Independent Study by Joelle Charbonneau

Independent Study by Joelle Charbonneau
Release Date: January 7, 2014
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Pages: 310
Series: The Testing #2
Review Source: Edelweiss

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)

In the series debut The Testing, sixteen-year-old Cia Vale was chosen by the United Commonwealth government as one of the best and brightest graduates of all the colonies . . . a promising leader in the effort to revitalize postwar civilization.

In Independent Study, Cia is a freshman at the University in Tosu City with her hometown sweetheart, Tomas—and though the government has tried to erase her memory of the brutal horrors of The Testing, Cia remembers. Her attempts to expose the ugly truth behind the government’s murderous programs put her—and her loved ones—in a world of danger. But the future of the Commonwealth depends on her.

My Thoughts:
Note: This review contains some spoilers for Book 1, The Testing.

I very much enjoyed The Testing, so I was anxious to see what would happen in Independent Study. Thankfully this book was just as exciting as the first.

I love how these books are so action packed and yet they’re very internal. You really get inside Cia’s head and see how she thinks, what her process is, and what she feels. Not every book is like that, and I really appreciate it here, where you’re never sure exactly who to trust.

While the first book focused on the tests to get into the university, now Cia and her classmates are at the uni, but that doesn’t mean that The Testing has ended. Instead there’s a new type of initiation in order to be placed in an assigned field of study. The book features new obstacles and new potential enemies, while Cia still continues to deal with the old ones.

A large part of this book is Cia adapting to her new reality. As we saw at the end of The Testing, she doesn’t have full memories of what happened during The Testing, and has to rely on her own recorded memories to tell her what happened. She doesn’t want to believe that all those bad things happened, but increasing evidence and some recovered memories show her just how corrupt The Testing administrators are, and how the university runs much the same way.

I enjoyed watching Cia support the rebels by doing her own investigations. She’s a very logical and intelligent person, so having her trust her instincts and both fail and succeed in certain areas was interesting. I enjoyed the scavenger hunt type of induction that Cia and her classmates had to endure to enter their faculty, as well as the look at what the uni classes and internships were like. While there was definitely less of a romance in this book compared to the first, I didn’t feel like it was lacking in any way. I liked what we saw of Toma and Cia interacting, and how their relationship evolved under the circumstances.

As I said, this was such an exciting book, just as enthralling as the first. I love how Hunger Games-esque this series is in terms of theme, while still bringing completely unique things to the table, with the characters and the circumstances. I’m quite excited to see where things end up in Book 3, Graduation Day.

The Cover:
Like! (Though once again I think the UK cover is way more kick ass)

Rating:
[5/5]

Purchase Links:
Kobo | Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Chapters-Indigo | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

Pilgrims Don't Wear Pink by Stephanie Kate Strohm

Release Date: May 8, 2012
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Pages: 204
Series: n/a
Review Source: Netgalley

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
A story of crushes, corsets, and conspiracy

Libby Kelting had always felt herself born out of time. No wonder the historical romance-reading, Jane Austen-adaptation-watching, all-around history nerd jumped at the chance to intern at Camden Harbor, Maine’s Oldest Living History Museum. But at Camden Harbor Libby’s just plain out of place, no matter how cute she looks in a corset. Her cat-loving coworker wants her dead, the too-smart-for-his-own-good local reporter keeps pushing her buttons, her gorgeous sailor may be more shipwreck than dreamboat — plus Camden Harbor’s haunted. Over the course of one unforgettable summer, Libby learns that boys, like ghosts, aren’t always what they seem.

My Thoughts:
Likes
- main character who is a history nerd: she’s obsessed with history for the same reasons I love it -- the fantastic stories about people, not the dates and numbers
- living history museum setting: not quite as cool or as big a part as the ones in Past Perfect, but still very awesome; historical costumes, language, and references abound
- minor ghost plot: it’s not really a huge part of the book, though it does set up one of the relationships; mainly it just led to some fun scenes, and who doesn’t like to read about a potentially haunted ship?

Dislikes
- some very stereotypical side characters: girl who is rude to the main character for no reason, incredibly gorgeous love interest who might not be the guy he seems to be, sassy and fashion obsessed gay best friend, plain jane new friend, secretly hot nerd … it’s not that some of these characters weren’t fun, but they weren’t at all surprising. They were exactly the characters I expected them to be
- very strange side plot involving the gay best friend; it just seemed pretty melodramatic and a way to get him back with Libby in order for another part of the book to occur
- Libby was quite naive about her feelings for the two main male characters: it was so obvious who she would end up with, and it wasn’t in a cute way that she ignored the signs -- it was more insulting to the readers that she would say one thing and then completely believe something else the next second

Conclusions
Fun read that is easy to get through. If you’re looking for a light-hearted romp then this is perfect. Don’t go in with extremely high expectations and I’m sure you’ll enjoy the reading experience. It’s definitely not one of my favourites, but I still had a fun time with it for the most part.

The Cover:
Cute! =)

Rating:
[3/5]

Find Pilgrims Don't Wear Pink by Stephanie Kate Strohm on Goodreads, Book Depository, & Amazon.

Guest Review: Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

Time for another guest review from my awesome Mom (aka Wilma)! =)

Release Date: April 3, 2012
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Pages: 549
Series: His Fair Assassin #1
Review Source: Netgalley

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?

Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.

Ismae's most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?

Wilma's Thoughts:
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was outstanding. There are so many elements to capture the attention… A no nonsense, "kick-ass" female assassin gifted by the God of Death; a potential love interest; politics in the royal court; mistrust; revenge; and much, much more. Add to this a fantastic story of personal growth in the heroine, Ismae, and my attention was grabbed from the very beginning.

You watch Ismae evolve from a naïve, abused young woman into someone who is smart, quick thinking and does not take any malarkey from anyone. She made the story for me. Her charm is intriguing, she is unintentionally witty and let’s face it, anyone who hides weapons under her skirts and kills people with jewelry captures my attention. Her bracelets contain thin wire so she can GAROTTE anyone who is evil, she has a headband full of poisonous pearls AND a knife that fits into her corset! How’s that for being prepared. Some female super heroes would be jealous of Ismae’s gadgets.

I really enjoy historical fiction if it's done right. I like some detail but not pages and pages of it and this book satisfied me with enough detail but not too much to make it mundane. It has enough touches of fantasy to add a great flair to the story.

At first, the sheer length of the book was daunting and I hesitated to read it. I also had not read very many YA historical fiction novels and was not sure I would enjoy it. The book, however, even though labeled as YA is written in a very mature manner. I was very pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this. The story kept me captivated and the outcome was not predictable. I became emotionally invested in the characters and what happened to them, which is rare. I am very excited to see what the next book holds.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a great tale of intrigue, mystery, romance and a touch of history. I am sure you will not be disappointed by it.

My Thoughts:
Basically reading my Mom's review has made me excited to re-read this book at some point, so I think she's done a good job with it. It perfectly describes how awesome this book is. My response on Goodreads when I first finished the book was: "Seriously in love with this one! Great characters, lovely chemistry, cool historical setting, and crazy political intrigue and shenanigans. Definitely my kind of book." Those thoughts still stand. Awesome, awesome book.

The Cover:
Like it! It totally shows the awesome tough female angle of the book.

Rating:
[5/5]

Find Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers on Goodreads, Book Depository, & Amazon.

Flyaway by Helen Landalf

Release Date: December 20, 2011
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Pages: 182
Series: n/a
Review Source: Netgalley

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
Fifteen-year-old Stevie Calhoun is used to taking care of herself. But one night, her mom, who works as an exotic dancer in a downtown Seattle nightclub, never comes home.

That’s the night Stevie’s life turns upside down.

It’s the night that kicks off an extraordinary summer: the summer Stevie has to stay with her annoyingly perfect Aunt Mindy; the summer she learns to care for injured and abandoned birds; the summer she gets to know Alan, the meanest guy in high school.

But most of all, it’s the summer she finds out the truth about Mom.

FLYAWAY is the story of a teen girl’s struggle to hold on to what she’s always believed, even as her world spins out of control.

My Thoughts:
I think the thing that stands out the most for me about this book is how I felt for the main character, Stevie. I think she was a very realistic character and she acted just like I would expect a scared, young teenager to act. She loved her mom and wanted to protect her, even though her mom wasn’t being a good parent or taking care of herself, let alone her daughter. Because of how Stevie acts I think you’ll either love her or hate her, but I personally found her behaviour completely realistic, even when she was being a bit of a brat. I liked the journey that Stevie took in her way of thinking and how she was going to live her life. The journey was incredibly tough, but I think Stevie became very strong because of it.

Now how about Aunt Mindy?? She was the sweetest! I’m glad there was someone in Stevie’s life taking care of her, and it was really touching how she was always there for her and how she kept trying even when Stevie was difficult and pushed her away.

Where the book lacked, I think, was the romantic angle. One guy just ended up being someone completely different from who we were introduced to. His character did a total 180; it was so strange. The other guy had a ton of issues, with a very shady past with acting out. I could actually see the start of chemistry between him and Stevie, but I didn’t really think it was necessary or very well developed. Really this is more of a book about Stevie and her Mom, so I didn’t think it needed the romance.

The book has a “caged bird becoming free” metaphor, and while I think it was a bit overdone, it was still sweet. I enjoyed reading this one overall, probably because the writing style was very flowing and easy to get through. In the end, though, I don’t think it’s the most compelling book on the topic. I expected it to be more powerful with showing the effects of drugs on a person, but it didn’t really go as deep as it could have. This is one of those "take it or leave it" books, where I don't really have strong feelings either way whether it's worth a read or not.

The Cover:
I really like how creative it is; it totally stands out from most other covers.

Rating:
[3/5]

Find Flyaway by Helen Landalf on Goodreads, Book Depository, & Amazon.