Relic by Renee Collins

Relic by Renee Collins
Release Date: August 27, 2013
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Pages: 400
Series: Relic #1
Review Source: eBook for review from publisher

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
After a raging fire consumes her town and kills her parents, Maggie Davis is on her own to protect her younger sister and survive best she can in the Colorado town of Burning Mesa. In Maggie’s world, the bones of long-extinct magical creatures such as dragons and sirens are mined and traded for their residual magical elements, and harnessing these relics’ powers allows the user to wield fire, turn invisible, or heal even the worst of injuries.

Working in a local saloon, Maggie befriends the spirited showgirl Adelaide and falls for the roguish cowboy Landon. But when she proves to have a particular skill at harnessing the relics’ powers, Maggie is whisked away to the glamorous hacienda of Álvar Castilla, the wealthy young relic baron who runs Burning Mesa. Though his intentions aren’t always clear, Álvar trains Maggie in the world of relic magic. But when the mysterious fires reappear in their neighboring towns, Maggie must discover who is channeling relic magic for evil before it’s too late.

Relic is a thrilling adventure set in a wholly unique world, and a spell-binding story of love, trust, and the power of good.

My Thoughts:
‘Relic’ is a book that is magical, exciting, and unique. It completely stands on its own, not reminding me of anything I've read before. ‘Relic’ is a Western style fantasy, an alternate history that contains magical relics, which are the bones of long dead magical creatures. There’s the cowboys and saloons you would expect in a Western, but there’s also magic and magical predators.

The book is also a mystery, with Maggie trying to figure out who is burning towns and why. Maggie’s parents and her brother were killed in the razing of her village, so she has a personal stake in figuring out who the culprit is and making sure they pay. ‘Relic’ also has a romantic element, though it’s a light part of the story, and there’s some chemistry with other characters. Landon is the swoony cowboy character, while Álvar is a mysterious benefactor who has a dangerous sexiness to him. That being said, this book doesn’t contain a love triangle at all, which I appreciated.

Maggie is a great main character. She’s bright, brave, and totally competent. She wants justice and will work hard for it, but she’s also not afraid to ask for help and admit when she's in over her head. I loved reading her story, and I found ‘Relic’ to be a completely fascinating novel. It’s intense with action and magic, and the story line is incredibly interesting. I appreciated how there was a full conclusion to the mystery element with just enough larger plot dangling to make you want to read more in this world. I fully enjoyed this fantastical debut, and I can’t wait to read more from Renee Collins.

The Cover:
Love!

Rating:
[Strong 4/5]

Find Relic by Renee Collins on Goodreads, Book Depository, & Amazon.

Be sure to check back tomorrow, because I am thrilled to be featuring an interview with Renee and a giveaway as part of the Authors are Rockstars tour.

Canary by Rachele Alpine (Tour Review + Giveaway)

Canary by Rachele Alpine
Release Date: August 1, 2013
Publisher: Medallion Press
Pages: 400
Series: n/a
Review Source: eARC for review through AToMR Tours

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
Staying quiet will destroy her, but speaking up will destroy everyone.

Kate Franklin’s life changes for the better when her dad lands a job at Beacon Prep, an elite private school with one of the best basketball teams in the state. She begins to date a player on the team and quickly gets caught up in a world of idolatry and entitlement, learning that there are perks to being an athlete.

But those perks also come with a price. Another player takes his power too far and Kate is assaulted at a party. Although she knows she should speak out, her dad’s vehemently against it and so, like a canary sent into a mine to test toxicity levels and protect miners, Kate alone breathes the poisonous secrets to protect her dad and the team. The world that Kate was once welcomed into is now her worst enemy, and she must decide whether to stay silent or expose the corruption, destroying her father’s career and bringing down a town’s heroes.

My Thoughts:
Canary is an impressive debut from Rachele Alpine. It’s well written and it touches upon a very important subject. I feel like there's a difference between books you really love and books that say something important, and for me this is one of the latter. I didn't enjoy the story, because it was about terrible things, but I did like that the book acknowledged the privilege given to athletes and other people in powerful positions.

Kate is a frustrating character, but I feel like she's realistic. She wants to be popular and well liked at her new school, so she accepts and enjoys the attention of being the coach's daughter. Kate doesn't like confrontation and she doesn't want to wreck her position in the school, so she ignores things she knows are wrong. She lets herself get treated badly, and she doesn’t stand up for people who deserve it. It was so hard to read about Kate letting people walk all over her, over and over again. I didn't like her and it made it hard to hear her story, yet as I mentioned, it felt real. If you have low self esteem and you just want to keep the status quo and be liked, it makes sense that she would act that way, especially as someone who’s a young teen with her first boyfriend.

I liked the writing style of the book, except I’m not sure about the in between parts, where some of it was free verse. Even though these journal entries were used as a plot point later in the story, I’m not sure they were entirely necessary. They explained how Kate was feeling and what was happening, but I didn’t really feel things needed to be spelled out like that. The text was strong enough and doing a good enough job without those sections.

The sexual assault and ensuing ostracization of Kate was very difficult to read about, but again, it felt realistic. What I did love was the relationship between Kate and her brother, as well as how her brother’s girlfriend stuck with her. The book has an ending which is open ended to an extent, but still very hopeful for some changes to occur. You can see how things might start to get better with the support Kate starts to get from her community. ‘Canary’ is very much focused on the importance of speaking out and being heard, and I love that this message is being spread in YA books. I can only hope that books like this will reach the hands of people who really need to hear that message, and I’m glad that ‘Canary’ presents it in an organic, non-preachy way. Kudos to Rachele Alpine for a tough but powerful debut novel.

The Cover:
I love the image so much, but I think the cover needs to be more eye catching.

Rating:
[3/5]

Find Canary by Rachele Alpine on Goodreads, Book Depository, Amazon, B&N, & Indiebound.

GIVEAWAY

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To see other stops on the tour for reviews, guest posts, and excerpts click here or on the button below.

The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau

The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau
Release Date: June 4, 2013
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
Pages: 336
Series: The Testing #1
Review Source: Netgalley

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Isn’t that what they say? But how close is too close when they may be one in the same?

The Seven Stages War left much of the planet a charred wasteland. The future belongs to the next generation’s chosen few who must rebuild it. But to enter this elite group, candidates must first pass The Testing—their one chance at a college education and a rewarding career.

Cia Vale is honored to be chosen as a Testing candidate; eager to prove her worthiness as a University student and future leader of the United Commonwealth. But on the eve of her departure, her father’s advice hints at a darker side to her upcoming studies--trust no one.

But surely she can trust Tomas, her handsome childhood friend who offers an alliance? Tomas, who seems to care more about her with the passing of every grueling (and deadly) day of the Testing. To survive, Cia must choose: love without truth or life without trust

My Thoughts:
You know how every book involving any aspect or trace of dystopia or competition or post-apocalyptic gets compared to ‘The Hunger Games’? Well, ‘The Testing’ is the first read-alike to ‘The Hunger Games’ where I feel like it deserves that recognition: where the comparison actually makes sense. The set-up to ‘The Testing’ feels Hunger Games-esque, especially with a central government in charge of the different colonies. That being said, ‘The Testing’ definitely has a unique feel of its own, and it was different enough from ‘The Hunger Games’ to feel fresh and interesting.

The eponymous Testing is for students trying to get into the university in the capital city. These tests are very mysterious, but what they actually are becomes very real and quite horrifying very quickly. I was completely immersed in the book, reading the descriptions of the tests and the changes in the characters. I loved how smart and tough Cia, our main character, is. While romance isn't a huge part of this book, I still loved the slow burning relationship between Cia and Tomas. These characters had a past; they come from the same place, and even so their feelings were slow to come to the surface.

While I can see some people feeling like ‘The Testing’ is too Hunger Games-esque, for me it was perfect. I felt like it had the feel and spirit of ‘The Hunger Games’ without being a copy. Plus, let’s face it: ‘The Hunger Games’ wasn’t exactly original. The genius of the book was the characters and how the story was told, and I feel like Joelle Charbonneau accomplished the same thing here. I loved how this first book tells a whole story, and yet also ends with some major revelations and information to set up book 2. I, for one, cannot wait.

The Cover:
I like it, and I think it would be better in person, but I really love this UK cover.

Rating:
[5/5]

Find The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau on Goodreads, Book Depository (this is the UK version), & Amazon.

The Rules for Disappearing by Ashley Elston

The Rules for Disappearing by Ashley Elston
Release Date: May 14, 2013
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Pages: 320
Series: The Rules... #1
Review Source: Netgalley

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
She’s been six different people in six different places: Madeline in Ohio, Isabelle in Missouri, Olivia in Kentucky . . . But now that she’s been transplanted to rural Louisiana, she has decided that this fake identity will be her last.

Witness Protection has taken nearly everything from her. But for now, they’ve given her a new name, Megan Rose Jones, and a horrible hair color. For the past eight months, Meg has begged her father to answer one question: What on earth did he do – or see – that landed them in this god-awful mess? Meg has just about had it with all the Suits’ rules — and her dad’s silence. If he won’t help, it’s time she got some answers for herself.

But Meg isn’t counting on Ethan Landry, an adorable Louisiana farm boy who’s too smart for his own good. He knows Meg is hiding something big. And it just might get both of them killed. As they embark on a perilous journey to free her family once and for all, Meg discovers that there’s only one rule that really matters — survival.

My Thoughts:
I wanted to like this book so much, but unfortunately it wasn’t the book for me. I really liked the concept of a family in witness protection. I think it would be so hard to be in that situation, especially for the younger sister to have to move all the time and remember all those new names. The “mystery” aspect of the book kept me reading to see what the end result would be, but I have to say that I continued on to the end with reluctance.

I didn't dislike Meg or Ethan, but I didn't connect with them either. I didn't care much for their relationship, because while it wasn't instalove, they did get close very quickly. I think Meg’s character irritated me because of the amount of stupid moves she made. Now, I don’t need perfect characters, in fact I prefer ones that make mistakes and learn from them, but it seemed like Meg cared more about having to move and leave her new boyfriend, than about the lives of herself and her family. She ignored so many sketchy things, refusing to report them, and then somehow decides to solve the case all by herself.

The book definitely isn’t all bad (the relationship between Meg and her little sister was a highlight for me), and I know some people will enjoy it a lot more than I did. For me things happened way too conveniently. The book also has an ambiguous ending that didn't really give answers to much of anything, which is a pet peeve of mine. Apparently there’s going to be a sequel, which I guess explains some of why the ending isn’t complete, but to be honest I just don’t care enough to find out more.

The Cover:
Like it! The design is cool, especially the way 'disappearing' is actually sort of disappearing off the page.

Rating:
[2/5]

Find The Rules for Disappearing by Ashley Elston on Goodreads, Book Depository, & Amazon.

Nantucket Blue by Leila Howland

Nantucket Blue by Leila Howland
Release Date: May 7, 2013
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Pages: 304
Series: n/a
Review Source: Netgalley

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
For Cricket Thompson, a summer like this one will change everything. A summer spent on Nantucket with her best friend, Jules Clayton, and the indomitable Clayton family. A summer when she’ll make the almost unattainable Jay Logan hers. A summer to surpass all dreams.

Some of this turns out to be true. Some of it doesn’t.

When Jules and her family suffer a devastating tragedy that forces the girls apart, Jules becomes a stranger whom Cricket wonders whether she ever really knew. And instead of lying on the beach working on her caramel-colored tan, Cricket is making beds and cleaning bathrooms to support herself in paradise for the summer.

But it’s the things Cricket hadn’t counted on--most of all, falling hard for someone who should be completely off-limits--that turn her dreams into an exhilarating, bittersweet reality.

A beautiful future is within her grasp, and Cricket must find the grace to embrace it. If she does, her life could be the perfect shade of Nantucket blue.

My Thoughts:
‘Nantucket Blue’ is a book about friendship and first love. It’s also really about learning to like, and be comfortable with, yourself and the decisions that you make.

A big part of the book was Cricket wanting to be a good friend. Cricket's friend Jules has lost her mom, and in the aftermath she turns away from Cricket and becomes like a different person. Cricket is also dealing with the loss of someone who was like a mother to her, but on top of that she’s also lost her best friend, someone who she just wants to be there for.

Cricket is a pretty complex character, in that she's not always easy to like. She makes some pretty dumb decisions and is shallow when it comes to certain matters, which was frustrating as a reader. However it’s clear that Cricket has a good heart and eventually I warmed up to her. I like when books can make me think about characters and people: that as individuals we don’t always make the right decisions and we sometimes do and say stupid things, but it doesn’t mean that we’re unlikeable or bad people.

My favourite parts of the book were definitely the scenes between Cricket and Zack. Zack was such a sweetheart and the two of them had such great chemistry. I have to admit that I actually wish the romance had been a bigger part of the book.

I liked where the book ended up, but it definitely felt like an abrupt ending. Overall, though? This was a decent summery beach read.

The Cover:
LOVE. IT. (!!)

Rating:
[3.5/5]

Find Nantucket Blue by Leila Howland on Goodreads, Book Depository, & Amazon.

The Summer I Became a Nerd by Leah Rae Miller

The Summer I Became a Nerd by Leah Rae Miller
Release Date: May 7, 2013
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Pages: 326
Series: n/a
Review Source: eARC from publisher

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
On the outside, seventeen-year-old Madelyne Summers looks like your typical blond cheerleader—perky, popular, and dating the star quarterback. But inside, Maddie spends more time agonizing over what will happen in the next issue of her favorite comic book than planning pep rallies with her squad. That she’s a nerd hiding in a popular girl's body isn’t just unknown, it's anti-known. And she needs to keep it that way.

Summer is the only time Maddie lets her real self out to play, but when she slips up and the adorkable guy behind the local comic shop’s counter uncovers her secret, she’s busted. Before she can shake a pom-pom, Maddie’s whisked into Logan’s world of comic conventions, live-action role-playing, and first-person-shooter video games. And she loves it. But the more she denies who she really is, the deeper her lies become…and the more she risks losing Logan forever.

My Thoughts:
‘The Summer I Became a Nerd’ was such a cute story about being yourself. Overall I really enjoyed it!

Sometimes it felt like Maddie was a bit over the top with how averse she was to anyone knowing the real her, but on the other hand I can understand how sensitive she was to how people viewed her, and how she wanted acceptance. High school can definitely be tough, and it’s a time when you’re discovering yourself and deciding who you want to be. It took Maddie a little longer than I would have liked to realize that being herself was the best way to live, but I still enjoyed reading about her journey.

I liked how the book shows that sometimes people can surprise you, and they aren’t necessarily what you would expect. The popular cheerleader can be into comic books, and the comic nerd just might be the best boy you’ll meet. Speaking of Logan, I just loved his character. It was so great to see the geeky nice guy as the hero who gets the girl he’s been crushing on. Bad boys can be fun, but I'm all about the sweet guys.

Conclusion? This was a cute and fun contemporary that I would definitely recommend.

The Cover:
It's cute, but a more nerdy cover would have been nice.

Rating:
[4/5]

Find The Summer I Became a Nerd by Leah Rae Miller on Goodreads, Book Depository, & Amazon.

Mortality by Kellie Sheridan

Mortality by Kellie Sheridan
Release Date: March 19, 2013
Publisher: Snarky Books
Pages: 271
Series: The Hitchhiker Strain #1
Review Source: eBook from author for review

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
After surviving a deadly plague outbreak, sixteen-year-old Savannah thought she had lived through the very worst of human history. There was no way to know that the miracle vaccine would put everyone at risk for a fate worse than un-death.

Now, two very different kinds of infected walk the Earth, intent on nothing but feeding and destroying what little remains of civilization. When the inoculated are bitten, infection means watching on in silent horror as self-control disappears and the idea of feasting on loved ones becomes increasingly hard to ignore.

Starving and forced to live inside of the abandoned high school, all Savannah wants is the chance to fight back. When a strange boy arrives with a plan to set everything right, she gets her chance. Meeting Cole changes everything. Mere survival will never be enough.

My Thoughts:
Are you in withdrawal from 'The Walking Dead' and looking for your next zombie fix? If so, 'Mortality' may be the book for you. It features awesome action and two heroines who are incredibly strong and capable. I love how the reader is brought into the action almost right away, and I really enjoyed the dual narration from Savannah and Zarah. It was interesting to see from two very different perspectives, and from different times (Zarah’s narration starts back when the infection first hit, whereas Savannah’s is the present).

I did have a couple of questions about the book. I wasn’t sure why Savannah’s group hadn’t been targeted by the militia if getting able bodied fighters was such a huge goal, or why Savannah and her people were so out of the loop with the current state of the world. That being said, these questions didn’t stop me from enjoying the book. I loved the action and excitement from dodging Zs and militia groups, and I enjoyed the quieter moments as well.

Where Kellie Sheridan really excels is character building. I felt she did an excellent job with this, where even the minor characters felt real. This contributes to how powerful the ending of ‘Mortality’ is. It actually broke my heart a little. It takes a lot for me to be moved to tears, but I definitely was in this case.

If you’re a fan of zombie novels, or if you’re looking to break into the genre, ‘Mortality’ is not a book to miss.

The Cover:
Like!

Rating:
[4/5]

Find Mortality by Kellie Sheridan on Goodreads, Amazon, Amazon.ca, & Barnes & Noble.

P.S. Kellie is a fellow Canadian (and Ontarian) blogger. You can find her at Snarky Books (formerly reawrite.com). You may also know her as Joan of ARCs for Spencer Hill Press. =)