Book Review: Crash by Nicole Williams

Title: Crash by Nicole Williams
Series: Crash #1
Finished on: November 17, 2012
Released: July 19, 2012 by CreateSpace
Source: Owned/Nook

Summary from Goodreads:

Jude Ryder and Lucy Larson are this generation's Romeo and Juliet: Explosive. Sizzling. Tragic.

A steamy summer encounter with bad boy Jude means trouble for Lucy. Her sights are set on becoming a ballerina, and she won't let anything get in her way . . . except Jude.

He's got a rap sheet, dangerous mood swings, and a name that's been sighed, shouted, and cursed by who knows how many girls.

Jude's a cancer, the kind of guy who's fated to ruin the lives of girls like Lucy—and he tells her so.

But as rumors run rampant and reputations are destroyed, Lucy's not listening to Jude's warning. Is tragedy waiting in the wings? This racy romance is hot, hot, hot!

Two words: Jude Ryder. Review over.

Okay, seriously though, I loved this book! I was completely sucked into this tragic, dysfunctional, passionate, and sweet romance between Lucy and Jude. I began reading and didn't move until I finished the last page just a few hours later. This story had me smiling from ear to ear, laughing out loud, so frustrated, and on the verge of tears, all in the span of 322 pages. I definitely did not go into this expecting to come away loving it this much.

Lucy was a great main character for me. I loved her personality and her dialogue had me laughing so much. I also loved the relationship between Jude and Lucy. Their chemistry was great and believable. Nothing about the relationship or growth of it felt forced to me. In fact, the "normal" parts of their relationship, like when it's not obvious that Jude has many problems, were pretty relatable. I went back and forth with Jude. I began the story really liking him, then not so much for parts in the middle, then really liking him again. The moments where I didn't like him so much were the moments where I didn't fully understand him or his motives yet. Underneath it all, Jude is a very sweet boy capable of loving Lucy very much. Life has just handed him some crappy deals for too long and it's really taken a toll on him. But, I think anyone who has read Crash agrees that by the end life is looking up for him and he truly deserves it.

Crash was a rollercoaster ride if I ever read one. This thing goes up and down and all around so much, but that's what makes it so addicting. That's what kept me in place for hours reading. Sometimes that technique can make a reader dizzy, but Nicole Williams made it work so well. The entire story line was unpredictable for me and I was surprised by the turn of events quite a few times. Crash was an intense read and I can't wait to see where Williams takes Lucy and Jude in the next installment, Clash.

 "The name’s Jude Ryder, since I know you're all but salivating like a rabid dog to know, and I don't do girlfriends, relationships, flowers or regular phone calls. If that works for you, I think we could work out something special."

“How does a guy like you promise someone forever at eighteen?”

“Easy,” he said, pressing a soft kiss into the corner of my mouth. “He finds a girl like you.” 

“You can’t be friends with the person you were meant to spent your life with.” 

Book Review: The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan

Title: The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan
Series: The Forest of Hands and Teeth #2
Finished on: November 16, 2012
Released: March 9, 2010 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Source: Library e-book


Summary from Goodreads:

Gabry lives a quiet life, secure in her town next to the sea and behind the Barrier. She's content to let her friends dream of the Dark City up the coast--home is all she's ever known and all she needs for happiness.
But life after the Return is never safe.
Gabry's mother thought she left her secrets behind in the Forest of Hands and Teeth, but like the dead in their world, secrets don't stay buried. And now, Gabry's world is crumbling.
In one reckless moment, half of Gabry's generation is dead, the other half imprisoned.
Now Gabry knows only one thing: if she has any hope of a future, she must face the forest of her mother's past.

Another beautifully written story by Carrie Ryan. I swear, in my opinion, she is a master of plot twists, but in the most excellent way. Throughout this book we see a major theme of "what-if's". "What if I did this" or "What if I didn't do that" or "What if I didn't go there", etc. We see the full impact that one very small decision or moment can have on entire lives. We get an extremely thought-provoking story. Ryan does such a wonderful job crafting the most powerful scenes. And there are plenty of those in The Dead-Tossed Waves.

I actually didn't read the summary before starting this book so I didn't know it was going to be in a different POV from the first book until I began. While I didn't have as deep a connection with this set of characters as I did with the first book's, everyone was still very likable. (Except for Gabry's best friend, Cira, I found her bordering on annoying.) I had a hard time warming up to the relationship between Elias and Gabry only because I thought a certain something was going to be revealed, but later found out I was guessing wrong. I know that's vague, but I'm trying to keep away from spoilers! Gabry goes through such a journey from start to finish and really grows, deepens, and becomes enlightened in the best ways.

If you like books that are full of everyone having secrets and the consequences when they are finally revealed then this is for you! Like I said, plot twists and "Uhm, what!?"'s galore here. This story can also get on the depressing side at times. These characters all start to wonder what the point of anything is. They'll never overcome these Mudo. I can't blame them, though. After all, this is some extremely dark subject matter. Yet, though it all, there's always at least some small message of hope. Gabry finally comes to realize that the fences should only be for keeping the Mudo out, not for keeping people in. There really are a few different messages for any reader to gain from this story.

Honestly, I never saw anything that happened coming. I absolutely adore that in my books! Oh, and so many questions get answered about how and why these villages came to be which was awesome! I'm going to take a break and read a few different books before coming back to the third installment in this series but I'm greatly looking forward to it. And here's to hoping for many more YA novels by Carrie Ryan in the future!

4/5 

(Liked VERY much, but not enough to spend time re-reading)

2013 Debut Author Challenge Goals Post

Click that ^ button to learn more!

Splintered by A.G. Howard
The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepard
How My Summer Went Up in Flames by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski

The Murmurings by Carly Anne West
The Beautiful and the Cursed by Page Morgan
Nobody by Us by Kristen Hollbrook

Belle Epoque by Elizabeth Ross
Begin Again by Sumayyah Daud
Bird by Crystal Chan
After Eden by Helen Douglas (July)
Severed Heads, Broken Hearts by Robyn Schneider
In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters

I have a goal of the minimum of 12. This is just SOME of the wonderful debut titles I have seen for 2013 so I'm sure this list will eventually be edited and added to. I am so excited for this challenge!

Feature & Follow #5

Feature & Follow Friday is a blog hop hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read.

Q: Books are turned into movies all the time! Turn it around. What movie would make a great book?

 

Every single time I watch An Affair to Remember, a 1957 film starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr, I find myself wishing it was also in novel form. It is one of my top favorite movies and I know if it was a book I'd absolutely love it.

It's ranked #5 on AFI's list of Greatest American Love Stories. I just KNOW if it was in written form this romance would come across even more beautiful.

 Here is a summary from Wikipedia for those that have never seen it.

Book Review: Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Title: Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
Series: Under the Never Sky #1
Finished on: November 12, 2012
Released: January 3rd 2012 by HarperCollins
Source: Kindle/Purchased


Summary from Goodreads:

Since she'd been on the outside, she'd survived an Aether storm, she'd had a knife held to her throat, and she'd seen men murdered. This was worse.
Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland - known as The Death Shop - are slim. If the cannibals don't get her, the violent, electrified energy storms will. She's been taught that the very air she breathes can kill her. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He's wild - a savage - and her only hope of staying alive.
A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile - everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria's help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption. Opposites in nearly every way, Aria and Perry must accept each other to survive. Their unlikely alliance forges a bond that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky.

I don't know why I didn't enjoy this as much as so many others; I just couldn't get sucked in the same way I do with the stories that I love. That's not to say I didn't like this one, because I did, it just took awhile to get there. I almost gave up in the first few chapters because I couldn't figure out what was going on or get a clear picture of this world in my head. After reading a huge amount of good reviews, however, I decided to push on. And about 100 pages in things started to come together. It is very unique and sets itself apart from a lot of the other books in the genre which was a good thing. But that could have contributed the fact that I had a harder time picturing this world.

By the time Roar came in I began to get into the story. I really liked Roar almost better than any of the other characters. Because of this I'll probably be reading Roar and Liv. Let's make this clear: Veronica Rossi's writing style is very good and I'll definitely give more of her work a chance. The rest of the story was enjoyable and I read though it pretty quickly, though it was more predictable than a lot of books I've been reading lately. I've become accustomed to moments of "OMG what?" and this one just didn't have that for me. I even noticed myself going for a few pages reading the words but thinking about things outside the story.

What we do learn about this world is really quite interesting and the last third of this book would probably rate higher for me. I am interested in Aria and Perry's relationship, too. So for these reasons I won't hesitate to pick up the next installment. It was my emotional response after finishing the story that influenced my rating. I turned off my Kindle and began my next book without needing to think about what I just read or the characters anymore. But that's just me so anyone who's been wanting to read this one for awhile should definitely read it and for anyone who's been on the fence about it, I say give it a try! 

Rating: 3/5

Book Review: The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

Title: The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
Series: The Forest of Hands and Teeth #1
Finished on: November 8, 2012
Released: March 10, 2009 by Gollancz
Source: Library e-book

Summary from Amazon:

In Mary's world there are simple truths. The Sisterhood always knows best. The Guardians will protect and serve. The Unconsecrated will never relent. And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth. But, slowly, Mary’s truths are failing her. She’s learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power, and about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness. When the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, she must choose between her village and her future—between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded in so much death?

Carrie Ryan has a very, very nice writing style. The writing is clear, intelligent, and smooth. She did an amazing job with the world building (though I admit that I pictured the Unconsecrated to look exactly like the Walkers in Walking Dead). The is an extremely intense book from start to finish but Ryan handled the characters and all their situations nicely. Just from the writing style alone, I'll never hesitate to pick up another book written by her.

To begin with, this is a very heavy book from the first page to the last and will not leave you with a cheery, warm feeling. It will, however, leave you feeling like you just read a great story. Everything about this world that Ryan has created is so intriguing and I wanted to know absolutely everything about and all of it's history. Some of that gets answered here but not all of it, which is why I'm greatly looking forward to the next two installments.

I really liked the main character, Mary, a lot and it's always very important to me to have a connection with the main character. I also loved Travis and Harry both but I leaned towards Travis. The scenes with Mary and Travis together were all perfection. I really grew connected to all the characters and their individual stories in a way that I don't with too many books; just the really special ones.

This story went in so many directions that I wasn't expecting at all. Sometimes there were great twists and sometimes not so great. Because of that I'm finding this a little hard to review because I don't want to give any potential  surprises away; but there are quite a few very awesome scenes that I adored (especially involving Travis/Mary!).

I finished this in one day because I just couldn't put it down, only stopping to excitedly tell my boyfriend (who is a big Walking Dead fan) everything that was going on. It sparked many great zombie discussions. This is such a compelling story and I originally gave it a 4 [I give 4's to great books I probably won't re-read and 5's to great books I probably will] but the more I think about it the more this one probably deserves a 5. So let's just go with a 4.5 for now. The Forest of Hands and Teeth is definitely one that will stick with me for awhile.

“Who are we if not the stories we pass down? What happens when there's no one left to tell those stories? To hear them? Who will ever know that I existed? What if we are the only ones left -- who will know our stories then? Who will remember those?”

“That's just the way life is. Some days you wake up and the beach is clear and you forget about everything that surrounds us. And some days you wake up and it looks like this. That's the nature of the tides."

 “He places his hands over mine, the feeling so warm and familiar. 'Those days back there, in the house. That is my world. That is my truth,' he says. 'That is my ocean.”

Waiting on Wednesday [6]

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine.

I can't wait for...

Anthem for Jackson Dawes by Celia Bryce

Megan Bright and Jackson Dawes are two teenagers who first meet each other on the hospital ward where they are both being treated for cancer. Megan is scared and worried about her illness, but Jackson seems to be an old hand, having been on the ward for ages. And everybody loves Jackson! He is a whirlwind of life and energy, warmth and sparkle. Megan will need to borrow some of Jackson's extraordinary optimism to face her and Jackson's future. A moving story of first love and a remarkably powerful debut novel.

This book sounds absolutely perfect for me! I'm very excited for it.
What are you waiting on this week?