Reading Reflcetion: Everneath

Everneath (Everneath #1)
by Brodi Ashton
Published January 24th 2012
P. 370
Rating: 4/5 

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she's returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being banished back to the underworld... this time forever.

She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there's a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen.

As Nikki's time grows short and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she's forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's...

This book left me with mixed feelings.  I love mythology and was looking forward to that aspect of the book, but I didn't find it as prevalent to the story as I'd hoped.  It was still interesting, but not what I expected.  Instead of the story being centered around the story of Persephone, the mythology was used to fill in parts of Everneath... not bad, just not what I expected.

The story is about Nikki, or Becks, and how she sought refuge from her emotions.  She searched for Cole for the sole purpose of having her feelings taken away.  What she didn't expect was what this escape would mean.  It meant a 100 years of feeding Cole her emotions and then six months to decide whether she would be dragged into the Tunnels by the Shadows or follow Cole to become an Everliving, possibly a queen.  Becoming an Everliving meant she would have to feed off people's emotions for eternity, something she couldn't bring herself to do.

Nikki gets six months to return home, return to the friends, family, and boyfriend she left behind and say goodbye for the rest of eternity.  But with every passing day, this gets more difficult.

Nikki, I'm confused about her as a protagonist.  I didn't love her or hate her, but was annoyed with many of her decisions.  I didn't understand them.  I did like how she refused Cole, even though he provided the easiest solution.  She fell for him once, but refused to do it again.  That redeemed her in my estimation, but only slightly.

Now, the boyfriend she left behind is Jack.  The book is segmented into portions about the present day and days before "The Feed."  I loved Jack.  One of my favorite parts of the story was reading about their relationship.  He was strong, considerate, and absolutely perfect.  Actually, I resented Nikki for being so foolish in her decisions and how they affected him in return.  Jack was my favorite character of the book and I hoped everything worked out for him, not necessarily Nikki. 

Now Cole, an Everliving who feeds off human emotions to live forever.  He tactically pursued Nikki, influencing and manipulating a vulnerable moment in her life. That's when she made the decision that changed her life forever.  When he discovered Nikki was different by surviving the feed, he wanted her for himself.  He wanted her to to follow him to Everneath and rule alongside him, but she refused.  For six months, while on the surface, he pursues her and tries to convince her that his option is the best -- she would avoid the Tunnels and live forever.  His strategy ranges from convincing arguments, stalker behavior, vengeful retaliation, and vulnerable pleading.  He is a whirlwind of confusion and my second favorite character of the book.  There's something about him... something underneath the callous and emotionless surface.  I think he really loves Nikki, it's not just a conquest. 

The biggest downfall of this book is that there are really no emotionally charged instances throughout the novel, it's very bland.  I found myself skimming certain areas and forcing myself to return to the lost pages.  However, the storyline itself is interesting enough to keep the story moving forward.  I wanted to know what happened with Cole and Jack specifically -- they held my attention through the book.  Sorry Nikki, but those two boys are what kept my interest enough to give a three rating.  

Reading Reflection: The Demon Trapper's Daughter

Forsaken (The Demon Trapper's Daughter #1)
by Jana Oliver
Published 7th 2011
P. 422
Rating: 3/5

Riley Blackthorne just needs a chance to prove herself—and that’s exactly what the demons are counting on...

Seventeen-year-old Riley, the only daughter of legendary Demon Trapper, Paul Blackthorne, has always dreamed of following in her father's footsteps. The good news is, with human society seriously disrupted by economic upheaval and Lucifer increasing the number of demons in all major cities, Atlanta’s local Trappers’ Guild needs all the help they can get—even from a girl. When she’s not keeping up with her homework or trying to manage her growing crush on fellow apprentice, Simon, Riley’s out saving distressed citizens from foul-mouthed little devils – Grade One Hellspawn only, of course, per the strict rules of the Guild. Life’s about as normal as can be for the average demon-trapping teen.

But then a Grade Five Geo-Fiend crashes Riley’s routine assignment at a library, jeopardizing her life and her chosen livelihood. And, as if that wasn’t bad enough, sudden tragedy strikes the Trappers’ Guild, spinning Riley down a more dangerous path than she ever could have imagined. As her whole world crashes down around her, who can Riley trust with her heart—and her life?

It took me a while to write this review.  Originally, this was not one of my favorite books this year, but there was something about it that drew me into the characters and storyline.  It was a fun read, and I can see myself going back to it on lazy Sundays. 

Riley Blackthorne is a 17-year-old living in Atlanta, Georgia after the government has basically gone bankrupt.  Her father, Paul, became a demon trapper after he lost his job as a teacher and her mother died of cancer several years back.  Paul is one of the best, and Riley plans to follow in his footsteps.  She is the first female apprentice on the road to becoming a demon trapper.  This is one of the things I liked about this book, she's doing something that isn't exactly typical, breaking barriers, and kicking butt. 

Now, Riley adores her father.  I love their relationship, but he dies early on in this story and it is heartbreaking.  He was such a genuinely good guy it effects a lot of people, especially Riley and Beck.  Beck is a young man only a few years older than Riley, who Paul devoted a lot of attention to, training him, looking out for him, and just being the father Beck never had.  Riley also had a serious crush on Beck a few years ago, and has hated him since.  When Paul dies, Beck feels he must take responsibility for Riley -- which she fights.

Alright, now I remember why it was so hard to write this review.  There are so many subplots and characters I can't cohesively write about everything.  There's a lot that goes on.  Too much.

1. Riley warding Paul's body until the next full moon or someone can summon his body and use it, like the nice necromancer Mortimer or the really evil one.
2. Riley trying to make ends meet and survive without parents.  Collectors are hounding her about the debt accrued from her mother's medical expenses. 
3. Riley trying to prove herself to the Demon Trapper's Guild while under the apprenticeship of someone who drinks a lot and hates her and her father, Harper.
4. All the demon's seem to acknowledge Riley by name, something that is not usual.
5. Someone is tampering with the holy water and demons are being catched but not sold through the appropriate channels -- Riley finds this all out by having her BFF hack into her father's disc.  
6. She still has to go to regular school 3 days a week and maintain her relationship with her non-demon trapper BFF Peter.
7. She develops a romantic relationship with another apprentice: Simon.
8. Beck is overbearing with her, trying to keep her safe, but going about it all wrong.

There is soo much going on that's it hard to talk about everything.  I like that she is the first female demon trapper, and really tries her best.  I don't like how she and Beck treat each other, it's very love hate.  Beck tries to be like an aggressive brother, but isn't.  He stifles Riley and she fights back.  I like Simon, he seems so sweet and exactly what she needs after losing her father -- someone to offer support without stifling her.  Now with Beck and Simon it may seem like a love triangle, but I'm not sure.  If Beck shrugs off that overbearing authoritative cloak, maybe.  I might actually prefer Beck to Simon him, he's much more masculine.  The things he does for Riley make him amazing in my book, he just has to lose that attitude.  Not too mention, Peter the so-called best friend, but I'm not convinced.  And... a dark handsome stranger that appears later on in the book, Ori.  He claims to be an independent demon hunter (not to be confused with a demon trapper), he saves Riley and the other demon trappers toward the end, but there seems to be chemistry building there. 

Too many boys!  Too many story angles!  That's what made this book difficult for me, too much!

I still liked it, after I sorted all the ideas and focused, but it was hard.  And there's more to come.  All these ideas go into the next book unresolved and the ending provided even more twists.  I don't know if I can handle more, but I wanna find out. 

All in all, it's an okay read.  I liked the setting and the world of demons created, especially the ninja-clad Magpie -- silly little shiny-stealing demon (hehe).  Is it bad that I want one?  There is ALOT going on, but I want to know how it all works out and will continue to read the series to find out. 

  

Reading Reflection: The Space Between

The Space Between
by Brenna Yovannoff
Published November 14th 2011
P. 365
Rating: 3/5

Daphne is the half-demon, half-fallen angel daughter of Lucifer and Lilith. Life for her is an endless expanse of time, until her brother Obie is kidnapped—and Daphne realizes she may be partially responsible.

Determined to find him, Daphne travels from her home in Pandemonium to the vast streets of Earth, where everything is colder and more terrifying. With the help of the human boy she believes was the last person to see her brother alive, Daphne glimpses into his dreams, discovering clues to Obie’s whereabouts. As she delves deeper into her demonic powers, she must navigate the jealousies and alliances of the violent archangels who stand in her way

Huh?  I need a minute to compose my thoughts... this might end up being a bulleted format review.  Okay, Daphne -- a demon whose parentage stems from Lilith and Lucifer -- is a peculiar character.  I do have to say that I really liked her, most of the time.  There is something so distant, detached, and unemotional about her, it's unnerving.  But she's a demon, so it works. 

With this sense of detachment comes this brutal, but naive honesty,  I think that was my favorite part of this whole book, something about her personality was so strange, but simple and straight to the point.  Very peculiar. 

There's also Obie and Truman.  Obie is Daphne's brother, well half-brother technically.  He's half-human and half demon.  Unlike the other demons he travels to the world and tries to help people.  In the beginning of the book he decides he wants to stay on Earth, he has fallen in love. 

Truman, is someone Obie is working with.  He himself is half human and half angel.  Daphne meets him briefly at the entrance of hell.  After some interference, Truman is sent back to Earth.  However, Truman is severely out of control.  His mother died, he tried to kill himself, and he has haunting dreams, which causes him to drink heavily, act out-- he's just bad emotional news all around. 

While on Earth Obie goes missing and Daphne tries to find him.  She needs Truman's help, if he can stay conscious long enough to offer any.  The whole story is based on their search for Obie, their growing attraction, Truman finding redemption, and Daphne realizing she doesn't have to be the seductive monster her sisters are.... all while someone is killing demons on Earth.  (Oh, forgot to mention.  Demons can visit Earth, but can't stay for good -- not good for Obie).

I did like this story.  I liked the characters and the initial storyline of Lilith is absolutely amazing.  However, at some points I felt utterly lost, had no idea what was happening, or why.  I'm not sure if I missed information at somewhere or if it was too much for one book, but toward the end I lost some interest.   I think it had to do with Daphne's own reaction to events.  She was so melancholy and detached during significant moments, that I found I was too. 
Then the actual ending, the last few pages, left me positively baffled.  I'm still trying to wrap my head around it.  I'm all about sappy our-love-will-conquer-all stories, but really?  Strange, strange series of events to show your love for one another.  Again, I feel like I missed something major. 

All in all, it really was an interesting read, though confusing at times.  Maybe I need a reread to clarify some of my major issues.

Reading Reflection:Spell Bound

Spell Bound (Hex Hall #3)
by Rachel Hawkins
Published March 13th 2012
Rating: 3/5

Just as Sophie Mercer has come to accept her extraordinary magical powers as a demon, the Prodigium Council strips them away. Now Sophie is defenseless, alone, and at the mercy of her sworn enemies—the Brannicks, a family of warrior women who hunt down the Prodigium. Or at least that’s what Sophie thinks, until she makes a surprising discovery. The Brannicks know an epic war is coming, and they believe Sophie is the only one powerful enough to stop the world from ending. But without her magic, Sophie isn’t as confident.

Sophie’s bound for one hell of a ride—can she get her powers back before it’s too late?

Ah, the third book in the Hex Hall series.  Again, soooo much stuff happens that it's difficult to write about.  In the last book, Sophie's powers are stripped, or held, by the council.  Her father's are removed entirely.  And Archer is sentenced to die.  This is all right before Nick and Daisy go demon crazy and all hell breaks loose.  The house is on fire while Sophie escapes, her father and Archer are trapped inside.  This is where amazing Cal comes in.  He tells Sophie to use the Itineris to find the Brannicks, where her mother is, before running to the burning house to save the people she loves.  

Okay, and then the third book begins.  Sophie listens to Cal and travels to find the Brannicks, another group destined to kill supernaturals which screams trouble.  She finds her mother there, she also finds that her mother is a member of this group, which means Sophie has found an aunt and two cousins who may or may not wish her dead.  Her father's demon status and her mother's demon hunter gig pretty much explains why they never worked out, conflicting interests... but that seems to change in the end.  Good.  I like those two together.    

Next, everyone survives the fire.  Archer escapes somehow.  Jenna joins a "nest".  Cal and James find their way to Sophie and her mother with minimal damage.  Now they only have to decide how they're gonna stop the Casnoff sisters from creating a demon army.  Not an easy task when the whole island housing Hex Hall has disappeared. 

This task becomes easier when every student from Hex Hall is magically returned to the school: Sophie, Archer, Jenna, Cal, and everyone else from the previous semester.  Sophie and her group are the only ones who really know what the Casnoff sisters are up to, they want to turn them all into demons.  With the help of her friends, family, and Elodie's ghost Sophie has to find a way to get her powers back and save the day.

Alright, I didn't like this book as much as the other two.  First, all that witty sarcasm that I loved went overboard, there were certain times when I felt like enough was enough.  Two, though I like Archer, he didn't leave me swooning.  I liked Cal too much to agree with Sophie's choice.  There comes a point when the bad boy isn't enough -- you need more than wit and looks.  Lastly, a loss at the end leaves me absolutely heart broken.  Though everyone is offered a "happy ending", I couldn't get over this one point.  It left me soooo sad I couldn't get past it.  Maybe that's the reason I didn't love this book as much as the others.  The other ones were light, fun reads.  This one, though witty, left me depressed. 

Reading Reflection: Fracture

Fracture
by Megan Miranda
Published January 17th 2012
P. 262
Rating: 3/5

Eleven minutes passed before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by her best friend Decker Phillips. By then her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet she somehow defied medical precedent to come back seemingly fine. Everyone wants Delaney to be all right, but she knows she's far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can't control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her altered brain now predicting death, or causing it?

Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who recently emerged from a coma with similar abilities. At first she's reassured to find someone who understands the strangeness of her new existence, but Delaney soon discovers that Troy's motives aren't quite what she thought. Is their gift a miracle, a freak of nature-or something much more frightening?

Fracture starts with Delaney Maxwell falling through the ice of a lake and her best friend, Decker, finally pulls her out after 11 minutes.  She should be dead, but she isn't.  Instead the doctors scan her brain and find brain damage, but Delaney appears to be utterly normal... except for the weird pull in her brain toward people who are dying.  It was a little strange, but interesting.  She also meets Troy, someone who also developed the same ability after being in a coma. 

I feel that this book could have been soooo much better, that it didn't quite reach its full potential. It still wasn't a bad read, but it could have been so much more.  What I mentioned above is it, that's all.  Well, no, I'm lying.  There's a inkling of romantic interest that begins with Troy and a painfully obvious one with her best friend Decker -- but other than that the story felt flat.  I'm not sure what the story lacked, maybe tension or real suspense, but I never the emotional roller coaster I do when I read books.  I didn't even realize Troy was supposed to be the villain until the end.  I never felt Delaney's struggle with her new draw to the almost dead.  The only time I felt anything was during those awkward and frustrating moments with Decker.

So that's it.  The story had potential that I feel was never really reached, but this is a debut novel so II feel the authors work can only get better from here.       

Reading Reflection: City of Ashes

City of Ashes (Mortal Instruments #2)
by Casssandra Clare
Published March 25th 2008
P. 453
Rating: 3/5

Clary Fray just wishes that her life would go back to normal. But what's normal when you're a demon-slaying Shadowhunter, your mother is in a magically induced coma, and you can suddenly see Downworlders like werewolves, vampires, and faeries? If Clary left the world of the Shadowhunters behind, it would mean more time with her best friend, Simon, who's becoming more than a friend. But the Shadowhunting world isn't ready to let her go — especially her handsome, infuriating, newfound brother, Jace. And Clary's only chance to help her mother is to track down rogue Shadowhunter Valentine, who is probably insane, certainly evil — and also her father.

To complicate matters, someone in New York City is murdering Downworlder children. Is Valentine behind the killings — and if he is, what is he trying to do? When the second of the Mortal Instruments, the Soul-Sword, is stolen, the terrifying Inquisitor arrives to investigate and zooms right in on Jace. How can Clary stop Valentine if Jace is willing to betray everything he believes in to help their father?

This book captured my attention more than the first one.  The storyline and the writing seemed better refined and I started to appreciate the characters more.  I found myself returning to the first book to clarify some points that I seemed to skim through because I wasn't entirely interested the first time around. 

In the previous book, City of Bones, Clary finds out about her mother's past and the world of Shadowhunters.  The only way to save Jocelyn (her mom) is to track down Valentine (her newly discovered and crazy evil father).  Clary is a bit clueless, or like a fish out of water when it comes to this Shadowhunter business, but she tries so I give her credit for that. 

Jace is under scrutiny by the Inquisitor, Imogen Herondale.  She suspects him of being further involved with Valentine than he says, but she also holds her own personal vendetta against Valentine.  What I liked about her appearance in this novel is that it provides a genealogical link to Will Herondale from the Clockwork Angel... I have my own suspicions, but I'll wait until reading the series to see if I'm right.

The real twist to this story is that Simon and Clary are attempting to date, but she is completely taken by Jace... her brother.  Granted they didn't know they were siblings, but now they do and can't seem to stop pursuing each other.  Weird.  It's a little unnerving that they have such a strong attraction to one another... very strange.

Luke and Simon are characters I'm starting to appreciate in this book as well.  I love Luke.  I like his role in Clary's life and I hope he remains in it.  Simon too.  I don't like the dating theme between him and Clary, but I like all the other aspects of his character.  Now that he's a vampire I hope stuff works out for him, I find him endearing (but not right for Clary).   

All in all I liked this book much better than the first, it motivated me to read the series.  But, I still find it difficult to navigate through the excessive language.

Reading Reflection: City of Bones

City of Bones (Mortal Instruments #1)
by Cassandra Clare
Published March 27th 2007
p. 485
Rating: 3/5

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder -- much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing -- not even a smear of blood -- to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know. . . . 

I wasn't a big fan of this book, it wasn't horrible, but I didn't love it.  I read the Clockwork Angel and Clockwork Prince and loved those books, this one fell short of my expectations.  It wasn't as well written as the other two. 

I did like the book.  I liked the characters: Clary, Jace, Simon, Isabel, Alec, and Hodge.  But I couldn't help but to compare them to Tessa, Will, and Gem.  These modern characters seemed milder in comparison and I didn't know if I liked it our not.  When compared to Tessa, Clary just seemed obnoxious, which doesn't seem fair.  On her own she wasn't bad, sort of spunky, but mild at the same time.  I didn't find Jace any way near as severe as Will.  Will was hurtful, Jace just seemed brutally honest.  However, their were definite similarities in their roles. 

In this story Clary discovers the world of Shadowhunters and all that it entails, including a witty, sarcastic, and somewhat rude boy named Jace.  Along with all this, she finds herself closer to this group than she would have thought possible: her mother was once a Shadowhunter.  However, something from the past has come and her mother is gone. Clary is thrown into this new world without the slightest idea of what to expect or how to save her mom.  The story takes you into Clary discovering her own history, the one her mother tried to conceal.   

I think my biggest problem with the book was my confusion.  It was like BAM! Shadowhunters, runes, marks, and weapons with names.  Did that get explained?  Did I miss it?  Why do the weapons have names?  I didn't get it.  I don't know if I missed this information or it was simply never provided, but I wish I knew more about all these little facts. 

Other than that, it was a decent storyline, the characters were entertaining enough, the writing was a little excessive, but I still enjoyed the novel.

Reading Reflection: Before I Fall

Before I Fall
by Lauren Oliver
Published March 2nd 2010
P. 470
Rating: 3/5

What if you only had one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?

Samantha Kingston has it all: looks, popularity, the perfect boyfriend. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life. Instead, it turns out to be her last.

The catch: Samantha still wakes up the next morning. Living the last day of her life seven times during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death--and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing.

Is it possible to hate the lead character so much in the beginning of a novel that you wished she died?  Because I did.  And when Sam did die in the beginning I was like: GOOD RIDANCE!  I know, very harsh, but I hate mean girl bullies.  In high school I would've given her a black eye. 

My hatred for her almost stopped me from finishing the book, but I figured she died and came back for a reason.  I hoped it was to learn that it wasn't okay to be such a snobby b****.  I was right.  The whole book had a "Groundhog's Day" motif.  Sam went through a normal Friday, being a snob with her group of friends, but on their way home from a party her drunk best friend Lindsey swerved and hit a tree: hence Sam dying.  But, she woke up the next morning, actually the same day of her death: Friday.  She relived the day over and over again, each time learning or experiencing something new. 

The reason I finished the book is because sge did learn, it took her a few tries, but she finally got it.  She learned her idiot boyfriend was, well, an idiot.  She learned to accept her friends, faults and all.  She found real acceptance and adoration in her family and she experienced the inklings of real life.  She just bacame more aware and appreciative of her world in general.  By the end of the book I found myself rooting for her, the polar opposite of my initial feelings.  I wanted her to have all these experiences and learn.  She did, but just when I hoped for more... nothing.  These are the book endings where I wish I stopped reading just a few pages sooner.