Jackson, 2008). The thing is, cats can’t act.”

Astonishing movie #3 : Because the title says it all!

“Batman versus Spider-Man (dir G. Gaines and E. Jackson, 2011). (…) The bat and the spider have never been enemies… until now!!!!”

Astonishing movie #3546286 : Ha ha ha, you’ve seen my point?

→ Greg, you’re totally cool. I wanna hang-out with youuuuuuuuu. Sorry about that.

✔His hilarious way to relate his own-life and the honesty with which he sees himself : No, Greg isn’t perfect, even far from it. He doesn’t know how to handle what he sees at first as a burden : that is to say, reacquainting himself with a former not-so-friend, Rachel, because she has been diagnosed with cancer. He isn’t popular, isn’t selfless, and especially not courageous. But his way to make a one-man-show of his own life was so funny I couldn’t help but forgive him, even when he was being a coward. And even if I’m not able to point the exact moment I started to be moved by him, that happened. Suddenly I’ve been touched by the vulnerability implied by every single sentence we read.

“It was like when a dog makes a human-style face at you and you’re temporarily thrown off guard by it. You’re like, “Whoa, this dog is feeling a mixture of nostalgic melancholy and proprietary warmth. I was not aware that a dog was capable of an emotion of that complexity.”

I’ve already written more than 500 words and I didn’t even begin to deal with the cancer issue. Don’t think I’m stalling – I’m not. In my opinion, this book manages to handle the cancer issue in a way so accurate I consider it as a real gem.

Why am I thanking Jess Andrews? Because he never magnifies cancer and cancer patients. You won’t find here neither artificially-created love stories nor random teenagers magically answering existential questions. Because cancer does change people, but not always that much. Oh, and Greg is pissed. Yes, he is pissed, mad, and goes through all these emotions which have been labeled as bad. Rachel isn’t always fearless and strong : she’s upset, scared, she wants to give up sometimes, because fighting all the time is not humanly possible.

Finally, one of the main character is diagnosed with cancer but can Me, Earl and the dying girl be reduced to it? Definitely not.

That’s only an amazing, heart-warming, laugh-out-loud book you don’t want to miss. Only.

Icing on the cake? Listen to Greg : “If after reading this book you come to my home and brutally murder me, I truly do not blame you”

PS: And I didn’t talk about Earl! Earl’s the best. That’s all you need to know.

“So I said, “Ugh, there was just this badger picture in my head for some reason.”
It goes without saying that the moment those words left my lips, I wanted to do serious injury to myself.
“Badger,” Madison repeated. “Like the animal?”
“Yeah, you know,” I said feebly. Then I added : “Just one of those badger head pictures you sometimes get.”

BOOK REVIEW : Third Degree by Julie Cross

December 21, 2014 / Anna

Third Degree by Julie Cross
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
I used to be “Isabel Jenkins, child prodigy.” As lame as that sounds, at least it was an identity. But now I’m not sure what I am. I just failed the most important exam of my life—the emotional readiness test required to get into a medical residency program—and it turns out my parents can’t stand each other. Now I’m trying to figure out how to pick up the pieces of my life, and that means re-enrolling as a college freshman, but this time I’m shutting the books and majoring in being eighteen.

But so far, my roommate hates me and I’m not into the party scene. The only good thing about school has been getting to know my insanely hot RA. Marshall Collins makes me wonder about everything I missed while I was growing up too fast. Pretty soon we’re hanging out constantly, but for the first time, I find myself wanting more than a no-strings-attached physical relationship. And the lesson I really need is one Marsh definitely can’t teach me: love. Because I’m going to be alone forever if I don’t learn fast.

Don’t you hate when you think you found a book you might love and you end being disappointed?

I’m not going to lie : I loathe that – It makes me feel like I’m cheap somehow, you know? I don’t even know how to talk about this book because I can’t help but get the impression I read two books. Indeed what I can say about the first half wouldn’t be accurate for the second part and vice versa. Whatever. I’ll do what I can.

The beginning was great. Unexpectedly excellent. ~~Isabel~~ Izzie‘s voice was oddly refreshing, as she doesn’t know how to interact with people and always prevents herself from being personally involved with what others might feel. In other words, she overanalyzes everything she hears and always manages to counteract other expectations – others being her coworkers at the hospital (yes, because she’s kind of a genius, did I say that?), her family, her one night stands… Well. Everyone. Now that I think about it, she could totally be part of Doctor House‘s Team. First because she has a gift for finding diseases diagnostics and then because well… You know that cold chick who always gives medical related answers? That’s her. After she failed at a psychological test, she ends in college in order to “try to blend and experience a twenty-something life”.

@IsabelJenkinsMD: If you woke up this morning with a sore throat, it’s not because you slept with wet hair. #StupidMyths #IgnoreGrandma

BOOK REVIEW : Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

December 20, 2014 / Anna

Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Before Peter Pan belonged to Wendy, he belonged to the girl with the crow feather in her hair. . . .

Fifteen-year-old Tiger Lily doesn't believe in love stories or happy endings. Then she meets the alluring teenage Peter Pan in the forbidden woods of Neverland and immediately falls under his spell.

Peter is unlike anyone she's ever known. Impetuous and brave, he both scares and enthralls her. As the leader of the Lost Boys, the most fearsome of Neverland's inhabitants, Peter is an unthinkable match for Tiger Lily. Soon, she is risking everything—her family, her future—to be with him. When she is faced with marriage to a terrible man in her own tribe, she must choose between the life she's always known and running away to an uncertain future with Peter.

With enemies threatening to tear them apart, the lovers seem doomed. But it's the arrival of Wendy Darling, an English girl who's everything Tiger Lily is not, that leads Tiger Lily to discover that the most dangerous enemies can live inside even the most loyal and loving heart.

“You have to be careful who you meet. You can’t unmeet them.”

I’ve finished Tiger Lily 24 hours ago and spent the day reliving some parts and thinking about it, my heart fluttering and suddenly missing a beat when I let my mind drift into Neverland.

Here’s is why.

The story is said in Tinker Bell’s POV. Who’s mute. Oh, and who can read your thoughts. I knew fairies were such dangerous creatures. Although some readers find it annoying, the rather descriptive kind of writing was a perfect fit for the story in my opinion : it helps to provide a more magical atmosphere, and before realizing it, we’re utterly stuck in Neverland. That’s true this book can be classed as slow-paced but you know what? I can’t think of any part that could have been removed.

Everything’s dazzling. Nothing’s useless.

Moreover, the choice of Tinker Bell as a narrator brought more tension, as she happens to know things characters don’t. After years spent utterly annoyed by her character, I find myself understanding her for the very first time – I must confess that I was afraid the little fairy would have prevented me from loving this book – Color me surprised : it was in fact the opposite.

Tiger Lily doesn’t fit in her village’s life yet she’s always a part of it. Raised by the shaman, Tik Tok, she always knew she was different and – well, she doesn’t care. She doesn’t care if she’s not as pretty as the other girls, as long as she’s allowed to hunt and to live her life. She doesn’t care to be engaged to a complete brute as long as her father can keep his head up. She doesn’t know how to express her feelings, and more than that, she doesn’t know that she had to. She’s wondrous. She’s brave. She makes mistakes. She’s real.

She’s anything like female leads I’ve ever met.
She’s everything I can admire.

The Lost Boys hold my heart in their hands. I fell for them from the very first time Tiger Lily met them, all both awkward, frightened and reckless. Of course Peter‘s charm seduced me – enthralled me. I mean, I could see pretty quickly how he managed to take the central place in this bunch of teenagers. He’s full of empathy, selflessness, passionate, blunt – yet sometimes he seems to lose his confidence and what does it stay? An adorable but terrified boy whose need to win endlessly fight with his carefulness.

Ahem. Watch out – I might not be able to prevent myself from swearing in that part.
Because the Englanders. #!@% colonizers.
You stupid jackasses who think your way of life is the only one that can be taken into account.
Who never even try to understand Neverlanders’ customs and traditions.
And your God. Oh, let’s talk about your God. Sorry but it pissed me off so much to hear all this crap and to see stereotypes and judgment enter the village, threatening the sake of every single inhabitant. Deciding that you are judges of what is right and what isn’t.

I wanted to punch something, and I couldn’t help but think about the champions of colonization we used to be before, we Europeans – To see how quickly they could insinuate the doubt in everybody’s head, taking control – That was both frightening and maddening to be let in the role of the helpless witness, continually dreading the train wreck.

I took a huge breath when I closed the book then I felt the need to reopened it almost instantly. I’m pretty sure this striking story will be etched in my mind – Tiger Lily slowly enchanted me, worming its way into my heart – and will haunt me for a long time.

Until I reread it, I’m afraid.

BOOK REVIEW : Cracked (Soul Eater #1) by Eliza Crewe

December 18, 2014 / Anna

Cracked (Soul Eater #1)
by Eliza Crewe
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Meet Meda. She eats people.

Well, technically, she eats their soul. But she totally promises to only go for people who deserve it. She’s special. It’s not her fault she enjoys it. She can’t help being a bad guy. Besides, what else can she do? Her mother was killed and it’s not like there are any other “soul-eaters” around to show her how to be different. That is, until the three men in suits show up.

They can do what she can do. They’re like her. Meda might finally have a chance to figure out what she is. The problem? They kind of want to kill her. Before they get the chance Meda is rescued by crusaders, members of an elite group dedicated to wiping out Meda’s kind. This is her chance! Play along with the “good guys” and she’ll finally figure out what, exactly, her ‘kind’ is.

Be careful what you wish for. Playing capture the flag with her mortal enemies, babysitting a teenage boy with a hero complex, and trying to keep one step ahead of a too-clever girl are bad enough. But the Hunger is gaining on her.

The more she learns, the worse it gets. And when Meda uncovers a shocking secret about her mother, her past, and her destiny… she may finally give into it.

Hey, Meda !!

❝ Good God, children. Can we focus on what’s important? Me. ❞

Oh. My. That girl. That girl. She was amazing. No need to remind that female leads and me are always on very thin ice : perhaps I’m sometimes too harsh with them but come on, that’s kind of sick how girls are portrayed in almost all young-adults books. When they aren’t Mary Sue, they have this ridiculous habit to melt on the floor at the first sign of hot boys – as f*cking annoying as it is, it became so frequent that I almost expect this when I begin a new book. How many, I’m asking, how many so called kick-ass heroines prove to be gentle puppies after the first half of their story? Too much.

❝ A small girl, still young enough to suffer the indignity of pigtails, holds out a dead golfish in her cupped hand.
Thanks, but I just ate.
“My fish died,” she lisps around missing teeth. She looks at me expectantly.
Ah – catastrophe has struck and she’s in search of an adult to handle it. (…) Fortunately, I know just how to handle this one.
“Flush it down the toilet.”
(…)
What? It’s a fish. ❞

While Meda never disappoints. Her sarcastic and selfish way of thinking is so damn refreshing and funny – You can’t not enjoy that book. Seriously. I’m totally fangirling here : she says sentences we almost always ~~said~~ thought once and even if she’s pretty insensible in the major part of that book, I adored her. Be my friend, Meda. I could totally be useful – you know, the bear catchs the slower thing.

She kinda reminds me of Dante from The Collector – I could totally copy/paste his description – Let’s see what I wrote about him :

– perfectly selfish, conceited, smart-ass, liar, and he completely doesn’t care – but then, totally – what others may think or feel.

That’s my Meda. This description fully suits her : she’s a daemon (okay, Halfling) who eats souls and uses people when she needs to. Well, she decided to kill bad guys only, but not because she’s a kind person, no. I’ll let you discover why.

❝ One brightly coloured announcement contains a collection of smiling, gap-toothed children with the words “Be Yourself” in big block letters. Worst advice I’ve ever been given by a poster. ❞

She’s a total kick-ass –

But also reminds me a little bit of –

You know, this funny but selfish ~~lizard~~ dragon (oups, sorry sorry Mushu) who is continually trying to hide his hole of a heart? Who’s afraid of the very word of feelings? See? I think he could give Meda a high five. Seriously.

And maybe, maybe, as Mushu, she’ll discover her heart – maybe. Guess you have to read it to know^^.

And the other characters? Want to meet them? Read that preview and enjoy.

❝ Asinine solo plan where I risk it all to save the planet! Chi.
Rude comment. Jo.
Fake attempt to be included in dangerous mission. Me.
Slightly less asinine plan involving the two of us. Uri.
Rude comment. Almost-sane plan using Chi and me. Jo.
Overprotective response. Chi.
Reeaaally rude comment! Jo.
Cringe-worthy comment about Jo’s leg. Chi.
Head explodes. Near homicide. Jo.
Life-saving intervention ending the debate and getting everyone to agree to Jo’s plan. Me. ❞

That book is filled with friendship : how can we trust someone enough to accept him as a friend? Do we have to trust someone to become friends?

I really appreciated the dynamic of this nutty team and that’s why the lack of romance didn’t bother me – ~~even if I root for this french guy, I totally ship for him. I’m the captain of that ship. He sounds awesome. He ‘s sarcastic too. I love evil. Let’s meet him. Please.~~

♜ The plot : Templars, did you say templars?
Really? I don’t know why this kind of plot gets to me so easily. Perhaps because I’m a huge ~~nerd~~ fanatic of history. That’s something I struggle to understand with my pupils : the majority isn’t interested in learning how people lived before whereas I always was crazy about it. I mean, hey, what could be more amazing than touching an artifact some hero used centuries ago? Okay, maybe a lot of things, actually. I admit it. Sort of. ~~Playing Assassin’s creed?~~ The truth is, I was this kind of wide-eyed child who stayed hours listening stories about these mad knights (because of course they were nutty, right?) – those annoying children who ask so many questions the museum curator begins to glare at their parents (who shrug, obviously, hey, they have to stand them all the freakin’ days). What I loved here was the fact Eliza Crewe used the Templars mythology in an original way and (almost) never fell into the trap of the religious side of it. Because well, I know Templars were fanatic religious, I know it – and that’s an aspect of the history I like not so much. Magic and fighting are so more fun, don’t you think? That’s why I’m really eager to discover the rest because that manner Eliza Crewe renewed the Templar stuff?

I freakin’ loved it.

✸✸In other words : An enjoying and fascinating immersion in the head of a wonderful sarcastic b*tch, tinged with a reckless but likeable almost-templar and a screwed-up BBF, the whole thing wildly hilarious, fast-paced and never boring. Plus, icing on the cake : I’m pretty sure I’ll love this Armand guy. Instalove here. Yep.✸✸

PS : OMG, I’ve just seen the ridiculous little number of ratings of that book. What are you waiting? Go read this book! Now!