Review: Me Before You

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I don't know why I do stuff like this to myself. How do you rate a book that the only emotion that you are capable to feeling is when am I ever going to stop crying. All of those people who call me emotionless can go stuff it while I go wallow in my pit of despair.

Maybe I'll write an actual review one day, when I can process something other than how much I really wish I didn't have a final tomorrow so I could throw myself headfirst into a bottle of tequila like I want too. Until then, It was devastatingly good about a controversial subject matter that more people should be willing to openly talk about. My personally having two family members that are in situations such as Will's made this hit me even harder than I expected. Which is more selfish.. wanting to force life even if they don't want it or wanting to die even if your loved ones will lose you. I can't answer that, but I know that I'll think about it even more after reading this book.



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Review: Where Sea Meets Sky

Where Sea Meets Sky by Karina Halle

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Man, do I wish that I felt more with this book. I'm rounding up to 3, but that is being generous because I am biased when it comes to Karina. I probably obsess over her and her books to a fault, even when I don't LOVE them. Seriously, she has her own shelf. It would be a little embarrassing, the level of my fan girl, if I was easily embarrassed. Anyway.

One of the things that hooks me with Karina is how amazingly real her female characters are. They are imperfect, can be difficult or weak, and at times downright hard to like but you love them anyway. I have never been able to not connect with her characters, not be able to see pieces of who I was and who I am in them. And though I can still see those pieces that make Karina's characters so special to me, I wasn't able to connect with Gemma. Maybe it was her actions during the road trip or maybe it was her inherent refusal to be willing to connect with other people, I'm not really sure. I really wanted to find that connection though, especially to a character that struggles to form emotional attachments. It would be the pot calling the kettle black if I held that against her. But nonetheless, she and in turn the book never clicked with me.

There definitely were saving graces throughout the book though. The descriptions of New Zealand really spoke to the level of love and respect Karina had for the country and made me want to hop to next flight so I can see everything for myself. It painted such an outstandingly vivd picture. I felt like I was experiencing some of the trips right along with the characters. The side characters also packed a surprisingly poignant punch, especially Tibald and Amber. I guess I should mention Josh too. You know, the hot tattooed art student who dropped everything to travel to New Zealand to chase after a one night stand, only to deal with frustration and disappointment for weeks until Gemma pulled her head out of her ass, Josh. Do I really need to say more? Didn't think so.

So. I can't outright say that I didn't enjoy this, because that's not entirely true. I guess it is more along the lines of wanting and expecting more. Some could say it is a little unfair of me, but that's my opinion. I expected more from Gemma and Karina both, but I didn't quite get it.



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Review: Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk

Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk by Legs McNeil

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Things I learned from this book...

-Everyone involved in the early American punk scene was one big incestuous relationship. Everyone had sex with everyone else at one point or another. Male, female, transsexuals, johns, etc.
-Everyone was on drugs. How did punk even get started? I mean really, it amazes me that punk even remotely got off it's feet, everyone was so messed up.
-Patti Smith still kind of freaks me out, but you have to respect her determination.
-Lou Reed is a douchebag.
-Even completely drugged out of his mind, I still love Iggy. He's so perfectly strange.
-They consider Jim Morrison to be a forerunner of punk because of his stumbling drunk performances seemed to be a fuck you to the buttoned up squares going to the shows to be "cool". I love the Doors and Jim to a fault, but let's get real. Those performances were less fuck you's and more I'm wasted out of my mind and don't know what is going on. But hey, it gave Iggy motivation to do the Stooges so I'll take it.
-Nancy Spungen went to England to clean herself up. Well that worked out well.
-to quote William S. Burroughs "I always thought punk was someone who took it up the ass". I find it interesting and a little amusing that this was the term that was used to coin this movement. I respect that they took a derogatory term and flipped it on it's head though. It's very punk of them.
-No one liked Steven Tyler. Well, that isn't really new, but it needs repeating.
-Malcolm McLaren is still one of the worst things that happened to punk.

I'm a little torn on my feelings on this book. It was incredibly interesting, but less an "oral history of punk" and more of an oral history of the absolute sex and drugged fueled insanity that was NY/Detroit punk. How the albums that came out even remotely decent is shocking, much less as game changing as they were. It was interesting to see the NY scene's take on the origins of punk, obviously they lay claim to the title for themselves rather than the UK scene. I see it as more of feeding off each other, they have the same nihilistic anarchy and general fuck off feeling put out through simple but heavy guitar riffs. They brought music away from the heavily synthesized embellishment that came out of the late 60s/early 70s rock and took it back to the basic 50s rock with a twist. It was garage rock with a flair of fuck you. I guess a majority of the hate towards UK punk seems to come at the heels of the fashion statement that came along with them. Like so many other genres, people latched on to a fad to follow and lost it's way with the music. It doesn't make [some of] those bands any less influential under all of that crap though.

Anyway.

I loathed to enjoy most of this book. While the antics of the scene had it's moments of enjoyment, the fact that the same scene played a part in destroying so many lives makes it hard to read about it. They did it to themselves, yes, but that doesn't make it any less sad to see how they ended up. They definitely lived the sex, drugs & rock n roll lifestyle full tilt though and created amazingness in their wake. No matter whether it was the NY or the UK scene who started punk, they created something amazing and in turn influenced so many others to create even more.

Now I need to find a book on the Cali punk scene to finish my journey of punk off.



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Review: Marrow

Marrow by Tarryn Fisher

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I have to stop fucking killing people.


I ended up pulling an all nighter in my desperation to finish this book, and sadly I am still barely functioning right now. I'm too old for that shit. But every time I tried to find an acceptable stopping point, something else happened that forced me to keep trucking along with Margo until the end.

I always find it incredibly hard to actually review one of Tarryn's books. I don't know that I feel eloquent enough to do her books justice. When I say eloquence, it isn't in the language of her books alone, but it's the feelings that emanate from her characters and her words. With Marrow it is the sense of utter frustration. Margo is fed up with her lot in life and in the Bone in general. After witnessing so many horrors, she just snaps and becomes a kind of vigilante serial killer seeking justice for the people who can't get it for themselves. It's a bit of a heartbreaking journey to watch, seeing a girl become so beaten down from her life that she breaks in such a way. It does, however, speak volumes for the ability of an author that you still root for such a character. You go along with her wholeheartedly as she stalks her prey. Those recesses of your mind that people don't like to believe are there celebrate what she is doing, seeking justice for those who are killed, raped or abused. Margo is her own justice system and a small part of you actually respects her for that. That is the ability that Tarryn has in her writing with her anti-heroines. It's an amazing thing and one of the reasons that I toss 5 star reviews on her books like freaking confetti. I may not like the subject matter, some of the characters or even the incredibly depressing ending, you feel it every step of the way.

I also want to mention all of the call backs to her previous books. Marrow obviously ties into Mud Vein in an incredibly strong way, but it isn't only that. It's the bright blue Docs, the blue nail polish, the carousel that goes round and round, the trip to Florida, the pink Zippo. It's like a love letter to the readers who have been with her every step of the way. For someone who has such a black soul, it's pretty freaking amazing to see how much she loves her characters and the readers who love them along with her.

(And she's pretty too, because really that is all that matters.)



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Review: The Raven

The Raven by Sylvain Reynard

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



I've seen the word soporific tossed around in a few reviews already and I'll just go ahead and add that one in this one too. Because seriously. It's my own fault though, I really should have known better. I was absolutely not a fan of Gabriel's Inferno, but I have been on a PNR kick so I decided to give this a shot just in case. Lesson learned.

The worst part of me is that even if this wasn't one of the most pretentiously boring books I have read in a long time, it honestly seemed like a giant cop out of a book. It just seemed like all of the vampire stuff he took out to make Gabriel's Inferno an "acceptable" fan fic and tossed it into this book and called it a day. Outside of the amazing level of detail that he added in with Botticelli's work, there was really nothing that worked for me.

Anyway, I'm opting to go with 2 stars on this. Honestly, I considered one but one of my biggest pet peeves with any book is when an author just skips over fully researching their subject matter, and it is obvious that this wasn't the case here. I respect that, even if I disliked the book itself.



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Review: The Unleashing

The Unleashing by Shelly Laurenston

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Color me somewhat surprised but I really, really enjoyed this.

This is my first foray into Norse mythology..well other than Thor but let's face it, as pretty as Tom Hiddleston & Idris Elba are is, there isn't much to the movie past the pretty. I loved all of the mythology, even though there wasn't much in the way of detail other than the basics, but it gives me an excuse to wikipedia binge later on tonight so complaints from me. The star of this book, however, were the Crows. All of the women were strong, funny and relatable. That just isn't something that is horribly common in PNR books and it really makes me want to sit down and read everything this author has written to see if they continue on with that trend. And to add even more yay to this, I even liked all of the Ravens. So much win.

The only thing that keeps me from just 5 starring this and calling it a day was the fact that the point of views were really jumpy. It wasn't something that bothered me, per se, but if I got even a little sidetracked I could lose track of who was talking and need to skip back a bit. Anyone with those pesky little creatures who insist on interrupting your reading time for things like food or referring the potential start of an all out war over the Xbox know that being sidetracked is pretty much guaranteed. It obviously didn't hinder my process too terribly much though, so like I said, no major complaints about it.

Anyhoo. Great read, great mythology, great characters. It's really a win win kind of situation here.



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Review: Love, in Spanish

Love, in Spanish by Karina Halle

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I love how real this series is. Adultery isn't pretty, it's an incredibly painful situation for everyone involved and Karina doesn't sugar coat it. However, even despite how tough it is, she is able to write it in a way where, even if you don't agree with their actions, you can empathize with them. You may not agree with anything about how their relationship started, but you can understand why it happened and want them to achieve their happiness together, despite how it started. I think that really says something about the characters that Karina has created with Vera and Mateo. As for LIS specifically, I really appreciated seeing more from Mateo's perspective. And that this was a true follow-up and not a recreation of LIE. I loved being able to further delve into their relationship as they continue to struggle to piece everything together. Neither of them are perfect, but together they are something perfect in their imperfections, so it makes for a great read.



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Review: The Dangers of Dating a Rebound Vampire

The Dangers of Dating a Rebound Vampire by Molly Harper

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



This wasn't my favorite book, but Gigi is still one of my favorite female character in this and the Jane Jameson series. I love how incredibly sarcastic she is and the relationship that she has with Iris. I wasn't a fan of Gigi and Nik's relationship though. Unlike the rest of Molly's books, their relationship just didn't really seem as fleshed out. I could blame it on the fact that they only had one book, but I had a better understanding of Miranda and Collin's relationship and they only had a novella. The connection was just missing between the two of them.

It may not have been as good as her other books, but it was still incredibly entertaining. Especially when you need something that is easy to read and won't fail to make you laugh.



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Review: Murder of Crows

Murder of Crows by Anne Bishop

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I didn't enjoy this quite as much as I did Written in Red, but it was still a great read. My issues lie with the fact that it occasionally had the feel of a filler. As we moved closer to the end of the book, however, that eased up quite a bit.

The most interesting aspect of these books for me has been Meg and Simon. It isn't only their relationship,but the growth they are both going through while experiencing everything that is going on in their world. But as for their relationship, the fact that this author already has me so invested in their non-relationship speaks volumes for her talent. I am very impatiently waiting to see how it continues.

The other part of this book that really hit home for me was the level of the horrors that the humans are reaching in their war against the Terra Indigene. I probably shouldn't feel such a strong connection for a group of characters who would easily kill those who break their laws, but at the same time I have to respect how open they are about it. They aren't humans, they don't follow human laws but they don't beat around the bush about that. Should I be happy when they destroy entire towns in retaliation? Is it okay to wish death on the person who orchestrated the cassandra sangue to go into the meat grinders It just opens up so many questions about how you would handle this if you were in the position of the human police in the books and also makes you think about the situations in the real world. It's just fascinating and I love that despite how entertaining it is, it also makes me sit back and think about more than just the entertainment factor.

Anyway.

It's only book 2 of 5, but I am already dying to see where else this author is going to take us with this series. If it continues on this path, I can only see amazing things.



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Review: Thoughtful

Thoughtful by S.C. Stephens

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



This pains to me to say, literally pains me, but I was not a fan. It's Kellan, so I should automatically love it, especially since I have a slightly irrational love of Thoughtless. Thoughtful, however, just did not work for me.

I think the biggest thing when alternate point of view books come into play, is that they need to really accentuate the previous book. I don't want to read the EXACT same book, just in the other party's view. It needs to bring something more to the series. The only more that Thoughtful brought was hatred. I hated Keira in Thoughtless. She was an selfish idiot who played with the hearts of two people. But seeing it from Kellan's view only made it so much worse. Not only that, it really made me wonder why he was even bothering. There was nothing in this book that gave me that aha moment. Kellan just came across as vapid and wanting something he couldn't have. He idolized a relationship so much that he took it for himself. I'm assuming that we were supposed to understand that there was just that spark that neither of them could control, but I was never in a position where I could do that. And Keira. Well, she was the same, but knowing exactly how messed up Kellan actually was over the entire situation just made her so much worse.

There were good moments though. I did like seeing the few extra scenes that we did get, but there just wasn't enough to do anything for the series as a whole. I also did enjoy being in Kellan's head for a while before everything went to shit. But there is just an overall sense of disappointment in both this book in general and the fact that even though I already knew that I shouldn't love Thoughtless as much as I do, this book hammers home even more why I shouldn't. And that sucks.

1.5 Stars.



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Review: The Year We Fell Down

The Year We Fell Down by Sarina Bowen

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



If Hartley wouldn't have been such an idiotic douchebag, this would have been a surprisingly good read. However, Corey was a great character and I loved every aspect of her journey. That alone made this book worth the read to me.



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Review: Black Lies

Black Lies by Alessandra Torre

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I'm just going to sit over here in the uncool crowd, because I did not understand the hype around this one. Again.

Black Lies was just okay. There wasn't really anything in the storyline that I found outstandingly intriguing. It was well written and the characters themselves were complex and interesting, but when you spend the entire second half of the book wishing they would just get on with the owning up to what was really happening, it kind of ruins the suspense factor.



On that note, I really would like to find one of these books with the "twist" ending where I don't figure out the twist before it actually happens. Suggestions?



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Review: Soaring

Soaring by Kristen Ashley

My rating: 2 of 5 stars






Please reference every other KA book review for the last year or two, replace names with Amelia and Mickey, go from there.



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Review: Confess

Confess by Colleen Hoover

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Sigh.

Everytime I read a new Colleen book, I go into it with the hopes that I am finally going to love something like I did Slammed. I'll go through the first chapters and I'll think, this is it, it is finally going happen. And then it fizzles out. Confess was so close though. So close.

Even if Colleen's books haven't quite hit the mark for me, I find her approach to writing to be amazing. She doesn't just write a book, she writes an experience. Confess is an experience. Not only did she work with an artist to bring Owen's character to life, she brought in actual confessions from readers who were willing to put a piece of themselves out there. Honestly, those confession and Danny O'Conner's artwork made this entire book. They were the experience here. They were why I kept turning the pages. They overshadowed Owen and Auburn. How do you rate a book where you are in awe of an idea so much that it make the actual writing seem a little..less? Owen and Auburn were predictable. The writing wasn't bad, it was just expected. I knew the secrets and reasons before they happened, which made it hard to fully immerse myself into their story. My biggest gripe would be the ending though; it needed to be more than what it was. It made me sad, not because it was over, but because how it was over.

I honestly think that Colleen is something special. She is doing things that should make people stand up and take notice. I am, even if I don't feel that she has quite hit that perfect marriage between her ideas and her writings yet.




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Review: The Dream Thieves

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



You know those books that when you finish, you sit back and wonder what you have been doing with your life that kept you from reading this before? This is one of those. It is also days like this where I wish I didn't live 40 minutes away from the nearest bookstore so I could rush there to buy the actual book so I can pet it and tell it how much I love it. Okay, so that is a slight exaggeration but you get my point.

I honestly think I could write a review that waxes poetic about just about every aspect of this series so far, but that would interfere with my listening time for the next book. I'll just cut the chase about to cover my favorite aspect so far. Despite the seemingly so pace of the books so far, it is done in such a way that you just don't care. Every word has a reason and it unfurls slowly but you are enjoying the ride so much that you actually revel in the pace of the story. Also, Blue rocks. Seriously, she's a character that I would be ecstatic to find out my daughter was reading about.

"I don't want to be just someone to kiss. I want to be a real friend, too. Not just someone who's fun to run around because - because I have breasts!"

"Right, sure. Because there's no girls in politics! I have no interest. Voting? What? I forgot my apron. I think I ought to be in the kitchen right now, actually. My rolling pin - "

Yeah, I kind of love Blue. Especially when compared to the oh so many female characters who make you want to slam you head into the nearest wall.

So, that's it. I'm off to start book three and read it slow enough that I go completely crazy waiting for September.



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Review: 30 Days of Night, Vol. 1

30 Days of Night, Vol. 1 by Steve Niles

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Loved the artwork, but I'm kind of so-so on the storyline. I think that has more to do with having seen the before prior to reading this though. This didn't seem quite as fleshed out in comparison. I haven't seen any of the half-baked sequels though, so I'm going into the rest of these blind. I'm hoping it helps..



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Review: The Care and Feeding of Stray Vampires

The Care and Feeding of Stray Vampires by Molly Harper

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I have yet to read a Molly Harper book that I didn't love. They are just snarky fun. When you are looking for a book that doesn't take itself too seriously and is just a fun read, anything by this author works. I can't say that I loved this one as much as her Jane Jameson series, but it was still a great, and much needed quick read.



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Review: Rotten: No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs

Rotten: No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs by John Lydon

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



“Any kind of history you read is basically the winning side telling you the others were bad.”

If that doesn't perfectly describe this book, I don't know what does.

I am of two frames of mind thinking about this book. One is that I found John Lydon's stance on the entire punk scene to be outstanding, and one that I agree with so I'm biased. When the punk scene started it was something completely different than what it evolved into and a lot of punks now don't seem to realize that. The fact that it is a scene now is the greatest indicator of that. Punk's origins wasn't about looking and thinking the same to fit in with a group. I respect Lydon for recognizing that and harping on it so much throughout the book. That part of this book was incredibly interesting; seeing how punk started and changed in such a short amount of time.

What wasn't interesting was how repetitive and bitter he still was about the Pistols. I won't fault Lydon for his bitterness, I'd be bitter as hell too, but 200 pages of incessant whining about it is more than my patience can take. The books starts to lose it's emphasis on the contribution of the Pistols and turns into a giant manifesto on why Malcolm McLaren is the worst person on the planet. But hey, he doesn't harbor any feelings of hatred toward him. Ha. I guess you should expect no less from Johnny Rotten though.

Despite the overabundance of bitterness, I still enjoyed this read. It's written like John Lydon talks: brash, nihilistic, narcisstic and incredibly entertaining. It talks about the British punk scene like no other artist would be able to do in the same way. I may not agree with a lot of Lydon's "truths", but you can't deny that he wasn't a major player in the punk world. This book is worth a read just for that aspect alone.



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Review: The Raven Boys

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



One of the things that I don't care for with audiobooks is my inability to highlight stuff. I guess I could have taken notes as I was listening, but I generally listen in situations where I can't. Anyway.

I'll admit that I was incredibly surprised that I enjoyed this book as much as I did. It usually takes me a while to get through audiobooks because it is hard for me to keep my attention focused, but this one kept me intrigued every time I was listening. The story flowed well and the author was able to hit just the right notes with the intrigue to not make it feel YA, but still keep it YA. Also, Will Patton was an outstanding choice as narrator. I've always liked him in general, but he is outstanding as a narrator.

I'm looking forward to seeing where the author takes the rest of this series, and listening to Will read it to me.



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Review: The Pact

The Pact by Karina Halle

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I had to wait to check this one out until I was no longer in a fuck the world mood. I don't know about anyone else, but during those times the last thing I want to read is happy people doing happy things. It doesn't make me happy, it only makes me want to throw my beloved iPad in front of a moving vehicle. Alas, I had some freaking awesome news today and I felt the happy wash over me so I could finally get this one read.

I loved this departure from Karina's usual writing style and color me a little surprised by that. I didn't doubt that Karina could do a feel good story, it is that it takes a lot for me to love that kind of story line. I guess I need to chalk that up to Karina's amazing talent in creating incredibly relatable and likable female characters. I can't think of many other authors who has never failed to make me love every one of her female characters. Stephanie was no exception of this. I loved everything about her throughout the entire book. I never had an eye-roll moment that you usually get at least once. So, kudos to Karina on that one especially.

I think the only thing holding me back was that, while I did like Linden and his fabulously dirty mouth, I didn't love him like I did Stephanie. He never quite made it "there" for me. At one point, I actually wished that he was real so I could deliver a much deserved swift punch to the throat. I wish I could nail down exactly why he didn't fully connect with me (other than him being an idiot), but I can't. The only thing that I can possibly think of, is that Stephanie just overshadowed him in her awesomeness.

In my not so humble opinion, if you are looking for a read that is just going to make you feel good when you finish it, and you want a rocking female lead, this is a great choice for you.



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Review: The Bell Jar

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I think this has been one of the bleakest, yet somehow poignant, look at how quickly one can slip into a severe and debilitating depression. That descent happening throughout the story of a young woman attempting to establish a life that goes against the status quo of era adds even more to the level of despair portrayed.

I initially went into The Bell Jar knowing of Sylvia Plath and her infamous suicide, but not really knowing much about her or her works. Plath's willingness to starkly break down her personality, her illness, her failings, and her defiant opposition toward conventional feminine roles are woven together to show a strength that I wonder if Plath even realized she possessed. In doing so, she was able to completely blow open the heavily stigmatized mental illness for the world to see. She made it readable, but still showed the level of despair and alienation that she felt during the time. The fact that her contrasting views of gender roles and what she wanted from her life versus what was expected from her as a female was a huge factor into her breakdown only served to heighten the sense of defeat. It's easy to see why she became an important figure of the feminist movement.

It's even harder to read this book knowing how Plath's life ended despite hopeful ending of the book. Depression is a beast of an illness. I'm grateful to people such as Plath, who were so willing to open their life experiences for others to see that they are not alone.

“When they asked me what I wanted to be I said I didn’t know.
"Oh, sure you know," the photographer said.
"She wants," said Jay Cee wittily, "to be everything.”



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Book Sale!

Tarry Fisher's Mud Vein is on sale for $0.99!  If you haven't read this, I would highly recommend it.  If you are new to Tarryn, be prepared for very atypical and complex characters intricately woven into an equally complex storyline.  This one especially.  I do feel the need to add a disclaimer that this does not have a conventional HEA.  Some say the ending is downright depressing.  There is a beauty in that ending though, even despite how sad it was. 

http://amzn.com/B00JHVUQ70

Review: The Game Plan

The Game Plan by R.L. Mathewson

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



I think this is the first book in the Neighbor From Hell series that I just kind of meh over. RL's books usually fall into that guilty pleasure category for me. They are ridiculously over the top and can definitely be eye roll worthy, but I find most of her books hilarious because of that. The Bradford food obsessions, over the top vanity, constant fighting and highly questionable relationship skills are all absolute campy entertainment.

However, after 5 books in the series, we have just hit the point of redundancy. I can see some aspects where RL made the attempt to change up the male lead a tad, but with so many of the other Bradfords continuing to play major roles in the story line, it just doesn't do enough to separate itself from every other book in the series much less stand out among them. I think this is going to be a problem with any future book in this series though unless something drastically different happens.

I won't say that this book wasn't good, but really I could have just reread either Jason or Trevor's books instead and been more entertained even despite having read them multiple times already...



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Review: Twisted

Twisted by Cari Quinn

My rating: 3 of 5 stars




The books in this series have been kind of hit or miss for me, but thankfully this one was a hit. The tension between Jazz and Gray has been palpable throughout the series so far and seeing it all come to a head in this book made for a really solid read.

I'm going to start off by saying that I skipped just about every sex scene in this book. I didn't do it because they weren't well written, but because I'm just not feeling that scene at the moment. The plus side to that for me is that, even despite not reading the sex aspect of the book, I still really enjoyed what I was reading. It's all to common to fall into the easy sell of loads of sex and little plot line when you know that it sells, but that definitely wasn't a problem here. Twisted is a plot-driven erotic novel and not the other way around. The story flashed between now and then, so we really got a good picture of what formed the relationship between Jazz and Gray. It does get a little crazy at times, but I would be lying if I said that wouldn't be disappointed if I didn't get a little craziness from Oblivion. That is part of what makes me like this series. Can it be over the top? Without a doubt, but it is still done in a way where it is believable. Especially from a rock band on the rise to fame.

I do have one major issue though. I'll stick it in a spoiler for those who don't care to know though..
Can we PLEASE stop with the unplanned pregnancies with this one? It was frustrating with the first book, it's frustrating with this one. If I have to read it in the next book, there is a good chance that my brain will explode along with my will to continue with this series. Even if I understand why it would be continued on with Jazz, that doesn't mean that I can't be over the unplanned pregnancy trope within this genre. Especially when there are so many other issues that should be focused on without bringing a baby in the mix. Unplanned pregnancy happens, yes. I am just so far over reading it without this genre that it isn't remotely funny.

If it wasn't for the aforementioned spoiler, this would have been a solid 4 star read for me. That's a personal thing for me though, so take that it as you will. I'd still recommend this to anyone looking for a hot rock star read chock full of interesting and dynamic characters.




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Review: Never Never

Never Never by Colleen Hoover

My rating: 0 of 5 stars



I'm still undecided on an actual starred review on this book, so I'm skipping that part for a bit until I can decide.


My initial thoughts on Never Never is a kind of apathy. I think that the writing was flawless, but I'm just not sure how I actually feel about the story itself. I think right now my biggest issue is with the fact that it did not come across as a book within a series, but it felt more like a volume in a serial. I knew going into the book that TaCo decided that they weren't just going to be able to complete this as a standalone like the initial plan was. So, I was expecting a cliffhanger. My problem is that the end didn't have a cliffhanger feel. I don't think we made it to the top of a cliff to hang off of. I have more of a I found a pretty right at this nice little plateau so I'm going to play with that and then take a nap before I continue up this cliff. Does that mean that I didn't enjoy the book? Nah, I think it will probably end up being freaking awesome when it's done. Which means, that I'm holding off on an actual rating until I finish up the series. That's probably a bit of a cop out, but I don't like to read serials until they are done because I don't feel like I can get a full idea on the scope of a story after just one volume to warrant a proper rating. So, even though this book is technically listed as a part of a series according to the authors, that's just not where I am at with it as a reader.



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